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This is an intended non-spoiler review for HBO Max’s Peacemaker. However, you should be made aware that parts of the plot and themes will be discussed here as well as my thoughts regarding the episodes. If you’d like to enter the world of our metal-headed miscreant attempting to do good with absolutely no inherited predispositions, then scroll away! There may also be references to The Suicide Squad and its filmmaker, James Gunn’s previous movies.
This review will also take a more casual tone, where I will just be presenting my thoughts in what might feel more of a conversation. That being said, leave your thoughts down below if you’re thinking of watching the series after the review or your thoughts on the show if you’ve already watched!
You have been warned, viewer.
Premise: Peacemaker… or at least trying
I think the show presents itself as a dumb, “turn your brain off” action-comedy. Although, with a show written and directed by James Gunn, we shouldn’t be too surprised if he sneaks in some heartfelt moments mixed in with the jokes as seen in his Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
Former WWE Superstar, John Cena, turned Hollywood Superstar, plays Christopher Smith, A.K.A., Peacemaker right after the events of The Suicide Squad film. It turns out that being shot in the neck and having a whole building collapse on you will not lead to your immediate death, but a fractured clavicle and a stay at the hospital.
Once being discharged, Peacemaker interacts with a hospital custodian he’s previously smoked weed with in order to determine his wanted level. Off the bat, we’re introduced to Peacemaker’s motivations disguised as a funny interaction.
He thinks himself a hero. That’s it — Peacemaker, regardless of his incarceration at Belle Reve and the countless murders he’s committed, wants to be seen as a superhero but the world either stares at him with indifference or perceives him as an unaware and backward-thinking villain.
The Set-Up
The first episode does a splendid job of putting the pieces in their proper places. Plenty of the challenges down the line are set up in the first three things Peacemaker does after leaving the hospital:
- Coming Home
- Meeting the Crew
- Seeing Dad Again
Coming Home
Peacemaker eventually returns home and we see that his life outside Belle Reve isn’t far too different in terms of glamor. Superhero or supervillain, his home is relatively average and really shows that outside the great fight between good and evil, he’s just an ordinary guy.
He actually kind of seems like a proper underdog this time around. In The Suicide Squad movies, we are always led to believe that the team is just made up of a random assortment of bad guys who don’t have that much power. At the same time, we also get to see them do amazing human feats, so I always felt like they were at least a little more than just human.
Now, getting shot and having a building crush you but still surviving is definitely another kind of superhuman feat. Here, however, in Peacemaker’s home in some rural neighborhood in who knows where, we really get a sense that the inmates including Peacemaker are just normal people, extremely skilled in what they do.
It really made me wonder if maybe the choices that led them to Belle Reve weren’t really choices they could make, but had to make like Deadshot. Or — you can have someone like Peacemaker who believes that the killing he does is necessary to keep the peace. An extreme coin toss, I guess.
Meeting the Crew
Eventually, Peacemaker gets recruited again and briefed about a group that poses a threat to America called the “Butterflies” by the same suits in charge of Belle Reve’s Task Force X. This time, led by Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji), a hard case leading the team comprised of Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), John Economos (Steve Agee), Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) who are mostly the same group of agents that temporarily disposed of Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) in The Suicide Squad.
His interactions with his colleagues throughout the first episodes are what bring the juices out of the show. Through them, we see directly how Peacemaker really wants to do the right thing but always ends up saying something incredibly inappropriate or manages to completely misread the room.
These first episodes also begin to flesh out Peacemaker’s entourage a fair amount. However, I’d still like to see more in the future in regards to who they are as people. There’s a lot of questions set up right now about their histories, especially with Murn and Adebayo.
Seeing Dad Again
Peacemaker has daddy issues! Who knew? I mean, what would you expect from a gun-toting, brash, loudmouth?
After being briefed about the villains of the show, Peacemaker visits his father to pick up his sidekick and pet, Eagly (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker). These scenes give us a glimpse of what may be the source of his inappropriate behavior and more traditional views of the world.
Robert Patrick plays Peacemaker’s father and the actor always seems to do a really good job at being the bad guy. In this show, he’s the super conservative parent you might be embarrassed to bring around your friends. It definitely gets the point across that for who his dad is. Peacemaker could have been a different kind of villain but his inner conflict shows that maybe he could be made of hero material.
These three components in tandem, mixed in with the James Gunn humor, are what you might come to expect to keep the show light and fast-paced. I’d love to see more of the content that makes me chuckle out loud and also stop for a second and pull at my heartstrings like the sacrifice a certain character makes in Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
Production and BTS work
There’s some color grading in the show that upholds The Suicide Squad‘s. However, it isn’t always apparent in some scenes, so I’m not sure what they were trying to do specifically. Overall, it wasn’t too distracting. The handheld camera is also a nice touch to the show which makes it feel more boots-on-the-ground and in your face, which I think currently fits the show’s story.
The soundtrack of the show is what I expected from James Gunn as well — retro songs with lots of energy — but this time, I wasn’t too blown away with the choices. They were fitting for the show, which is the most important thing, I suppose, but not entirely my cup of tea.
Lastly, fight choreography has its merits. It does well enough to where I know and appreciate what’s going on screen. Each of the superhero suits has its ways of fighting like the first metahuman we meet in the first episode and Judomaster. It’s serviceable and that’s enough sometimes.
Final Thoughts: First Impressions of Peacemaker
It’s promising. I didn’t expect to want more of Peacemaker after watching The Suicide Squad. If I’m honest, I am feeling a bit of superhero movie fatigue. Even if the show isn’t a traditional “superhero” series, it continues to follow the recent trend of trying to flip the superhero genre on its head by presenting a more comedic and/or not so heroic lead like the recent hype over Harley Quinn, Deadpool, all of the Suicide Squad, and even Guardians of the Galaxy.
Still, the show has made me chuckle throughout the viewing, and the characters are amusing. To anyone wondering if they should watch the show? James Gunn has definitely found his niche in television and movies, so that’s reassuring for those looking to find a more eccentric, relatable take on the superhero.
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