Giving writer/director James Gunn more or less free reign on last year’s The Suicide Squad produced one of my favorite theater experiences of 2021. Gunn did let it be known, even before that movie came out, that he was already at work on a spin-off featuring the least likely of characters, namely John Cena’s Peacemaker. That seemed even less likely after the movie came out since Peacemaker was arguably the only member of the Suicide Squad that in no way seemed to redeem himself and was something of a villain even amongst other villains. It would be quite the challenge for Gunn, DC, Cena, and HBO Max to somehow make this a character that was worthy of a solo spin-off series.
And yet, I still had faith that, if anyone could pull it off, it would be Gunn. Now that the eight episode first season has aired, was my faith in Gunn’s abilities misplaced?
Oh, it most assuredly was not misplaced as, if anything, this first season of Peacemaker more than lived up to my expectations. I knew Gunn could do what he set out to do, writing all eight episodes and directing five of them. What doubts I had might have been in Cena, not because Cena is a bad actor, but more as it would take a lot of work on his part to make a character like Peacemaker even remotely likable after his actions in The Suicide Squad. How does a character like this get redeemed, or should the story even try?
Well, they did try, and Cena was actually able to do what might have seemed impossible, namely make Christopher “Peacemaker” Smith a sympathetic figure. Sure, this is Gunn’s work, and there’s a lot of R-rated language, violent slapstick, and really inappropriate dialogue coming out of Peacemaker’s mouth, largely on the subject of other, more recognizable superheroes. But then the series likewise explored Smith’s roots, particularly to a white supremacist, supervillain father, Auggie “White Dragon” Smith (Robert Patrick). Auggie is both the source of Chris’s ridiculous-looking helmets but also many of Chris’s hang-ups, childhood traumas, and warped ideas on masculinity. That he also has a suit of power armor is more or less the least dangerous thing about Auggie so much as the warped effect he had on his son.
However, after Peacemaker was the only member of Task Force X to follow orders and do as Amanda Waller wanted, he has a new mission now with a splinter group, some of whom are there as punishment from Waller and others not so much. There’s seemingly reformed mercenary Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji) in charge, hardass Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), technician John Economos (Steve Agee), and newcomer to, well, everything involved in the world of espionage Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks). Factor in as well Peacemaker’s anti-hero buddy Adrian “Vigilante” Chase (Freddie Stroma) tagging along and Peacemaker’s bald eagle sidekick Eagly, and this is one of the biggest bunches of misfits that have perhaps been seen anywhere since the last time Gunn put a team together. They’re all working on something called “Project Butterfly,” and whatever that is doesn’t sound like it’ll be good for anyone.
Or maybe not. Gunn isn’t above throwing a curveball, but there’s a scene in a police station in one of the Gunn-directed episodes that might be one of the finest horror scenes done for television in recent years.
But at the center of this is Peacemaker, a character that starts off as a dimbulb musclehead with a passion for 80s hair metal that is only really good at killing things and somehow becomes a lost soul looking for, if not redemption, then at least meaning, a man who once said he would gladly kill as many men, women, and children to achieve peace and who may be getting tired of mindless violence and killing but is still really good at it. There are a couple wrestlers-turned actors working these days, and I am starting to get the impression that Cena of all of them may be the one with the most range. He may also be the funniest, but the nice thing about Peacemaker is that it allows him to show off more than his action chops and comedic timing. He gets to really bare Smith’s soul in a few scenes, showing a character capable of learning a thing or two.
Plus Danielle Brooks got a badass action scene, and I can’t think of too many other shows that would have done that. Peacemaker was just a ton of fun.
Grade: A
0 Comments