Suicide Squad Extended Cut (2016) a (right on time!) review

If the 2016 Summer Movie season is remembered for anything, it likely will be for the way internet comments/critiques fueled interest and/or hate toward certain films.  Example “a” of this is, of course, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.  This film was positively crucified well before its release.  And when it did make it to the theaters, things got even more saucy.  There was a virtual war of words between professional critics (who for the most part hated the film) and audiences, who liked it considerably more.

I’ve made my opinions regarding that film well known.  I liked the theatrical cut fine even as I found the “Director’s Cut” even better.  I’m also of the opinion that over time this movie will be re-evaluated and people will come to view it as one of the better superhero films made.  Regardless of that, BvS found a strong audience and, despite attempts by those who hated the film to minimize its accomplishments, it pulled in great numbers and was a success.  At least financially.

BvS, however, was only the first of two DC Comics films released this past summer.  The second, Suicide Squad, followed almost exactly in BvS’s footsteps.  There was early word/rumors Warner Brothers execs were unhappy with the final product and had therefore ordered re-shoots (re-shoots were indeed filmed, though the reason for them was never publicly revealed).  As the movie neared its release, a new rumor emerged that the movie’s director created a darker version of the film and Warner Brothers had the people behind the amusing trailers create their version of the film.  With two versions created, the studios decided to merge the “best” of both versions and that was supposedly what was released to theaters.

Upon the movie’s release, the critics slaughtered it but, as with BvS, audiences were far kinder.  The film proved a huge financial success.

What did I think of it?

I found Suicide Squad an oddity of a film.  I thought the story it was telling was a mess but there was an undeniable energy to the proceedings which was contagious.  Further, the actors were so damn game and fun to watch going through their paces.  My reaction to Suicide Squad was an odd one, for sure: I liked the film despite the fact that it should have been an easy pass.

And as with BvS I was curious to see the other version(s) of the film.  Would Warner Brothers release both the director’s cut and the trailer maker’s cut?  So far, they have not but with the release of the digital version of the film this past week, we’ve been given an “Extended Cut” of Suicide Squad.

I picked it up, watched it, and…

…my opinion of the film remains roughly the same.

Unlike BvS, the Extended Edition of Suicide Squad doesn’t add all that much to the film.  Perhaps the single biggest add on is an all new sequence featuring Dr. Quinzel (aka Harley Quinn) as she quite literally pursues an exasperated Joker down on a motorbike.  We also have a little more of the bad guys planning to bolt at the start of their mission and get a little more of Katana, including her taking off her mask, but the extra scenes don’t change the film for the noticeably better as the extra scenes did for BvS.

Still, if you haven’t done so already and are interested in seeing Suicide Squad, you should see the Extended Cut.  At the very least you can’t go wrong with more of Harley and the Joker.

Interestingly, I watched the film with my wife and, unlike me, she’s far from a fan of comic book films.  In fact, before I put the movie on she told me she was about to head to the bedroom to rest.  She caught the first few minutes of the film and asked me:

“Is this a Batman film?”

I told her it wasn’t and that his appearance was only a cameo.  After telling her this I expected her to grab her tablet and head out but she stuck around.  She laughed at the movie’s jokes (especially Captain Boomerang’s bar scene) and watched the whole thing.  When it was done, told me she enjoyed the film.

“Did the critics like it?” she asked, dimly aware of the critical drubbing the film received.

“No.”

“They didn’t like it?”

“That’s putting it kindly,” I told her.

She shrugged and said:

“I thought it was good.”

What more is there to add?