'Peacemaker' Episodes 1 to 3 Review: John Cena, James Gunn are all about explosive peace
Contains 'not so much' spoilers for 'Peacemaker' Episodes 1 to 3
And just when you thought 'The Suicide Squad' had quite the violence. Following the success of the movie, James Gun decided to foray deeper into the DCEU with 'Peacemaker' and has probably given the world a look at clumsy, horny, powerful, and a horse with blinders- kinda anti-hero with John Cena and an impressive cast. It's all about peace for Christopher Smith and the first three episodes available for streaming on HBO Max is...pretty neat actually.
It's one of the series that needs the E next to it. There are F-bombs in abundance and the comedy is spot-on. It's unadulterated and weirdly delightful. That doesn't mean Gunn puts in all the elements of his trademark 'Guardians of the Galaxy' duology. There's a lot more wiggle room to be explicit and that just adds to the slambang action. For ease of reading, this review is a collective of all three episodes. The opening credits is actually a peppy number featuring the cast and then the proceedings begin.
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The writing is on point and he has a way of making Cena look a much-better actor than he knew him to be. No disrespect, but his acting chops are pretty impressive and although his muscles do the talking, Cena's swagger and his aloof approach to a mysterious project called 'Project Butterfly' along with a bunch of new faces just make him part of a team that secretly hope he's the one to do all the lifting. He does more though crooning in his tighty-whities after an intense romp only to be attacked and whacked out of his wits.
That said, most of the plotlines take a while to be fleshed out as Gunn focuses on the Peacemaker and his mission at his own pace. Placed at roughly 45 minutes, there's enough Easter eggs, and name drops that make this an enjoyable affair, especially when it's painful to wait for another week for a new chapter of 'The Book of Boba Fett'.
Perhaps the best part of the DC series is Robert Patrick, who leaves behind his slick T-1000 look for a man with enough artillery that he hopes to destroy commies with. It's his doing that makes Peacemaker a racist, but surely the layers of anti-hero fade over time. The only hope would be to see if 'Peacemaker' keeps the same tone and the same intrigue factor going. Only time will tell if it stays insane and enjoyable.
'Peacemaker' Episodes 1 to 3 are available for streaming on HBO Max.
