Peacemaker Episode 1-3 Review: Full Of Action And Acid Humor That Convey The Style Of James Gunn Very Well

Peacemaker Episode 1-3 Review: Full Of Action And Acid Humor That Convey The Style Of James Gunn Very Well

Director: James Gunn

Cast: John Cena, Freddie Stroma, Chukwudi Iwuji

Streaming Platform: HBO Max (click to watch)

Filmyhype Ratings: 4.5/5 (four and half star) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Peacemaker Episode 1-3 Review: During the first few months of the pandemic, when everyone was being forced to stay in their homes to avoid transmitting the COVID-19 virus, director James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) who at the time was working on post-production on his latest film, ” The Suicide Squad”, decided to spend his spare time writing an eight-episode series focused on the Peacemaker character as a sort of joke that would never see the light of day. That is, until Gunn gets a call from execs at Warner Bros. asking if he has any other DC projects in mind.

Peacemaker debuted by making its first three full episodes available, which were all directed by James Gunn, exclusively on the HBO Max streaming service. Set three months after his last assignment to Corto Maltesse with Task Force X, Christopher Smith (John Cena) is assigned to a new team consisting of Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji), Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), John Economos (Steve Agee) and newcomer Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) to eliminate a series of targets known as the “Butterfly Project”.

Peacemaker The Story

Peacemaker takes place after the events of The Suicide Squad (2021), with the peculiar vigilante being recruited by ARGUS for a new mission. At first, a change that draws attention is that of the personality of the protagonist, since while in the James Gunn film he was a character who fell somewhat unpleasant, in the series he is more lovable than in his first appearance, we laugh more with him and, most importantly, he is understood. An empathy is created that did not exist previously and that grows throughout the episodes while showing an evolution in the character despite always maintaining a QAnon-like conspiracy fanatic personality.

Along with the return of John Cena in the leading role, we also meet again two characters we met in the film, Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and John Economos (Steve Agee), who will team up with Peacemaker along with two new characters, Clemson Murn ( Chukwudi Iwuji) and Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks). This new group is formed to carry out the “Butterfly Project”, a mission in which they must assassinate all those people who have been identified as “butterflies” -including a United States senator- despite the fact that the meaning of that denomination is something that not all the members of the team know. Another character featured in the series is Adrian Chase (Freddie Stroma), a young man with the secret identity of Vigilante who fights crime and for peace just like his biggest idol and role model, Peacemaker. The best way to describe Vigilante is as if Deadpool got hit on the head as a kid. It’s silly, it’s like a goat and it’s one of the best in the series. Every scene he appears in steals the screen and every time he speaks, he manages to get a laugh.

Peacemaker Episode 1-3 Review

     The first episode, entitled “A New Whirlwind” wastes no time in making use of the typical immature but fun humor that Gunn usually uses in his works, this time with some jokes that tell (obviously false) stories about heroes like Batman and Aquaman. As a pilot episode, it does a good job of exploring some details about the main character’s personal life and presenting his new objective, even though his dialogue, while funny, involves several sexual references. Despite not having as much graphic violence as in “The Suicide Squad”, there is an unexpected action scene that takes place in its final moments.

     The second episode “Worst Friends Forever” although it is 40 minutes long, passes with a blink of an eye, but it gives a better idea about the type of obnoxious person that is the character Auggie Smith (Robert Patrick), the father of the protagonist and shows a fun dynamic between the Peacemaker and the Watcher (Freedie Stroma), who appear to have worked together before Christopher was sent to jail. Although Adrien Chase’s personality is quite different than his comic book counterpart, he still proved to be quite helpful in the next chapter. The series also proves to be quite competent in making references and connections to the DC Universe, having made quotes to “Harley Quinn”, “Arkham Asylum” and even the Bat-Mite that apparently exists in the DCEU.

   The third episode “Best Dead” is where the mission really begins, in addition to being introduced to the Master Judoka (Nhut Lee) who proposed great, well-choreographed action scenes, we received a better clarification on what the Butterfly Project is and the threat it poses. The series also appears to present hints of a possible romance between the Peacemaker and Agent Harcourt, but despite the moments where Smith shows remorse for some of his actions, it’s not done in a way where the intention is to make the audience sympathize with the show. protagonist, because his personality is still the same as in “The Suicide Squad”, but more developed. Each chapter has a post-credits scene, but so far none of them have proved important to the story.

Regarding the new team, Adebayo is shown to be quite inexperienced and even innocent at times, but there is a little surprise about her that is revealed in the first episode. Murn is a mercenary who is shown to be proud of the things he has done in the past and does not intend to follow in Amanda Waller ‘s footsteps, it is also interesting to point out that Gunn stated that Chukwudi Iwuji is one of the best actors he has ever worked with and his performance leaves that quite a bit. evident. Steve Agee manages to be quite funny as Economos on his own and when he is mocked by others for being called “Dyed Beard”. Harcourt is portrayed as a strong character who fits well into the narrative.

James Gunn has a good taste in music that has always been widely used in his films, and Peacemaker is no different. The series has a hilarious opening where all the characters dance to ” Do Ya Wanna Taste It ” by the band Wig Wam which is probably one of the most creative things ever done in a series of the superhero genre. The soundtrack composed by Clint Mansell and Kevin Kiner also deserves to be highlighted for its compositions with elements of Rock music that refer a lot to the work of John Murphy in “The Suicide Squad”.

Despite some lewd jokes and nude scenes that may annoy some more sensitive viewers, the first three episodes of Peacemaker are very inspired, action-packed, have a sensational soundtrack and introduce great characters, getting the series off to a good start. sure to become one of the best comic book-based series exclusive to a streaming service and possibly one of the best works that director James Gunn has ever delivered to the superhero genre.

The Final Words

A great start to the series, which plays with the viewer’s expectations and plays with humor, action and mystery to entertain us shamelessly. Sometimes it’s too funny, but it usually works like a well-oiled gun. The brutal soundtrack and the hilarious performance of a John Cena who looks like he’s having a great time.