Will DC be able to match Marvel Cinematic Universe, ever? Will, they ever be able to restore their lost sheen? At the moment, it indeed seems, so. Yes, DC is late to the party. But better late than never, right?
Hello, everyone. If you are looking for an honest review of the latest HBO TV series Peacemaker, you have come to the right place.
As in this article, I will discuss both the positives and negatives of this latest venture.
I am not biased. I don’t prefer Marvel to DC, as so many people now do. 😛
Tell you what? Marvel characters that we all know today weren’t even that famous before Marvel executed it so well on the big screen. It was DC who ruled the hearts. ❤
Anyway, enough of this Marvel vs DC talk. Here is my honest review of Peacemaker –
The Positives –
Number 1:
DC finally upped their game, by venturing into R rated genre with a goofy and infantile sense of humour. Peacemaker is pitched against the likes of Deadpool and the cult movie, Kick-ass.
It’s all jokey, garnished with f words, every five minutes. It seems our Peacemaker is stuck in his adolescence. 😉
Which suits John Cena, in a way, you know? Given his demeanour. His personality. I have watched his comedy, Blockers. Man, John Cena, knows how to act.
He is way better than most of the “professionals” out there, who can’t even produce two different expressions on their faces.
John Cena has indeed nailed it. Now it feels as if no one else could have done justice to this weirdo – Peacemaker.
The jokes are appropriately timed. Well, mostly! And the show is certainly going to entertain its target audience, which I believe are the young adults.
Well, if you are too much of a ‘nice’ person, who hates the use of raunchy lines, cuss words, this show isn’t for you. But if you are open to having a mixture of Deadpool + Dumb and Dumber type of humour, you shouldn’t skip watching it.
Number 2:
The right amount of complexity. The right amount of details.
Yes, I believe this is one of the strongest points of Peacemaker.
Often, we read books and watch tv series with too many characters, too many twists and turns, too many subplots that we either lose interest in them or are not able to root for even one of these fictional characters.
This isn’t the case with Peacemaker. Neither the show is too simplistic nor too complex. Neither is there a plethora of characters nor too few of them. It strikes the right balance, has the right amount of complexity, which makes the series engaging and engrossing enough.
All characters are twisted. All characters have these different issues with them. All characters are mentally deranged. Well, in a way! Which make them not only funny but lovable too. You can easily root for any one of them, according to your proclivity, your liking.
This, I believe, is the show’s biggest strength. You don’t have to invest too much of your mind or your attention to fully enjoy this show.
Sure, there are moments, those subtle gags that need closer attention. But even if you miss paying attention to a few of them, you wouldn’t lose track of what is happening.
I think, this is definitely a quality that all modern-day writers, directors, movie and tv show creators etc. must have, given how short our attention spans are, these days.
Number 3:
The action sequences are super realistic. Yes, just like the cult favourite movie Kick-ass, the fights, the stunts in the show look totally believable. Perhaps, much of it is because John Cena himself comes from the same field. So, if you are a person, who wants some real action, and just the right amount of superpower stuff, this show is definitely for you.
Number 4:
Those cliffhangers at the end of each episode.
Yeah, you heard that right. Each episode ends on a super cool note, making you want more. I mean, one can’t help oneself wondering what’s going to happen next. Peacemaker will hook you right from the start, and you will long for the next episode, after finishing each one of them. Yes, the series is that good.
Well, enough of just praise and praise. Let’s look at some of the bad features.
Number 1:
Too much virtue signalling.
It’s well known which narratives these DC shows subscribe to. Often, these DC shows get way too much political (as is the case with Batwoman and Supergirl), that there comes a point you start hating them, be you with any side. Liberal, conservative, or communist, it doesn’t matter at all.
Come on! We are not watching superhero shows just for you to shove up your political agenda, your political ideologies on our faces. We are watching these superhero tv series because we are geeks; because we are comic book lovers; because we love action. For politics, we already have platforms like Twitter, Facebook etc. So, please stop putting politics in everything you create. And just entertain us. It is something that Marvel understands very well. And DC still doesn’t.
We want an escape. And not lecturing. So, please stop being an “activist” for a while.
Number 2:
Like The Matrix Resurrections, the show’s biggest strength is also its weakness.
At times, these sex jokes, these deranged gags look forced and not natural. Which might be a turn-off for many. If you are targeting a specific audience, you have to perfect it. You can’t just throw completely unrelated and irrelevant quips and jests all the time in the middle of some serious action. Balance is much needed when you are walking this slippery slope.
Peacemaker has not only upset these “nice” people who regarded John Cena as a role model for children, but it has also disappointed some of the fans of this genre who pay close attention to even the minutest details. I think, there is scope for improvement and the show’s creators, James Gunn, etc. will take this feedback positively and improve their game with time.
Number 3:
DC’s Amanda Waller still doesn’t know what is A level mission, B level mission or a C level mission.
Those who have watched the Suicide Squad movies and these first few episodes of Peacemaker must be wondering if these butterflies are really that big of a global threat, why Amanda has hired a single super-Assasin for this mission.
It doesn’t make sense. Either this Project Butterfly is not that important or it is. You can’t have contrary threat perception.
At some point, viewers are made to believe that Peacemaker is enough to handle this mission. At other, we are told that these butterflies have reached every nook and corner of this world.
Come on! You hired a whole team for Corto Maltese, Starfish mission. And now when these butterflies are everywhere, you hire only a single man? Well, thanks to Vigilante, who added a much-needed muscle to this small team. Otherwise, it would have felt ridiculous. They have to add more people to the team, in the future, you know? If this Project Butterfly is really an A level mission.
Number 4:
While the action sequences are believable, the CGI and special effects, wherever it has been used, is sub-standard. Perhaps the show creators have budgetary constraints. It is being televised on the small screen, after all. I don’t know.
However, they could have done a much better job. It is not much big of a turn-off as far as I am concerned. But you see, most of the viewers always have these high expectations from these superhero shows. And it feels bad when something is not up to the mark. People are bound to make comparisons with Marvel shows. This is why I feel they should pump in more money into this venture.
Summing up, overall Peacemaker is a game-changing series for DC despite all its little flaws. I would rate it 4 stars out of 5 and would urge every superhero fan not to skip it. It is a worthy sequel to The Suicide Squad and I hope James Gunn wouldn’t disappoint us.
Well, this was my honest review.
Do let me know what you think about it.
Thanks a lot for your precious time. 🙂
Ciao!
Author Abhaidev 