Pick of The Week Pop Culture News Reviews

SKWAD GOALS: Warner Bros. ‘Suicide Squad’ Extended Cut Is Fully Loaded!

Today I’m going to take a look at the Suicide Squad: Extended Cut and perhaps help you decide why the most popular movie on IMDb this year is worth your physical copy purchase.

I’d like to start off by saying that I did really enjoy the Theatrical Cut of the film when I saw it in theaters. I enjoyed it even more when I saw it a second time in theaters. But a few months have passed and I wondered how the Extended Cut would hold up against the built up theatrical Cut in my head. Would it be a different tone and ultimately better experience like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, or would it be a quick cash grab for the studio promising more Joker. There seems to be more at stake than when Zack Snyder cast Ben Affleck as Batman. Don’t dare go into a comment section after dark if you’re a fan of this movie. It’s more dangerous than crime alley and will surely leave you feeling the need for a safe space at your nearest college campus. The hate for this movie is so strong amongst fanboys and critics. I just don’t get it. I assume these are the same people that kept Ghost Whisperer on the air for so long. Just horrible taste.

So how about that Extended Cut experience. Well, where to begin. The Extended Cut boasts 15 extra minutes to the film in total. The overall tone of the film is left alone. Unlike BvS, the Suicide Squad cut just feels longer. But that is not a bad thing for me. The majority of the footage that has been restored is indeed Joker related, but there are a few scenes, one featuring Harley Quinn mocking the Squad specifically, that are either new or much longer as it features moments cut from theatrical to make fighting weight.

So why cut the Joker stuff to begin with? Well, it’s a Suicide Squad movie, ya jerk. I thought Leto was great as Cholo Joker, but it was never his movie. I’m sorry he got all method and gave so much to his b-storyline, only to maybe be hurt by the end product, but he’s not the main villain and he’s not in the Squad. One might think he went through all the work to steal the movie, which next to Ms. Robbie, I think he did. Personally I was hoping for a little more Ike Barinholtz in this cut, and I’m pretty sure I got it. I haven’t went back to the theatrical since my two trips in theater, but I’ve watch the Extended Cut three times now and Barinholtz is a scene stealer for sure.

So why put out this Extended Cut, Warner Bros.? Cash grab or fan service? Probably a little of both. But you know what, I’m stoked it’s out. 15 minutes isn’t a stretch when you’re already talking about a genre where anything under 2 hours and 20 minutes is technically classified as a short fan film on YouTube. Do the extended Joke scenes grind the film to a halt? Not really. Maybe on first viewing I found myself craving more, but now I’m used to the pace of the Extended Cut and have no problem with the flow of he film.

As far as the special features, holy crap. This disc is jam packed with insightful BTS and really brings to mind the type of releases we were getting back when DVD first started hitting the shelves. Detroit Rock City comes to mind. Now that was a disc you could watch the supplemental materials for hours and keep yourself as entertained as if you were watching the film itself. Suicide Squad is no different, folks. And apologies to those wanting to read a little bit more about the VR features on the digital copy of the film, but I am tech illiterate at times and the whole experience was pretty overwhelming to me. However, the few features I did check out on VR were pretty amazing. But for the same reason I can’t really watch 3D flicks, I had to bail out on it sooner than I’d hoped.

THE VERDICT: So what’s the verdict. Should you stuff your stockings with some Suicide Squad? I think so. It’s a fun release for a fun film, I really think Warner Bros. went above their usual high bar standard for this package. If you were one of those sour grapes that hated the film in theaters, I don’t know what to tell you. We’re just not gonna see eye-to-eye on this issue. But maybe give a digital purchase a chance and if your opinion is left unchanged so what. You’re out a couple of bucks but don’t have to worry about that physical media taking up space on your shelf.

Jeremy Morrison – Staff Writer
Co-creator/host of the Acid Pop Cult Podcast, film reviewer, screenwriter, Jeremy has more than eight years experience in television and film production. His childhood fascination with the naked breasts featured in the “Friday the 13th” franchise prepared him for absolutely nothing in life. J-Mo lives by one motto: #wecantallbezacksnyder
Twitter: @acidpopcult
IG: @almostgothim