Suicide Squad 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.5

Suicide Squad 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Move Along; Nothing to See Here

Warner Bros. and DC Comics have achieved something remarkable in 2016. They have released two big-budget films that racked up enviable box office numbers but are nevertheless considered disappointments, because they didn't do even better. The critical response was savage (to the extent anyone cares anymore), but more threatening to the companies' franchise hopes was the mixed response from comic fans. Following the disappointment that greeted 2013's Superman reboot, Man of Steel, Warner and DC have been seeking a "killer app" that would reset the DC Universe and launch it into the stratosphere. After Batman v Superman failed to achieve the desired lift, anticipation for Suicide Squad was extreme, fueled by a clever marketing campaign promising a lighter, more comedic tone and a bevy of characters new to the screen. The film that arrived in theaters last August was . . . something else. Just how to define that "something else" is a challenge, because Suicide Squad plays less like a movie than a corporate branding project assembled by committee. The only thing they left out was a decent story—and unlike Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad hasn't been patched by the added scenes in the newly released "extended cut".

Along with standard and 3D versions, Warner has released Suicide Squad on 4K UHD. As with the 3D release, only the film's theatrical cut has been granted 4K treatment, but unlike so many other examples, buyers are not confronted with the unappealing option of choosing between competing formats. Here the choice is easy, because Warner's 4K treatment adds nothing worthwhile to the experience.

Suicide Squad 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

I have been watching 4K discs since the format's debut last March, including review discs and others, but Warner's 2160p, HEVC/H.265-encoded UHD of Suicide Squad provided a unique experience, as I stared at the screen trying to make out any improvements over the standard Blu-ray. Since the film was completed on a digital intermediate at 2K, it isn't surprising that the 4K discs offers no increase in visible resolution, but the HDR encoding (so heavily touted in Warner's ubiquitous promo for UHD) typically supplies a more vivid image through improved contrast and black levels. Not so with Suicide Squad. Contrast is not enhanced, and to the extent blacks have been altered, the change isn't for the better. In scene after scene set at night or in dark interiors, blacks appear to have been brightened by the HDR encoder to the point where an already dim image has gained an additional layer of haze. (The scenes involving Incubus and Enchantress working together to destroy the world are particularly notable in this regard.) The change in black levels may also account for some subtle shifts in color values. For example, Deadshot's prison jumpsuit, which was previously yellow, is now a subdued shade of orange. The reds of Harley Quinn's hair, lipstick and costume are less red, while Joker's hair has become a shade more green. No doubt, adjustments to one's player or display device can compensate for these various anomalies, but what is the point of acquiring a 4K disc that requires tweaking the equipment just to achieve as good an image as the standard Blu-ray?

[Viewed on a system calibrated using a Klein K10-A Colorimeter with a custom profile created with a Colorimetry Research CR250 Spectraradiometer, powered by SpectracCal CalMAN 2016 5.7, using the Samsung Reference 2016 UHD HDR Blu-ray test disc authored by Florian Friedrich from AV Top in Munich, Germany. Calibration performed by Kevin Miller of ISFTV.]

Suicide Squad 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Suicide Squad on UHD contains the same Dolby Atmos track previously reviewed.

Suicide Squad 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4K disc has no extras. The accompanying standard Blu-ray with the extended cut contains the extras reviewed here.

Suicide Squad 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The UHD release of Suicide Squad expands the still-limited library of available 4K discs, but that's all it does. Once upon a time, when compact discs first hit the market, titles were so limited that enthusiasts would buy almost anything on CD, just to have something to insert into our spiffy new players. For the same reason, I suspect Suicide Squad will sell reasonably well on 4K, but you can get as good an experience (arguably a better one) by upconverting the standard Blu-ray. Not recommended.