Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay Home Entertainment Release – Studio: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment – Release Date: March 27, 2018 – Digital; April 10, 2018 – 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD
Synopsis: Prepare to root for the bad guys when Amanda Waller sends her band of misfit DC Super-Villains on an action-packed secret mission in Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay. The film is part of the popular, ongoing series of DC Universe Movies, produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment. Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay finds Amanda Waller’s top secret “Task Force X” – Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, Killer Frost, Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn and Copperhead – on a mission to retrieve a mystical object so powerful that they’re willing to risk their own lives to steal it. But the Suicide Squad isn’t the only group of villains seeking to possess the object. The race is on for the golden prize … and, to stay alive, second place isn’t an option. Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay is rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, sexual content, brief graphic nudity, and some drug material.
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay Enhanced Content
Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital
-A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe Movie, The Death of Superman: “The Death of Superman” – The Death of Superman is widely considered one of the most popular stories in the Superman canon and the DCU. This sneak peek of the new film discusses the story and its place in pop culture.
-Outback Rogue: Captain Boomerang (Featurette) – Audiences get a deeper look at this unconventional, yet entertaining villain from Down Under and how he’s evolved from The Flash universe to the Suicide Squad.
-Nice Shot, Floyd! The Greatest Marksman in the DCU (Featurette) – Floyd Lawton, AKA Deadshot, is one of the most popular antiheroes in the DC pantheon. An excellent marksman and assassin, he often brags that he never misses his shot. Take a closer look at this fascinating character.
-The Power of Plot Devices, MacGuffins and Red Herrings (Featurette) – An insightful examination of the power of a good plot device and the important influence it has over story.
–Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay Commentary – The creative filmmaking team of screenwriter/co-producer Alan Burnett and executive producer James Tucker share their thoughts and stories on the characters, themes and development of Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay.
DVD
-A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe Movie, The Death of Superman: “The Death of Superman” – The Death of Superman is widely considered one of the most popular stories in the Superman canon and the DCU. This sneak peek of the new film discusses the story and its place in pop culture.
Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay 4K Blu-Ray Review
by James Harvey
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay is available to own on Blu-ray 4K, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD, and once again, the 4K option is the way to go if you have format-compatible gear. If not, the Blu-ray release – both available packed in with the 4K Blu-ray or as its own Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack – is also a solid selection.
In terms of audio and video quality, the 4K is pretty fantastic, and is a noticeable improvement even when compared to the Blu-ray release. The 4K transfer looks fantastic, with colors appearing dynamic and full, which contrast nicely against the deep black levels. There is some banding, but it’s likely more of a fault with the source material and perhaps some of the 2K upconverting, but it looks slick and nearly crystal clear. Unfortunately, the Blu-ray transfer is a little weaker than usual, as banding is pretty rampant throughout the movie. It’s a fine transfer, but it definitely doesn’t seem as clear as previous DC Universe Movie titles. For sound quality, the 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack is a solid audio mix, and is nicely balanced throughout. Dialogue comes through without issue and the action beats sound nice and heavy without being overwhelming in any regard. Once again, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has put together another great mix for the DC Universe Movie line.
For bonus content, the studio has put together a nice batch of supporting material, with the commentary the highlight among them. First up, the bonus featurettes breakdown a couple key characters from the film and explore some well-known story-telling device. Both Deadshot and Captain Boomerang get nice 5-ish-minute featurettes on their comic book origins and how both characters have evolved over the years. The 10-minute featurette on plot devices, red herrings and maguffins is a really fun, fantastic watch that breaks down those concepts and even touches upon how to identify and use them properly. It’s a surprisingly interesting watch that I would’ve enjoyed another 20-30 minutes more of, easy.
The commentary is well worth checking out, as it features great little tidbits about the film’s production, how the script came together (including that the studio wanted the movie to be Rated R from the get-go and how one big major surprise wasn’t in the original draft), bits that were edited out (including an appearance by the Secret Six, including Bane, who Producer James Tucker states will be featured in an upcoming ‘in-continuity’ DC Universe Movie) and assorted anecdotes about the film itself, it’s tone, and so on. In fact, listening to the commentary actually might help put the film in proper context for some viewers. Both Tucker and Writer/Producer Alan Burnett discuss the inspiration for this movie (1970s exploitation and grindhouse movies) and how those movies really dictated how the plot and violence would be depicted for Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay).
The last major bit of new content for this release is the usual sneak peek featurette, this one looking at the upcoming The Death of Superman animated movie. Featuring a mix of talking head interviews and finished animation, it’s a nice tease into what looks to be a mammoth, brutal movie.
Despite not being listed, the Blu-ray also includes two bonus episodes – the Beware the Batman episode “Instinct” and the Young Justice episode “Terrors” – both presented in high-def. It’s great to see such an underappreciated and neglected series like Beware The Batman get a little love. The disc also include a trailer for the upcoming Batman Ninja animated movie, which looks so incredibly insane and amazing, and previously-released previews for Batman: Assault on Arkham and Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.
The 4K Blu-ray release also included a regular Blu-ray copy and digital copy of Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay. Additionally, for those looking for additional bonus content, the Best Buy edition of the Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay Blu-ray included a collection of stories from the digital comic sequel series of the same name.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has put together a respectable home video release for Suicide Squad, including a solid home/audio transfer and a good batch of extras. While the Blu-ray transfer is underwhelming, the 4K Ultra Blu-ray release shines. The extra featurettes are nice supplemental material, including an interesting look at story-telling devices, the commentary is something fans will definitely want to check out. On top of that, it’s nice to see a more varied selection of bonus episodes that go outside the usual series featured on these titles. Again, for fans looking to pick up Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay, the 4K Ultra Blu-ray is the way to go, without question. Recommended!
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided a free copy of the Blu-ray reviewed, though that did not impact the final assessment of the release. The opinions shared here are my own.
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