The Suicide Squad: Fan Fervor as James Gunn’s “Mind-Blowing” DC Movie Hits HBO Max and Theaters

The Suicide Squad is now playing in theaters and streaming on HBO Max — and fans are calling James Gunn's DC movie "mind-blowing." A standalone successor to director David Ayer's Suicide Squad, Gunn's Squad assembles another ragtag team of expendable supervillains whose heads (and minds) will be blown by the itchy-trigger-fingered A.R.G.U.S. Director Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) should they step out of line. Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) is back in action with a slew of Task Force X newcomers — Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), King Shark (voice of Sylvester Stallone), and their handler Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) — and they're all dying to save the world.

Officially certified fresh at 95%, giving Gunn the highest score of his career, The Suicide Squad's reception from audiences and critics alike "feels more like a relief," Gunn told The Hollywood Reporter ahead of Thursday's release. "But honestly, what feels the best is I'm just really proud of the film. I really like the movie. I loved the process of making it."

"I loved the people around me, and it's just a different way for me to look at my career than I'm used to," Gunn added. "I'm just so proud with the process and the film itself, and that's a big difference for me to be focusing on that instead of focusing on what's outside. So I'm really happy because of that."

Fans are happy, too — and taking to social media to sound off for The Suicide Squad as it hits theaters and HBO Max: