Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay

• Directed and Produced by Sam Liu
• March 27, 2018 (Digitally), April 10, 2018 (DVD and Blu-ray)

Voice Cast

• Floyd Lawton / Deadshot-Christian Slater
• Amanda Waller-Vanessa Williams
• Ben Turner / Bronze Tiger-Billy Brown
• George Harkness / Captain Boomerang-Liam McIntyre
• Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn-Tara Strong
• Crystal Frost / Killer Frost-Kristin Bauer van Straten
• Sameer Park / Copperhead-Gideon Emery
• Eobard Thawne / Professor Zoom / Reverse-Flash-C. Thomas Howell
• Vandal Savage, Werner Zytle / Count Vertigo-Jim Pirri
• Scandal Savage-Dania Ramirez
• Blockbuster, Tobias Whale, Black Manta-Dave Fennoy
• Steel Maxum / Doctor Fate-Greg Grunberg
• Harvey Dent / Two-Face-Dave Boat
• Punch-Trevor Devall
• Knockout-Cissy Jones
• Siobhan Smythe / Silver Banshee, Jewelee-Julie Nathanson
• Lazlo Valentin / Professor Pyg-James Urbaniak
• Dharma-Natalie Lander

Task Force X is sent to retrieve a magical card that falls into the hands of Vandal Savage while fighting Zoom who is also attempting to get the object for his own purposes.

This is a great animated action film. Then again that is normal for DC animation. They usually get it right with those. Batman: Ninja and Batman: Gotham Knights are the only two that they flubbed in my humble opinion. But we are not talking about those here. We are talking about the enjoyable Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay.

Part of the story focuses on Amanda Waller wanting a black card with gold lettering that says “Get Out of Hell Free.” This magical object allows an individual to go straight to heaven when they die no matter how evil they have been so long as they have it on them when they die. Waller is dying from something terminal, and she is aware of just how terrible of a human being she is. This card, once in the hands of Doctor Fate, was stolen and is now on its way to Vandal Savage.

The immortal Vandal Savage is afraid of death. He is immortal but not indestructible and per a statement from him, in the past 10 years he has come closer to death because of metahumans than in all the centuries before combined. He has been various conquerors and despots over the centuries and realizes just what awaits him in death.

Another group is after it. They are led by the speedster Zoom and his team consisting of Silver Banshee and Blockbuster. Why he wants it is not exactly clear at first but it is clear that something is wrong with him. He is not as fast as he once was as observed by Deadshot in Task Force X’s initial encounter with him. The character is clearly struggling.

Aside from Deadshot, this time around Task Force X consists of Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Killer Frost, Copperhead, and Bronze Tiger. Their personalities clash and they would gladly pull a John Wick and shove a pencil in the other’s eye just because but do not since Waller might detonate the bomb in their neck.

There is humor and the story touches on ultimate punishment for bad deeds which is extremely rare in comics or their animated counterparts. The characters are portrayed as largely backstabbing and opportunistic. But most importantly they keep it a mystery on who will all be killed off. They offer no tips and none are off limits. This was a mistake that the live action film made. You knew who the first to die was going to be.

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay is a story of hidden agendas and twists and turns with plenty of action. It keeps things simple and for added points plays like a superhero road movie. The Suicide Squad is not zipping around in a luxury jet. More often than not they are moving around the United States on a bus or an RV as they go about on their mission.

Ever since Avengers superhero films have had to have a lot of cool vehicles and extremely high stakes. It is all fate of the world or very near it. Sometimes it is good enough to have a story where events affect the world of the characters. The stakes are high for them but not for the entire planet. And the stakes are high for the characters. Each one has an interest in that card. They are all terrible people, and they all know it and to one extent or another know of someone who would want or want it themselves.

My favorite part though is that Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay connects to another DC animated film but is not actually a direct sequel. You do not need to beat the viewer over the head with the connectivity of your film universe much like the live action Marvel films do. This movie is not a direct sequel to Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox but rather simply connected to that film.

C Thomas Howell reprised his role here as Zoom from that film. You get the first hint of its connection when after he falls there is some blood trickling from underneath of Zoom’s mask. The real shocker comes though in the finale when he reveals why he wants that card. He has managed through his connection to the Speed Force to extend his death. In Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the injured alternate Batman surprised Zoom and shot him in the head. Zoom is running from his fate, but it is something he can only do for so long. It is a shocking moment and one heck of a twist. His speech explaining it all and what it is like for him is unsettling and drives it home.

You do not necessarily need to have seen its predecessor to understand what is going on with Zoom, but it does help. Seeing that film offers a little bit of clarification but even if you did not see it that clarification does not affect the story here. They cover things well enough that you do not feel there is a narrative gap.

This story is not afraid of DC characters or their mythology. I admit to not being as familiar with the DC roster as I am with Marvel but from what I do know of the characters presented here the film is faithful to them. They use plenty and give the story a realized feel.

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay is a good animated Suicide Squad film. It is an enjoyable story with humor and interesting twists and turns. This is a watch it!