Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (4K UHD Blu-ray Review) at Why So Blu?

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

April 6th, 2018 by Brian White

Suicide Squad Hell to Pay 4K Well hey now! Are you all prepare to root for the bad guys once again? That’s right! The Suicide Squad gang is back! Not so fast though. This isn’t the DCEU version of the Suicide Squad. Oh no! It’s the DCAU (DC Animated Universe) Suicide Squad. For the uninitiated the DCAU have both a pretty impressive resume and following. You can find reviews of past titles such as Batman and Harley here and Batman: Gotham by Gaslight here, but I digress. The team is back in action here when Amanda Waller once again sends her band of misfit DC Super-Villains on secret mission in Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay. I’m hearing great things about this title so I’m stoked to jump in head first below. So without further ado let me get this message in from our sponsor here. The feature-length animated film, Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, arrives from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Blu-ray Combo Pack April 10th. Now with that being said let’s check out what this one’s all about under its slipcover and cellophane.

Suicide Squad Hell to Pay 4K

Film

Before we begin I got to be honest. Here’s what I love most about this animated feature. Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay is rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, sexual content, brief graphic nudity and some drug material. Despite my unwavering affinity for all things Harley Quinn (as evident here and here) this R-rating sold me on this feature even before watching. Thankfully the film here delivers on all cylinders in regards to its R-rated warning and more of course (it’s not all about the R’s there’s a story element to it too). It’s ultimately a bloody and gory, good time to be had. Before we get into the why’s and how’s of my testament let’s get all the 411 housekeeping out of the way first.

Producer Sam Liu (Gotham by Gaslight, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract) also directs Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay from a script by Alan Burnett (Justice League vs. Teen Titans). The all-star voice cast is led by Christian Slater (Mr. Robot, Archer, True Romance) in his DCAU debut as the voice of Deadshot, who heads Task Force X. He’s joined by Billy Brown (How To Get Away With Murder) as Bronze Tiger, Liam McIntyre (Spartacus: War of the Damned, The Flash) as Captain Boomerang, Kristin Bauer van Straten (True Blood, Once Upon a Time) as Killer Frost, Gideon Emery (Teen Wolf) as Copperhead, Tara Strong (Batman: The Killing Joke) as Harley Quinn and their boss lady, Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives) as Amanda Waller. Villainous enemies in the film include C. Thomas Howell (Outcast, The Outsiders, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox) as Zoom, Dania Ramirez (Devious Maids, Heroes, Once Upon a Time) as Scandal Savage, James Urbaniak (Difficult People, The Venture Bros.) as Professor Pyg, Julie Nathanson (The Zeta Project, Beverly Hills 90210) as Silver Banshee and Jewelee, and Jim Pirri (Injustice 2) as Vandal Savage and Vertigo.

Suicide Squad Hell to Pay 4K

In Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay Amanda Waller sends members of her top secret “Task Force X,” Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, Killer Frost, Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn and Copperhead, on a mission to retrieve a mystical object that’s very important to her. Unfortunately though the Suicide Squad isn’t the only group of “villains” seeking to possess said object. Along the way we meet some other misleading characters such as Dr. Fate and even have our attention diverted by alternate subplots, antics and character histories/timelines. However, what it all comes down to is who will ultimately retrieve this object, and if it’s the members of the Suicide Squad who will be left standing to deliver it to Amanda. During this whole ordeal of treachery, members betraying each other and endless gory brutalities to get the prize don’t be surprised if like in the real life movie, the members don’t earn a bit of redemption here. They do that of course by finding out more about themselves, learning what makes each other tick and basically through the simplicity of teamwork to accomplish a common goal. That’s what is so cool here. Despite the blood baths and gore there’s a lot of heart to it all in this story.

Now I know what you’re probably wondering so let me set the record straight. Yes there is some what I would call “near” nudity and drug use in this one. However, what I found most shocking and I don’t think I ever seen this before in an animated feature of any kind, there were male strippers. LOL. I kid you not. They were shaking their junk and grinding to the music and as a result I had some much needed hearty laughs. You can’t put a price tag on that kind of medicine. All in all there’s a lot of fun to be had with this newest DCAU entry. I came initially here for Harley Quinn and while she cracked me up with all her one liners I can honestly say I would take the Margot or Batman and Harley versions any day. Her facial animation was just very crude in appearance, but that’s a minor nitpick as everything else is animated pretty exceptional including some grindhouse style credits. Providing you’re not watching this one in front of the kiddos I think you’ll have a great shoot ’em up good time with the gang all here. The bloody violence and sexual content even warmed my fiancee’s heart and she’s never crazy about any animated feature like this. So if you can do that, you’re a winner in my book any day. Kudos!

Suicide Squad Hell to Pay 4K

Video

Encoding: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Clarity/Detail: The animation for the most part is sharp and clean, and that’s really all that matters here. Sadly though there’s really no intricate details in animations of the such. The background stills and characters has some faux texturing in them, but that’s about the extent of things. This one looks great mostly, but then again it does on Blu-ray too. I don’t think you’re just never really going to convince me animation like this is superior on 4K over Blu-ray. It’s a cartoon after all.
Depth: I still prefer what Brandon Peter’s originally wrote in his Blu-ray review of Batman and Harley, which this resembles a bit I guess you can say (the animation here though is a bit more intricate than Batman and Harley). “It’s 2D animated, which is overall flat by nature and not lending to three dimensional appeals, but it moves pretty smoothly with no jitter problems and some sequences show good spacing.” I found the onscreen characters had an overall sense of three-dimensional pop to them all. So if you are okay with that, then yes this one has some depth of field going for it. It feels vast and expansive like this one elevator scene example where folks are coming off and others are still in back. I loved the feel of the spacing there.
Black Levels: Blacks are deep and inky here throughout. I have zero qualms and thanks to the HDR nothing gets lost in the shadows. LOL. I tried to type that with a smile on my face. I really did. Ha ha. Also there’s no crushing present too, which is always a good thing.
Color Reproduction: The colors are solid, strong and bold in this distinct palette and best of all they are reactive to the lighting conditions of the particular scene.
Flesh Tones: N/A (Harley’s complexion looked great…ha ha)
Noise/Artifacts: This one is a tricky one to grade because of the crudeness and simplicity of it all (animation-wise), but overall I really didn’t notice any noise in the UHD presentation.

Suicide Squad Hell to Pay 4K

Audio

Audio Format(s): English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish (Both Castilian 2.0 and Latin 5.1)
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Dynamics: Sadly there’s no Dolby Atmos surround track here, but I was quite impressed by this one near the film’s second half. It really came to life and was equally balanced then. However, prior to that the first half of this film really felt top heavy. Once things kicked into sixth gear the presentation was balanced, immersive, flexible and seamless across the vocals, sound effects and score. I was prepared to be underwhelmed after hearing the beginning, but once the second half of this flick kicked in I was completely immersed within and heavily invested. Thankfully none of the dialogue ever gets lost in the shuffle amidst all the aggressive action sequences either. It did get pretty loud and intense at times.
Height: N/A (no DTS:X or Atmos surround track here utilizing the height channels). Gunfire and explosions did bleed through though.
Low Frequency Extension: The bass is quite aggressive and deep throughout and that’s much appreciated for it made me enjoy all the moments of action and destruction here that much more. Events like scattered gun play and shots, explosions, the rumble of Manta’s submarine, thuds, punches, kicks and blows and so much more make the Rated-R peril and excitement that much richer here thanks in part to the LFE channel’s representation of the heavy action.
Surround Sound Presentation: For the most part the rear channels are reserved for carrying the score and providing that sense of immersion. They also provide ambiance and mild effects throughout too, but once we reach the half way mark here that’s where things got a hell of a lot more interesting. The onscreen action starts bleeding into them and all the sudden we have a sense of directionality as well as threat. Examples of moments that utilize the rear channels include but not limited to the following: action sequences, Vertigo and Banshee’s mind tricks, bullets, soundtrack/score, etc. I do want to say they missed many cool opportunities for surround sound full immersion by not utilizing Zoom’s antics proficiently.
Dialogue Reproduction: I think Brandon Peters said it best in one his former Blu-ray reviews when he coined the phrase “Dialogue is loud, crisp and clean with all good recorded voices spouting terrific diction in their performances.” I have zero problems here. It’s all loud and clear here.

Suicide Squad Hell to Pay 4K

Extras

Warner Bros’ Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray set comes armed with the feature film on both Blu-ray and 4K UHD. It also includes a Digital HD redemption code, which can be utilized via Movies Anywhere to put the film digitally anywhere you choose. Come on! Let’s take a closer look down below at everything you’ll find here in way of extras on the Blu-ray Disc’s Special Features menu. Just an FYI there are two DC Comic Vault selections not even advertised on this set. Now that’s what I call BONUS FEATUREs!

A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe Movie, The Death of Superman (HD, 7:06) – The Death of Superman is widely considered one of the most popular stories in the Superman canon and the DCU. This sneak peek at the new film discusses the story and its place in pop culture. I loved seeing how the panels of the original comic is replicated here in this feature.
A Sneak Peek at Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (HD, 7:48) – This extra is complete with comic book panels from the original storyline in “Public Enemies” this is drawn from and all. The character of Lex Luthor looks interesting here since he is injecting himself with pure Kryptonite.
Outback Rogue: Captain Boomerang (HD, 5:14) –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. We even get some insight to his different types of boomerangs this character has wielded over the years complete with origin background.
Nice Shot, Floyd! The Greatest Marksman in the DCU (HD, 5:36) – 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 and how he’s one of the only members of the Squad to have a reason to live…his one redeeming quality…his love for his daughter. We also take a look at the origin of the character in the comics and his interesting original suited look.
The Power of Plot Devices, MacGuffins and Red Herrings (HD, 10:30) – Here we have an insightful examination of the power of a good plot device and the important influence it has over story, not to mention the definitions of these three items in a story. This is pretty interesting if you want to understand good storytelling. They examine these three terms across historic films as well as in this feature.
From the DC Comics Vault: Beware the Batman, Instinct (HD, 22:04) – Y’all get a bonus cartoon episode here, “Instinct,” to watch and enjoy. They don’t call these bonus features for nothing, eh?
From the DC Comics Vault: Young Justice, Terrors (HD, 22:39) – Y’all get yet another bonus cartoon episode here, “Terrors,” to watch and enjoy.
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. I love how they explain this as a Roger Corman, exploitation R-rated type of film. Brilliant!

Suicide Squad Hell to Pay 4K

Summary

All in all, as you can see up above I had a super duper fun time with Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray. Is it necessary for this DCAU title to live on the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray format? Of course it’s not! But you have to admit that black case is so much cooler than the standard Blu-ray one. Ha ha. With above average video and audio plus a wealthy bonus of supplemental extras here this makes this purchase a no brainer for all DC Comics Animation fans as well as freaks like me who buy anything with Harley Quinn in it. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: This 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray review was judged and graded using the following 4K certified Ultra HD Premium television set found here and player here. Make sure to check out all our 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray reviews archived here.