Kevin Smith routinely reviews every new TV show and movie based on comic books for his podcasts but for Peacemaker he made a special video exclusively about the series, that alone should tell you his feelings. Much of the video, which appears on Smith’s YouTube channel, is a discussion with Smith and Peacemaker creator James Gunn, but to set things up the writer/director/professional fanboy began with an extensive review of the series’ first four episodes. “Oh my god, I can’t give a show higher praise than this,” Smith began. “Yes it is the cursing superhero show which rocks, but it’s so much more .”
He continued, “Gunn takes a character from the Suicide Squad, played by John Cena, who was funny in the movie…he proved very deft with the material. He looks like an action figure, and I hate to bring it down to the aesthetics but my god he literally looks like a DC character…(Gunn’s) telling a story in the genre that hasn’t been told before. Telling a grown ass story using like action figures for heaven sakes. It would have been so easy for him to smash-smash them into each other and have them curse at each other but instead he’s telling a story with action figures, with toys that have a real human soul and heart to them.”
Smith went on to praise the entire cast of the show but also noted how the arc Gunn has crafted for the character is one that he appreciates.
“Years ago if you were going to make this as a movie people would be like ‘who is this for?’ and they wouldn’t make it,” Smith added. “Thankfully the folks at HBO MAx are like, you know who’s gonna like this? People that like quality storytelling. Let’s make it and let people find out about it. I hope people find out about man, how could they not? James Gunn making the DC Universe a place that you don’t want to see go and doing it with toys that Zack put in motion, it’s a beautiful thing man. In a world where you don’t get Snyder -verse, this is pretty damn close. He’s still playing in it, but yet making it his own, uniquely his own. James has always been a wonderful writer and it shows in Peacemaker.”
Peacemaker is now streaming its first three episodes on HBO Max.