Is ‘The Suicide Squad’ better than the 2016 version?

Above : “The Suicide Squad” opens Friday in theaters and will stream on HBO Max. (Photo/Warner Bros.)

Let’s hope the latest DC Comics movie is cleverer and more original than its title, “The Suicide Squad,” which is scheduled to open on Friday.

If you’ll recall, a film released in 2016 was titled simply “Suicide Squad.” Does the addition of a definite article make that much of a difference?

Some of the same stars return. Margot Robbie , for example, resurfaces as Harley Quinn, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag … and so on.

They are being joined by a bunch of familiar-faced newcomers, among them Idris Elba , Pete Davidson, John Cena … and Sylvester Stallone (as Captain Shark).

And though the writer-director of the 2016 film, David Ayer, was originally supposed to return, he was replaced first by Gavin O’Connor (temporarily) before James Gunn settled into the role.

Which seems to have made all the difference. Somebody, anyway, seems to have learned a lesson because the critical reactions this time are far better than in 2016.

Then, the Rotten Tomatoes overall Fresh Rating was a measly 26 percent. This time: a whopping 97 percent . Some of the reactions:

Katie Walsh of Tribune News Service wrote, “It’s not often a comic book flick will have you critiquing Reagan-era politics while also enjoying the lizard-brain pleasures of a creature feature smash-em-up, but that’s just the special sauce that James Gunn brings.”

Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com added this: “Only the man who wrote ‘Tromeo and Juliet’ could deliver something this gleefully grotesque, vicious, and unapologetic, and the DC Universe is all the better for it.”

(To get an idea of what “Tromeo and Juliet” is, click here.)

Finally, the Globe and Mail’s Barry Hertz was this honest: “Sometimes, you just need to watch a humanoid shark tear a man in half.”

“The Suicide Squad” opens both in theaters and will be streaming on HBO Max . So, it’s a good thing Scarlett Johansson isn’t in the cast.