Samsung and Suicide Squad VR are King at SDCC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The team behind the marketing of Suicide Squad need a raise. A big, fat, raise.

Not only have they successfully teased their audience with just enough from the film to drive their fans mad with anticipation, their partnership with Samsung on their San Diego Comic Con activation is the best experience at the convention.

The. Best.

I posted a description of what they were planning to do here and it sounded really cool (which is why I wrote about it) but the actual experience exceeded my already high expectations.

Below contains spoilers for the Samsung Suicide Squad VR. If you aren’t here at Comic-Con, please continue reading.

If you are at Comic-Con, stop reading immediately, walk to the Hard Rock hotel, get in line, and do not leave without living this experience. (If you continue I DO talk about the free swag you can get though…)

The VR experience was phenomenal. The Samsung Gear VR, powered by Oculus, provided a mesmerizing peek into Suicide Squad, in theatres August 5th.

Since you’re a a member of the #Skwad now, you begin with a briefing from Amanda Waller: “If Flagg dies, I will kill you all.” Good to know.

Then we find ourselves under attack: you look to the left and you see hooded assasins trying to kill Flagg, you look to the right and you see the rest of the team trying to encircle Flagg to protect him.

It was brief, but it was amazing. Then David Ayer comes on screen, welcoming you to the experience. What follows is the same scene plays again, except this time you get to watch it again from the perspective of Harley Quinn, as she’s fighting through the mooks trying to kill Flagg.

It could not have been executed better: it served as a fabulous tease for Suicide Squad and showcased the impressive capabilities of Samsung Gear VR.

But the Samsung Suicide Squad experience doesn’t end with Virtual Reality.

You can design your own skull and become an unofficial member of the Squad, taking home a free t-shirt with your skull logo.

You can get a custom engraved dog tag (the featured image is the one I received, it says “Captain” on the reverse), a Harley Quinn engraved baseball bat key chain, or an engraved shotglass.

You can get a temporary skull tattoo from Harley’s tattoo parlor.

You can get a full Suicide Squad makeover from professional stylists, though this event is by appointment, so if you want this done I’d recommend going early.

You can take a 360 degree picture in a recreation of a cell from Belle Reve and get it printed for you on the spot as a souvenir.

You can get a video of yours, set against a green screen, with an overlay of your favourite Squad character.

The potential for spending a few hours in the exhibit is actually quite strong.

Now I happened to bump into the fellow who was one of the first in line on Thursday, and he said that he started in line at 6 am, and waited for about five hours.

The line was pretty quiet at 6, but exploded around 8 am. So use that as a guide if you’re planning on attending.

This is the exhibit to see at Comic-Con this year. It is not to be missed.

Squad up!

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The Samsung Suicide Squad VR experience takes place at the Hard Rock Hotel in downtown San Diego, a few blocks away from the convention centre.