DC’s PEACEMAKER is a Nihilistic Misfire
By Movieguide® Contributor
PEACEMAKER is a 2022 action / dark comedy series. It is an HBO Max original series based on DC Comics. Set after THE SUICIDE SQUAD (2021), an unhinged Peacemaker (John Cena) is forced to team up with an equally unhinged, covert government task force. Together, they fight a race of parasitic alien butterflies. PEACEMAKER infuses ridiculous concepts with emotional trauma and dark comedy.
DC’s PEACEMAKER is a morally repulsive, vulgar and juvenile affair. It is a sour mix of family trauma, shock humor and forced “identity politics.” The production quality and special effects are of pristine quality. However, it treats its multi-ethnic cast with contempt and little redemption. It is full of excessive gore, sex, nudity, and swearing. For a TV-MA production, Movieguide® strongly warns adults to skip this unholy series.
The first season focuses on the titular “Peacemaker” / Christopher Smith, a violent vigilante who strives for “total peace,” no matter how many casualties he leaves behind. Smith struggles with his frequent trash talk and abusive upbringing. As the show progresses, Smith opens up to his cold and eccentric black ops teammates. Smith uncovers the government’s secrets and doubts his allegiance to his colleagues. At the same time, the team races to defeat an impending alien invasion.
Before diving into the negatives, PEACEMAKER does offer a few shining qualities. For starters, the rock ballad intro is brilliant. In essence, every major character performs an extravagant Broadway-style dance routine. In a vacuum, it is a great energetic opening. The cinematography and special effects are superb. At certain times, the visuals and color grading is on par with theatrically released movies like WONDER WOMAN (2017). The CGI is also impressive, especially with Smith’s eagle companion and the gory monster effects. This technical mastery does not conceal the show’s problematic soul.
In terms of worldview, PEACEMAKER is pessimistic and politically progressive. The show has Smith dealing with a morally compromised (and mentally unhinged) team of anti-heroes. These characters frequently make crude remarks, joke about their appearance, and interrupt at inappropriate times. Every character is treated as a target for ridicule and disrespect. They also utter F bombs in every episode. While the team does grow to support each other, much of their interactions are hostile in nature.
The series attempts to inject positive Christian virtues, but they are in vain. Smith objects to killing targets when it is not necessary. He also projects loyalty to his friend Vigilante and his pet eagle, Eagly. There are a few genuine moments of the team sharing a few mission victories. But these are overshadowed by political humor.
PEACEMAKER places heavy reliance on “insert racial or gender minority” humor. The cast remarks about “white privilege,” “I respect black lesbians,” or “this rock band’s pronouns is ‘we make awesome music you can’t respect.’”
These progressive identity jokes are delivered with the subtlety of a brick. They often break the flow of a scene. The series also features the prominent lesbian character Leota Adebayo. Adebayo has a girlfriend, whom she kisses and embraces onscreen. Like Smith, Adebayo makes the same problematic remarks like her government colleagues.
The biggest positive with this series is the acting. The actors provide ample emotional range for their flawed characters. They can deliver deadpan humor while also selling their few moments of genuine camaraderie. The most successful actor is John Cena as Peacemaker. Cena was a wrestling star before diving into narrative television. Cena delivers the physicality and the emotional trauma to Peacemaker’s psyche. He easily steals the show.
The show fully embraces of gore, violence, sex and nudity. Characters get their heads blown in gruesome fashion. The team leaves heavy damage on their enemies. Smith and his friends smoke marijuana on screen. In the opening episode, Smith has consensual sex with a prostitute (who later turns out to be a freak alien). In a few scenes, Smith’s friends walk around with exposed chests and butts (both male and female). In one egregious scene, Adebayo accidentally shares a digital picture of her genitals to the group.
In conclusion, PEACEMAKER is not for the faint of heart. It has an expert eye for visual effects, but a juvenile sense of morality. It is full of violence, gore, and patronizing jokes related to identity politics. It treats its characters with disrespect and without redemption. Movieguide® finds PEACEMAKER to be an abhorrent, avoidable abomination.
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