Peacemaker, quality over quantity
Television

Peacemaker Is On Brand For James Gunn

L-R: Economos (Steve Agee), Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji), Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), Vigilante (Freddie Stroma), Peacemaker (John Cena) (Katie Yu/HBO Max)
Written by:Danielle SolzmanPosted on:

James Gunn brings his signature brand to Peacemaker in the same way that he did to both The Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy.

The Suicide Squad is one of the funniest films to come from DC to date. As such, Peacemaker comes with high expectations to follow through with the same success. If you enjoyed the film, you’re going to enjoy the series. But before I dive into the series, I have to let you know to watch through the very end of the credits. There is a scene at the end of every episode. It feels like the scenes are improvised and just left in there for fun because they don’t do anything to advance the plot and tell us what’s coming next.

Peacemaker
Courtesy of HBO Max

HBO Max sent seven episodes for advance press viewing. Some of them are still a work in progress–mainly end credits are missing in a few of them. The first three premiere January 13 on HBO Max and weekly episodes will follow.

Gunn wrote every episode and directs five of the eight, which features John Cena reprising his role as the titular superhero. Or is it supervillain? He’s a man who stands for peace no matter the cost, even if he has to kill people. Maybe he’s just an antihero. In any event, Amanda Waller still has her eyes on him by way of her team. It turns out there were some ramifications following the mutiny during the film. Peacemaker now finds himself involved in another task force featuring Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), Economos (Steve Agee), and Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji). He also has some freedom to an extent and somehow, Vigilante (Freddie Stroma) gets thrown into the mix.

There’s a lot to enjoy here between the action, humor, and suspense. Gunn even plays into the current climate by way of Peacemaker’s father, Auggie Smith (Robert Patrick). Honestly, it is hard to comment here without getting into spoiler territory.

I’ve enjoyed what I’ve watched in the first seven episodes. And again, this entire series is on brand for James Gunn. DC gave him a playground and he takes full advantage of it! Let me just say that I cannot get enough of the opening credits to the series. It’s a fun way of introducing all the characters even when they aren’t immediately seen in the first episode.

Much to our advantage, the entertainment never stops coming in Peacemaker.

CREATED FOR TELEVISION BY: James Gunn
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: James Gunn, Peter Safran, Matt Miller
CAST: John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Chukwudi Iwuji, and Robert Patrick

HBO Max launches the first three episodes of Peacemaker on January 13, 2022. Weekly episodes will follow thereafter.

Please subscribe to Solzy at the Movies on Substack.

Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.