'The Suicide Squad' Trailer: This Mission Is More Important Than You Can Possibly Imagine

The Suicide Squad has a brand new trailer – and it tones down the humor and ratchets up the action. While the first trailer released for the James Gunn flick made things look extra silly, this latest look at The Suicide Squad attempts to raise the stakes a bit, highlighting that despite all the wisecracking, these characters are on a mission – a deadly mission that will probably get most of them killed. As Viola Davis says as Amanda Waller, this mission is more important than you can possibly imagine. Watch the latest The Suicide Squad trailer below.

As far as trailers go, I have to admit that the previous red band and green band trailers for The Suicide Squad were a lot better than this latest look at the film. I get it: Warner Bros. wants to sell audiences on lots and lots of action, since they think that's what's going to put butts in seats. And they're probably right! Still, I really enjoyed the silly, nothing-really-matters attitude of the previous trailers a bit more than this.

That's not to say the film looks bad! Indeed, The Suicide Squad continues to look like one of the summer's most entertaining rides. I'm particularly interested to see James Gunn move from Marvel to DC with this flick (although he'll be returning to Marvel for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, of course).

This trailer sets up the mission for the squad: they have to erase all traces of something known only as "Project Starfish." The trailer doesn't go into exactly what that is, but it clearly involves Starro, the giant alien starfish that appears to be the film's big bad. We also get a little more time with Weasel, the hideous monster character who has been mostly in the background in previous trailers. And that's fun! My biggest qualm, though: there's less Polka-Dot Man here. We want more Polka-Dot Man, not less! But all my griping aside, I remain hyped for The Suicide Squad when it arrives in theaters and HBO Max in August.

The Suicide Squad stars Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, Peter Capaldi, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, Michael Rooker, Alice Braga, Pete Davidson, Joaquín Cosio, Juan Diego Botto, Storm Reid, Nathan Fillion, Steve Agee, Sean Gunn, Mayling Ng, Flula Borg, Jennifer Holland, and Tinashe Kajese, with Sylvester Stallone, and Viola Davis.

Here's the synopsis:

Welcome to hell—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.

The Suicide Squad arrives in theaters and on HBO Max August 6, 2021.