REVIEW #159 Peacemaker (Season 1)

Peacemaker was written and directed by James Gunn and it is set right after the events of The Suicide Squad, except this time Christopher Smith has a new team to fight along side. Tasked with stopping an alien invasion, Peacemaker goes on a bloody journey of self development.

CAST & THE ACTING 

John Cena returns as Christopher Smith, AKA Peacemaker and once again he more than impressed me. He is slowly becoming one of my favourite comedic actors in Hollywood right now. Not only that, he also performs well during the emotional elements of the show. His character really goes on a journey of self discovery and for that journey to be authentic, his acting had to be up to scratch. Which it certainly was! Other actors also returned to reprise their roles, such as Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt and Steve Agee as John Economos. Holland, in particular, really stood out and she had a way of really drawing me into her character. Danielle Brooks was a nice addition to the cast as Adebayo, bringing an extra does of comedy to the show as well as lot of charisma and heart. Of course I have to mention Freddie Stroma who portrayed Adrian Chase, AKA vigilante. He was brilliant, from his delivery of dialogue to the physical comedy, everything landed and his performance had me in hysterics. Reflecting across all 8 episodes, I don’t think there was a single performance I didn’t like, front and centre is the comedy but behind these amazing performances is so much heart that had me emotionally attached to their characters. 

THE STORYLINE

Set just after the events of The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker is alive and well and finds himself joining another team to stop another plan he knows nothing about…an alien butterfly invasion. I want to break down the storyline into two main parts, the overall objective for project butterfly and then the absolutely phenomenal character development. James Gunn has done a tremendous job at creating such likeable characters, both Peacemaker and Vigilante have done some seriously questionable acts, especially Vigilante. Yet the writing makes the audience fall in love with them. I guess this is the allure of the ‘anti-hero’ and Gunn has it nailed to perfection. Christopher Smith is an entirely different character at the end of episode 8, transformed by his new teammates who hold him responsible for his actions. The sub plot of the blossoming relationship between him and Harcourt is a direct reflection of that character development. Even Harcourt herself slowly starts letting her guard down to her teammates, Adebayo finds courage and bravery and the same can be said for Economos as well. 

Now the main objective for the team was to stop this alien invasion and the idea I believe was completely original from Gunn and I really liked it. Alien Butterflies, on the surface is a very silly idea and perfect for Gunns style but it was actually a really cool antagonist for the show. Unlike MCU shows, the villain was introduced early on and there was a constant back and forth leading up to the finale and that ensure the pacing was just right. We also had another sub plot between Peacemaker and his supervillain father ‘The White Dragon’ a white supremacist who trained Peacemaker but always treated him awfully. That was a big influence on the character development I mentioned earlier and it plays a huge part on who Chris Smith was and who he became. The Justice League cameo at the end was a nice touch, it wasn’t necessary at all but it was a lovely bit of fan service that provided a good link to the Aquaman digs Peacemaker threw out through the entire show. I think they could have included Batman though, it was silly excluding him unless the reason for his absence is going to link to a future project, which I doubt. 

CINEMATOGRAPHY & SPECIAL EFFECTS 

James Gunn’s style is so unique and one that is incredibly popular, I love it. Incredibly chaotic and gory and the projects always have a fantastic soundtrack that matches the scenes perfectly. That is probably a perfect summary for the Peacemaker series too! I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of organic visuals we got to see, filmed in Vancouver, Canada the surrounding woodlands was a great setting for the series. I have to talk about the opening sequence too, I was seriously impressed. I know a lot of people have been saying it’s overrated but it’s just something that gives the show an edge, almost like a unique selling point if you will. The colours, the soundtrack, the set design, it all gave the opening credits such a classic feel and like Gunn himself said, it tells the audience that this superhero show will be different, a show without rules or restrictions! The special effects were also very impressive, I liked the design of the butterfly aliens and they blended into reality pretty well. The gore was very in your face, some pretty graphic killings but it had to be that way to be a worthy follow up to The Suicide Squad. The action sequences themselves were filmed beautifully, that first one between Peacemaker and the girl from the bar set a strong tone for the rest of the episodes.

OVERALL (9.2/10)

Peacemaker was my favourite character from The Suicide Squad so I knew I’d like the series but it even exceeded my high expectations. I expected great action sequences and brilliant comedy but I didn’t expect such strong character development and that’s what boosted the score up into the 9’s. The acting was brilliant, the storyline was strong and it was spread across the 8 episodes perfectly, so pacing was never an issue. James Gunn’s style was clear and combined with the surroundings of Vancouver, it made for some beautiful cinematography. It’s hard to think of any cons at all really, a couple of little picky issues but nothing that hinders the series at all. It’s fun, it’s in your face chaotic and it’s another success story for Gunn in the comic book genre. If you liked The Suicide Squad then you must watch this, you’ll love every minute.

Thanks for reading.

Callan