When life hands you a scandal and you get fired by Disney, what do you do? Well, if you’re James Gunn, you get an offer from DC to take on any project you want and – despite your tragic opinions about Martin Scorsese (don’t get me started) – you absolutely kill it. No stranger to action and superhero films, James Gunn is here to save the summer with “The Suicide Squad,” a witty, action-packed blockbuster to surprise even the harshest of Gunn critics.

As someone who couldn’t have possibly been more excited for and simultaneously let down by David Ayers’ 2016 “Suicide Squad,” see: Ayers’ complaints about the late stage, post-production madness that Warner Brothers imparted upon his edit; I was pleasantly surprised that my, albeit low, expectations were wildly surpassed. Full of action, witty and irreverent humor, and the most creative title cards I’ve seen in ages, “The Suicide Squad” was the most fun film I’ve seen all year. Bringing the heat with a hilarious rollercoaster of events and never taking itself too seriously, James Gunn brings his unique style to the table to offer up a surprisingly unpredictable new take on “the famous suicide squad.”

The star-studded film included several key players from David Ayers’ “Suicide Squad,” but is not so much a sequel or reboot of the original as it is a fresh take on the characters that we all know and love. Incorporating several “new” characters from the comics, and not being afraid to kill anyone off, Gunn breathed a new life into the DC Universe, immediately starting rumors of spin offs and prequels that I hate to say I’m actually excited for.

While seeing the list of big names included in this film might give you a headache from the jump, rather than getting lost in a number of character’s storylines like Ayers’ “Suicide Squad,” Gunn takes the star power associated with the title and groups them into teams, allowing them to serve a real purpose rather than getting lost in introductions and background storylines that suffocate the plot of the film. The title cards that guide the audience through time and different locations plant themselves so seamlessly within the film that it never seems to demand your attention be in a million places at once in order to try to stay on track. Gunn uses these cinematic tools and a very defined three act structure to guide the viewer through the film, without ever giving away the destination.

After gathering two teams of anti-heroes to complete a mission on a far away island housing a giant alien starfish, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) reminds everyone of the importance of her mission, and the lengths she will go to to ensure its successful completion. The violence that ensues is more than well deserving of the film’s R-rating, but never becomes so intense that it becomes distracting. Gunn uses his signature humor to turn the darker moments of the film around and to remind us of how intrepid, yet seriously dumb, our anti-heroes really are.

Between flowers shooting out of the back of Harley Quinn’s head on one of her infamous shooting sprees, a giant shark snacking on people, and someone’s body being ripped to shreds by helicopter blades – “The Suicide Squad” finds it’s place in the action comedy by integrating the touching lessons of life, love, undying dedication, and sacrifice that are at the heart of any good story. Flipping what we thought we knew about each of the characters on it’s head, Gunn’s take on the squad makes the audience put their former assumptions about the notorious bounty hunters on the back burner.

Never clearly defining the good guys and the bad guys, Gunn takes audiences on an adventure that they’re not soon to forget. Among the most memorable character arcs in the film, “Daddy’s Little Monster” has left The Joker in the dust, for good, and has developed a red flag radar that just might have made her my favorite comic book character to ever exist. While Gunn’s new take on the squad certainly won’t leave audiences questioning their purpose on this Earth, or whether or not their values and morals are valid, “The Suicide Squad” doesn’t waste a second of its 2 hour and 13 minute runtime.

Earning my dad’s generous review: “The Suicide Squad was almost like Fast & Furious bullshit wise, but pretty entertaining;” I’d say “The Suicide Squad” earns an A-.

“The Suicide Squad” is now in theaters and streaming for free on HBOmax.