James Gunn is currently busy shaping the new DCU with the upcoming Superman. However, the director’s previous DC venture, The Suicide Squad, is receiving some harsh comments from fans on social media. Directed by Gunn, the film was a standalone sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad. After one fan included Gunn’s film in a list of modern classics, a debate ensued.
Fans compared The Suicide Squad to Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 as they discussed what movies should be considered modern classics despite their underrated status. Amidst the trolling of Gunn’s film from some fans on social media, The Suicide Squad and Blade Runner 2049 cannot be considered modern classics, and here is why.
Fans Troll James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad On Social Media
The Suicide Squad, directed by James Gunn, was released in 2021 and received positive reviews from critics. However, its box office numbers were less than impressive amidst the pandemic-affected movie landscape. On X (formerly Twitter), user @samk0006 included the DCEU film among a list of flops that deserved better.
The list also included movies such as Blade Runner 2049, Furiosa, and The Nice Guys. However, some social media users took the opportunity to troll Gunn’s film. Here is what some DCEU fans had to say about The Suicide Squad being called a potential modern classic.
TSS a masterpiece?!
“The angels are splooging all over us”
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/wmdYwkr1dI— 90sman13 (@90sman113) June 19, 2024
Tried to sneak suicide squad in
— Garret (@Grrted) June 19, 2024
Masterpiece is a strong word. pic.twitter.com/8CeihAzqkx
— Alexander Nevermind (@AlexNever347) June 19, 2024
At least they finally admit TSS flopped
— KS #SellDC (@KS052020) June 18, 2024
TSS lmfao pic.twitter.com/Eheked3BwX
— 𝙔𝙐𝙑𝙍𝘼𝙅 (@KnightmareYuvi) June 18, 2024
As the tweets indicate, fans were quick to dismiss The Suicide Squad from the list of films that supposedly deserved better. The film managed to gross $168.7 million against a reported budget of $185 million. However, it was also released on streaming on the same day, which affected its box office numbers.
Irrespective of the circumstances, some netizens do not consider it worthy of ‘masterpiece’ status. At the same time, some fans opined that among the movies included in the list, only Blade Runner 2049 deserved better. Thus, they inadvertently created a comparison between Blade Runner 2049 and The Suicide Squad.
The Suicide Squad and Blade Runner 2049 Cannot Be Considered Modern Classics For One Reason
Despite fans arguing that The Suicide Squad does not deserve to be considered a modern classic, the same can be said about Blade Runner 2049. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film received positive reviews from critics. However, it failed to score big at the box office, grossing merely $276.6 million, becoming one of the biggest bombs of 2017.
In terms of their box office performance, both movies were underwhelming. Furthermore, both the films failed to escape the shadow of their predecessors. The Suicide Squad suffered from the DCEU fandom’s desire to see David Ayer’s cut of Suicide Squad release. As a result, Gunn hitting the refresh button with his take on the comic book team did not sit well with some fans.
On the other hand, Ridley Scott’s original 1982 Blade Runner is considered a cult classic among fans and is arguably one of the best sci-fi films of all time. Therefore, Villeneuve’s sequel had big shoes to fill, and despite its critical acclaim, Blade Runner 2049 failed to live up to the hype of following up the 1982 original. Hence, The Suicide Squad and Blade Runner 2049 are comparable as their predecessor overshadowed them. As a result, neither can be considered a true modern classic.
The Suicide Squad and Blade Runner 2049 are streaming on Max.
