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Anarchic fun as an anti-hero

Wrestler-turnedactor John Cena brings swagger to a solo series, finds James Croot.

Peacemaker is now on Neon and Sky Go. New episodes will also debut on SoHo at 8.30pm every Thursday from January 27.

It’s the first official television spinoff from the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), in the form of an eight-part show that picks up on a post-credits scene from last year’s The Suicide Squad.

The movie’s creator, James Gunn, came up with an idea and scripts out of boredom during weeks of pandemicenforced lockdown, convinced it would never be picked up.

Turns out, he was wrong: HBO wanted to see more of the ‘‘world’s biggest douchebag’’, the self-confessed superhero who is actually a supervillain, a man who would kill for peace. The result is an entertaining and, at times, hilarious take on the superhero genre that is almost as good and not nearly as violent and sweary as Amazon’s The Boys.

Then again, should it really be a surprise? This is the same Gunn who turned Marvel’s

Guardians of the Galaxy misfits into cinematic crowd-pleasers.

Peacemaker picks up the action, with the ironically monikered former Taskforce X member (John Cena) having spent five months in hospital recovering from the dual misfortunes of being shot and having a building fall on him.

He has emerged with just a broken clavicle, not that this brush with death has left ‘‘the luckiest man alive’’ feeling any humbler. Asking for the X-ray contrast to be upped so it shows off the time he has spent on his small-muscle groups has not been wasted.

He then proceeds to spread rumours about Aquaman’s predilections, before being told he can go home as long as he keeps up his physiotherapy.

But even as he’s schooled about his racist tendencies and seeks out his father (Robert Patrick), if only to retrieve his beloved sidekick, Eagly, the man born Christopher Smith knows his new freedom will invariably come at a price.

Having only served four years of an 80-year sentence, even killing Rick Flag to protect the secrets of Project Starfish hasn’t stopped Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) from insisting ‘‘Peacemaker’’ still has more time to serve. Who wouldn’t want to keep an eye on a born killer with expertise in every weapon known to humankind? Especially when Project Butterfly is being put into effect.

It’s a prospect, though, that neither excites or even makes much sense to Smith. ‘‘What, am I fighting Mothra now? I want a jetpack,’’ he rages, having dismayed his new covert team by turning up to their diner meeting in costume. That’s when they remind him of his debt to Waller and the bomb that’s still in his head.

The perfect antidote to those depressing early DCEU duds such as Justice League, Peacemaker is a bundle of fun that certainly feels like it could rival the best of Marvel’s miniseries from the past year.

At the centre is a terrific performance from Cena, who goes from strength to strength when it comes to his comedic timing and delivery of laughout-loud lines. In a way, it’s the perfect role for the former WWE champ, but he delivers bombast, delusion and surprising sweetness with a swagger that just makes you want to see where his soft, 1980s-hair-rock-loving character might go next.

If the rest of this squad are a tad too archetypal and sketchy to provide any truly memorable moments, the casting of former Terminator 2 villain Patrick as Smith’s David Lynch and Lyle Lovett-esque bequiffed, irascible dad is inspired, and Weta Digital does fine work in bringing Eagly to life.

Throw in unforgettable dancing that doubles as an opening credits sequence and you’ll find yourself eagerly awaiting the next instalment.

Tv Week

en-nz

2022-01-18T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-18T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/282394107816506

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