Leave it to James Gunn to find the most rag-tag group of under-the-radar comic book characters and turn them into a wildly entertaining, surprisingly emotional blood-soaked must-watch animated series.
If Creature Commandos — Gunn’s first official production as co-head of DC Studios — is a taste of what’s to come for under his and Peter Safran’s regime then we’re in for some pretty phenomenal films and series from DC.
Creature Commandos takes place not long after the events of Peacemaker Season 1. Amanda Waller (voiced by Viola Davis) has been outed by her daughter as a fairly horrible human being who’s been using human convicts for suicide missions (amongst other atrocities). However, that doesn’t mean she’s out of power at A.R.G.U.S.
So, when the oil-rich U.S. ally Pokolistan becomes under attack from a brigade of bro-y revolutionaries lead by the Amazonian sorceress Circe; Waller recruits General Rick Flagg Sr. (voiced by Frank Grillo) to take a team of non-humans to protect the royalty of Pokolistan (fronted by Maria Bakalova’s princess).
Flagg’s team “Task Force M” aka The Creature Commandos is comprised of The Bride (Indira Varma – Game of Thrones), Doctor Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk – Rogue One), G.I. Robot (Sean Gunn – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Weasel (Gunn reprising his role from The Suicide Squad) and Nin Mazursly (Zoe Chao – The Afterparty).
Obviously, everything absolutely goes sideways. Violence, mayhem, distrust, sex, and The Bride’s traumatic flashbacks (featuring David Harbour’s Eric Frankenstein) lead to a violent conflict between The Task Force and Circe’s team, leaving the second episode of the two-part premiere on a thrilling cliffhanger.
The two-episode premiere effectively hooks audiences on every level. If you’re worried about being in the dark about these characters or the greater DC Universe, don’t be. Gunn deftly connects his previous DC works and character back stories of the characters with quick, effective dialogue and does the same in his introduction of. Speaking of dialogue, Gunn is able to bring his patented one-two punch of humor and heart into the dialogue with every discounting one for the other. This series, like Gunn’s previous Marvel and DC works, will have you crying for numerous reasons and without ever going for the cheap. His writing is honest and respect of its audience while also being completely absurd.
Gunn and showrunner Dean Lorey (a showrunner and creator on DC’s acclaimed animated series Harley Quinn) found an absolutely exquisite cast. Grillo is the perfect straight man to the apathy of Varma’s Bride, the maniacal nature of Tudyk’s Dr. Phosphorus, the humanity of Chao’s Nina and the absolute unhingedness of Gunn’s GI Robot and Weasel. The chemistry on all fronts is solid gold out of the blocks, and the injection of Harbour and Bakalova’s characters are both hilarious and heartbreaking. Every character feels rich, three-dimensional and has you begging to learn more about them.Â
To no surprise, Gunn has found the perfect soundtrack to highlight the chaos — mostly due to his infusion of gypsy punk legends Gogol Bordello (who have a cameo in the second episode). Their unrelentingly raucous sound highlights the unabashed fun this series allows itself to have. It’s this attention to detail that Gunn imbues into his work that creates a wholly immersive experience (and also is a good way to expand your own musical palette).
In two episodes of a series about a bunch of monsters tasked to save a sexually frustrated princess and her oil rich country from an Amazonian and her brigade of well-armed bros, we’re given insight into what Gunn’s vision for DC will be. There’s heart, heroism, hilarity, humanity and probably a whole bunch of other H words. Jokes aside, Creature Commandos is a well-crafted and produced with an abundance of care. If this truly is what we’re to expect from DC going forward, we fans are going to be very well fed for a very long time.
