Suicide Squad showed us a different side of the DC Cinematic Universe. After the events of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, this film provided a different take on the superhero genre. Focusing on imprisoned supervillains, audiences were introduced to several new characters forced to band together in order to fight an evil force. You can check out our full review of the theatrical version here.
With the release of the Blu-ray, you have your choice of watching the regular version or an extended cut. There were reports of several scenes with the Joker that were cut out of the film. Extended or Director's cuts are starting to become the norm these days, but the big question is: How much does the extended cut of Suicide Squad change the viewing experience?
The short answer is, the extra footage doesn't make an enormous change to the overall direction of the movie. With the longer version of Batman v. Superman, there was a clear shift in the tone of several parts of the film. With only 11 minutes of extra footage edited in here, we only get a minor difference.
Killer Croc gets a little more added to his introduction scene. The result of an encounter with a guard is mentioned, and we find out he doesn't enjoy helicopter rides much. It's easy to see why these brief moments were cut out. They don't add anything to the character, but are enjoyable if you're a fan of him.
Another extended part is when the team is making plans to escape once the mission has started. Harley talks to Boomerang who then tries convincing Diablo to go along with them. Again, not too much is added aside from showing the team on the verge of finding some common ground in their situation.
With mention of numerous scenes between Joker and Harley cut, we do get a tiny extended look at the couple's past. The scene involves Harley chasing after Joker on a motorcycle after a fight. She tries getting him to confess his feelings towards her. His reply is, "I'm not someone who is loved. I'm an idea. I'm a state of mind." It's an interesting take on the character but doesn't quite fit in with the fact that Joker later goes to extreme lengths to find Harley. The scene also adds a third Harley flashback to the film.
The final added new scene involves Harley psychoanalyzing the team. As a trained psychologist, this is a side of Harley we don't often get to see. As with the other extra scenes, it doesn't add a lot to the movie, but it is nice to see the character has some extra layers to her.
With any home release, the special features can determine whether or not one might include it in their collection. The features include:
Task Force X: One Team, One Mission (23:09) John Ostrander, Geoff Johns, and others discuss the history of the Suicide Squad in the comics. Ostrander was told he could do anything with the series. He came up with the idea of prisoner/supervillains being forced onto the team.
Chasing the Real (9:37) Director David Ayer talks about wanting the characters and the world to feel real. There's a look at the costume designers, tattoo artist, cast members giving each other tattoos, and creating the evil army. The cast went through rigorous training. Ayer has a military background and brought it into the production. They spent time prepping for the characters together before filming.
Joker & Harley: "It" Couple of the Underworld (14:29) Margot Robbie and Jared Leto talk about the characters. There's discussion of being respectful to the characters. Leto mentions how he was full of excitement and dread when he got the job. He was intrigued with what he could do that hadn't been done with the Joker. Ayer mentioned there was a point Leto went away and was replaced by Joker. He only spoke as Mr. J. on set. His voice changed. Robbie had to undergo a three-hour process to transform into Harley each day with the application of make-up, tattoos, cuts, etc.
Squad Strength and Skills (9:00) Each actor had to work to develop their fighting styles. Choreographers worked with them. Robbie had to take on Harley's gymnast background and trained to hold her breath underwater. The actors worked with Navy Seals in getting comfortable with the weapons and had deep military training sessions.
Armed to the Teeth (11:48) We get a look at the different weapon props the characters use. Because the characters are iconic in the comic world, they were careful to capture the look of everything, including the costumes and weapons.
This Is Gonna Get Loud: The Epic Battles of Suicide Squad (10:54) Ayer insisted everything was a practical effect. Prepping the locations for the scenes. Ayer says there's always going to be CG and green screen, but the less you can use, the better it is for audiences.
The Squad Declassified (4:19) A summary of the team and each character.
Gag Reel (2:04) The funny moments we all look forward to.
The extended cut may not add a whole lot, but thankfully we didn't see a regular release followed by this extended version months later. David Ayer did say the theatrical version was "his cut." The special features are interesting. Commentary would have been nice. If you enjoyed the movie, this is definitely worth adding to your personal collection.
Suicide Squad Extended Cut is now on sale and also available in 3D (theatrical version only) and 4K Ultra HD.
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