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Starting off where “The Suicide Squad” left off, “Peacemaker” continues the story on a smaller screen and a smaller scale, which allows more time to humanize not only Peacemaker himself, but also a cast of characters new and old.
The plot is actually both relatively simple and kind of an afterthought. Peacemaker gets his mission in the first episode, the plot thickens a few episodes later, and the show starts to wrap it up in the final two episodes. But the journey here is more important than the destination. While there’s quite a bit of entertainment with the humor, violence and wacky characters that are all presented gleefully with adults-only gusto, this show is really about taking a dirt bag character that left the audience solidly against him and making him sympathetic. And that works because of James Gunn’s script and the performance of John Cena.
Cena’s plays the character essentially the same way he was in “Suicide Squad,” but with just a bit more of everything. More gratuitous violence, more juvenile behavior and much more vulnerability. Cena is able to really nail this role. His willingness to do just about anything asked of him for a laugh allows his character to be the butt of plenty of jokes that a lot of lead actors wouldn’t even consider doing. And he is able to nail the more serious and emotional moments by exposing his vulnerable side. And obviously, the superhero action is second nature to him after his career in pro wrestling. The rest of the cast is solid, and they bring their own flavor to the comedy and the pathos, but the other major stand out is Vigilante. While Freddie Stroma is initially too annoying in the role, he suddenly clicks and his quirky humor adds a lot of fun to the show. (Even though he overdoes it at time. But that can be said about the humor in general, as sometimes the jokes go on for too long.) However, his sociopath mindset and cartoony behavior doesn’t have many humanizing moments to balance it out and allow him to feel like a real person. (It’s actual a little surprising that it all works so well, because the original Vigilante actor quit halfway through filming and all his scenes had to be re-shot with Stroma.)
The show looks great, with movie-quality special effects …although they do occasionally fall flat. The action is solid, with plenty of blood and gore to bump up the entertainment factor. (There’s also plenty of swearing and a fair amount of nudity, so this show is not for the kids.) And like most James Gunn productions, it’s all set to a pretty awesome and eclectic soundtrack. (And then there’s that amazing opening title dance number.)
Ultimately, “Peacemaker” is a fun ride in its debut season, with plenty of jokes and over-the-top violence that are peeled away to show the vulnerable side of some bad people that want to do right. While the plot starts as a seemingly mundane mission, only to escalate into having to save the world, you become so invested with the characters that you tend to forget that any of that stuff is what they’re supposed to be worried about. And while the show is hilarious at times, sometimes it’s over done, and they keep pushing jokes that aren’t as funny as they think they are.
****1/2 out of *****