Bonus Features: ‘The Suicide Squad’ dives deep into the mind of James Gunn

Back in August, director James Gunn delivered not only the best post-Nolan DC movie, but one of the year’s best films regardless of genre. Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” marks a soft reboot and loose continuation for the franchise after the disastrous “Suicide Squad” (2016), and this version improves every aspect of the film exponentially.

By keeping a handful of compelling characters from the first attempt, Gunn provides a bit of familiarity to his new rendition – namely in the form of Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn – but for the most part, he adds in all new characters and makes absolute magic. After all, Gunn has a knack for taking bands of misfits and making them fan favorites – just look at the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films at Marvel. His most impressive accomplishment with “The Suicide Squad,” though, is his ability to prove that status does not guarantee success. Gone are the Joker, Killer Croc and any cameos from Batman, and instead, Gunn relies on the likes of B- and C-list villains like Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian) and Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior) to help carry his film. This just goes to show you don’t need A-list characters to create an A-list movie, as long as you put someone in charge who knows what to do with them – and Gunn certainly does.

Following a similar premise to its predecessor, “The Suicide Squad” picks up with government agent Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) forming a ragtag band of supervillains to attempt a top-secret, off-the-books mission for the U.S. government. The result is Harley Quinn (Robbie), Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena) and more trekking through the jungle of Corto Maltese on a reckless and wild hunt to save the world.

Now, “The Suicide Squad” is coming home on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital, and this adventure is just as much fun at home as it is on the big screen. The 4K disc looks stunning, and it marks a noticeable upgrade in quality when compared to the accompanying Blu-ray disc. For a movie like this that’s meant to be loud and explosive, the Dolby Atmos presentation gives you all the immersive sound you will need, and then some. But the biggest draw of picking this one up comes in the form of its bonus features. With a creator like James Gunn at the helm, you know there’s going to be plenty of extras to explore, and “The Suicide Squad” does not disappoint.

Let’s take a look!

Special Features on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and Digital

• Gotta Love the Squad –Get to know the members of this version of the Suicide Squad alongside Gunn and comics creator John Ostrander. The two talk source material, bringing it to the screen, costume design and more.
• The Way of The Gunn – Hear from the cast and crew what it means to come from the “Twisted mind of James Gunn.”
• Scene Breakdowns
  • It’s a Suicide Mission – This movie has an absolutely iconic fake-out opening, and this dives into how it came to be. From the massive beach set to the war movie inspiration, it’s all here.
  • My Guns Bigger Than Yours – It’s hard to remember the last movie to blend humor and violence as seamlessly as “The Suicide Squad,” and no scene demonstrates that more than Peacemaker and Bloodsport’s shootout.
  • Harley’s Great Escape – Find out what role Robbie had to play in Harley’s breakout scene in Corto Maltese.
  • The Fall of Jotunheim – The climax of the film is a spectacle, and it required a ton of stunt work – from a collapsing building to real flowing water.
• Starro: It’s a Freakin Kaiju! – Acting across from an imaginary massive starfish can’t be easy, and this featurette explores how the film’s big bad came to life – and how they managed to pretend it was really there.
• Bringing King Shark To Life – Just like Starro, a walking, talking great white isn’t too ordinary either. From Sly Stallone’s voicing to Steve Agee’s stand-in acting and Gunn’s thoughts on the character’s “cuteness,” go crazy for King Shark.
• Retro Trailers
  • War Movie – Putting an old-school war movie twist on “The Suicide Squad” isn’t too hard to imagine.
  • Horror Movie – Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, and now Starro. Can we get this movie, please?
  • Buddy-Cop – Reimagining the film as a classic crime film in which Peacemaker and Bloodsport are a pair of unlikely partners.
• Deleted & Extended Scenes – Nearly 18 minutes of cut scenes and unused material.
• Gag Reel – Ten minutes of bloopers.
• Directors Commentary by Director/Writer James Gunn

“The Suicide Squad” releases on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital on October 26, 2021.