The anticipated superhero movie The Suicide Squad by James Gunn is in theaters now and on HBO Max. Your comic book-loving kids might be asking to watch the movie. But is The Suicide Squad safe for kids? This parent movie review will help you understand why it’s rated R and if it’s at all kid-friendly. (Spoiler: it isn’t).
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About The Suicide Squad
From writer/director James Gunn comes Warner Bros. Pictures’ superhero action-adventure “The Suicide Squad,” featuring a collection of the most degenerate delinquents in the DC lineup.
Welcome to h@ll—a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A.
Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out—even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today’s do-or-die assignment?
Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin, and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn.
Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Trekking through a jungle teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-and-destroy mission with only Colonel Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave…and Amanda Waller’s government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement.
And as always, one wrong move and they’re dead (whether at the hands of their opponents, a teammate, or Waller herself). If anyone’s laying down bets, the smart money is against them—all of them.
Is The Suicide Squad Safe For Kids? Parent Movie Review
The easy answer is to remind parents that The Suicide Squad is rated R.
That should give you the basic idea that Suicide Squad is not kid-friendly or safe for kids.
But this parent movie review and guide will help you understand why this movie has an R rating.
It will also help you determine what ages are ok to watch The Suicide Squad in theaters or on HBO Max.
We’ll run down language, violence, sex, nudity, and plot concerns that might affect your decision on watching this movie with your family.
What Ages Can Watch The Suicide Squad?
In general, you can stick with the 17 and up age rating that an R movie brings.
But some kids in high school who have previously been exposed to violent or gory movies should be ok with seeing this one, especially through the lens of a comic book reader.
We recommend no one under the age of 14 should watch The Suicide Squad and kids between 14-17, only with a parental understanding of what’s in the movie.
If in doubt, this is absolutely a “screen before you take the family” kind of movie.
Language in The Suicide Squad
To put it bluntly: it’s full of foul language and every 4-letter word you can think of.
The F-bomb is dropped more times than we could count, so if that one is a no-go for your family, please skip this movie.
Violence: Is The Suicide Squad Safe For Kids?
This is one of the most violent movies we’ve seen on the big screen in recent years.
It’s somewhat campy and extremely over-the-top violence, but it’s also significant and in your face.
And constant.
And bloody.
And gory.
Y’all, it’s a lot.
Think faces blown off, heads slashed apart, and explosions creating seas of blood.
The characters that form The Suicide Squad are some of the baddest of the bad when it comes to the DC comics, so they absolutely play true to form. So the violence should not come as a surprise to anyone.
If your child is more inclined to watch Marvel movies, this is not a comparable viewing.
Most of those we’d rank as ok for 10 years old and up, but The Suicide Squad is definitely created for an older audience.
Harley Quinn is amazing, but this movie is even more violent than her own film released in the winter of 2020. Birds of Prey parent review is here.
Is The Suicide Squad Ok For Kids? Sex and Nudity
There is sex in the movie and super brief nudity (and one scene of John Cena in his tighty whities), but that’s not the biggest issue with the film.
Gore, violence, and language are going to be the reasons that we say The Suicide Squad is not safe for most kids.
Is The Suicide Squad Ok For Kids?
We’re going to stick with no if you are a family who shies away from violence and gore in your entertainment.
If you also do not care to hear profanity in just about every line uttered, this is a movie your kids should skip.
But there are some heartfelt moments and the movie *is* a lot of fun for the right audience.
Hopefully, this parent movie guide will help you decide is The Suicide Squad is safe for kids in your family.
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Patty Holliday is a parent movie reviewer, writer, and podcaster living in the Washington, DC area. Her goal is to bridge the gap between casual fandom and picky critic with parent movie and television reviews. As a lifelong fangirl and pop culture connoisseur, she’s been creating online since 2009. You can find her work at No-Guilt Disney.com, No-Guilt Fangirl.com, No-Guilt Life, and as host of the top-rated No-Guilt Disney Podcast.