It seems like the entertainment world has largely grown out of blooper reels. In the old days, ending a movie with a chuckle fest of goofs and gaffes over the end credits appeared to be almost standard practice. It happened so much that even Pixar films made their own parody gag reels for a number of their offerings. But while the practice looks to have died off in recent years, the concept itself is still alive and well, as clearly evidenced by James Gunn's already hilarious latest triumph, The Suicide Squad.
In that spirit, Warner Bros. has released a short but wonderful video of outtakes from The Suicide Squad, showing off some fantastic moments of levity throughout the already often absurd film. From Idris Elba's jarring fake laugh to an unfortunate groin shot suffered by David Dastmalchian (Polka-Dot Man), the reel is jam-packed with laughs the whole way through. Of course, some of those laughs may come from shock and perhaps a touch of horror, but that just keeps with the spirit of the movie, doesn't it?
It seems everybody is fair game in the video. While bits like Elba tumbling off a precariously balanced bit of debris are among the likely expected shots, other moments like seeing Sean Gunn in his Weasel motion capture suit just licking a window are truly once-in-a-lifetime experiences that many would likely prefer as once-in-a-lifetime experiences. This also applies to other instances such as John Cena sucking on a fake (one would hope) severed finger, which seems oddly in character for Peacemaker.
The shots range from shock value humor (director Gunn's preferred method of yuks) to genuinely charming little snippets. The latter is largely dominated by stars like Daniela Melchior (Ratcatcher 2), who jumps between making Pee Wee Herman-style funny voices to accidentally smacking a poor camera operator when opening a bus door. Her gasp of realization as the camera falls is just the icing on the bloody cake.
Everybody gets their time to shine, especially Flula Borg (Javelin) showing off his legendary improvisational skills as his trademark weapon continues to be unruly. Backed up by a solid back-and-forth with the always delightful Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), he even ends the video with his clarification that he's actually the main character and the film is called "Javelin & The Suicide Squad Also." The video then ends with a perfect slow shot of the "first" group of inmates doing their walk towards the camera as Pete Davidson (Blackguard) attempts to twirl his gun to less than optimal results.
It's a short video, but it goes a long way in showing just how the classic blooper reel is due for a comeback into the mainstream. Sure, with the increase in CGI over the years, it might be difficult to implement such a thing. But even motion capture actors can join in on the fun, as Steve Agee (the stand-in for Nanaue/King Shark) proved with his chuckle-worthy attempt at getting that giant head through a curtain. Here's hoping more movies take cues from The Suicide Squad, in this way and many others.
The Suicide Squad is now playing in theaters.