Peacemaker

After the excellent Suicide Squad 2, James Gunn serves up an excellent spin off, Peacemaker, which along with The Boys is probably the best comic book ride ever. For anyone who liked SQ, I believe Peacemaker will not disappoint, as it has all the comic book props that go with it. John Cena is likeable and steals the whole show for himself (including the great Eagly!). Of the rest of the cast, I also liked Harcourt and of course the hilarious character of Vigilante, who fits like a glove here. Visually, the series seems poorer in places, but it doesn't matter because the cadence of humour is high and the action is of course awesome, and there’s plenty of it and it’s insanely to grotesquely brutal (there is definitely no shortage of proper gore). Surprisingly the Alien invasion plot itself works here, it is cleverly thought-out, and quite a few times the series managed to surprise me with various unexpected twists that had the right shocking effect. The finale is a decently epic carnage that can't leave anyone cold (limbs and heads literally flying through the air!). I must also praise the music, which is strongly rock and even though I am not a fan of this music, I have at least two songs from the series in my playlist, which is commendable. For me so far, together with Reacher, the series event of the year, I enjoyed it very much and I wish you the same. Story 4/5, Action 5/5, Humour 5/5, Violence 5/5, Fun 5/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotions 3/5, Actors 4/5. 8.5/10. (08/03/2022)

James Gunn is a true genius! The character of Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad initially annoyed me; this narcissistic antihero really rubbed me the wrong way (yes, I'm talking about Flag). But the series about him made me slightly change my opinion. Let’s be honest, I didn’t have much faith in this project (and I don’t think I was alone in that), but Peacemaker was a pleasant surprise! John Cena delivered a masterful performance here, playing a role where no one could match him! I didn’t believe that Peacemaker could appeal to my emotional side, but I was sorely mistaken. The crazy plot involving alien butterflies and their invasion of Earth really hooked me. The action was great, the visuals too, and I fell in love with the supporting characters (Vigilante is one of the best-written comic book sidekicks ever). And that fantastic, high-energy soundtrack! I’m looking forward to the second season, which is already confirmed. For me, it’s 8/10. (24/02/2022)

Untapped potential. One would expect more from the phrase "James Gunn and hillbilly sixth-rate long-forgotten anti-superheroes" than just a solid, almost intimate one-off. It has some great moments and scenes, but there's no justification for stretching it out to eight episodes, it's not so playful, stylised, quirky or fucked up that it doesn't stand deep in the shadow of its Suicide Squad counterpart; Eagly is cruelly underused, all but Cena are rather bland, it's a rollercoaster ride and so by far the best thing about it is the excellent rock soundtrack, the final episode and the WTF theme song, which alone fulfils the guilty pleasure potential without fail. | S1: 3/5 | (19/02/2022)

While watching The Suicide Squad, I felt like Peacemaker's character was seriously underused. Thankfully, James Gunn saw the potential and convinced HBO to give him an 18+ series that spans eight episodes, allowing John Cena to fully embrace the role. And he does so with gusto. Sure, Peacemaker is a bit of a tragic figure in the comic world, but despite his emotional outbursts, you'll end up liking him. Not just him, but also his sidekick Eagly and even the bunch of misfits surrounding him. The series might have relatively little action and a fair share of racist, sexist, and downright dumb jokes in classic James Gunn style, but honestly, who wasn’t expecting that? (21/04/2022)

The most enjoyable thing we have got from DC in a really long time. Gunn has outdone himself, this is superior even to his Suicide Squad. John Cena immersed himself in the role of Chris Smith so deep that James Gunn thought he should have his own series to serve as a follow-up and also partially to explore the origins of Peacemaker, whose upbringing, demons and peculiar approach to life are explained here. The war against the alien butterflies is a little unimaginative (and exists only as justification for the hundreds of dead bodies), but it comes back in the last episode with an ingenious punchline. But the gravy surrounding this war, whether it is uniting the team through music or Smith’s conflict with his father, is nourishing and has no lumps. Dumb humor alternates with intelligent insider mickey-taking and the cast has a whale of a time. The high point of this series is the simple sociopath Vigilante, played by Freddie Stroma, who steals every scene he appears in. This is what Dexter could have been like if the creators hadn’t stepped on the brakes. A perfect rock soundtrack, perfect action. You're late, you fucking dickheads! (22/02/2022)