It's hard to imagine James Gunn as someone antisocial or solitary. In events and his public life, we always see him smiling and cheerful, but also behind the scenes, this director transmits good vibes and camaraderie. Maybe because of this, since Super's 2010 premiere, his movies always convey the same message: being alone on this planet doesn't make any sense. From that moment, his cinema was on the rise, but he has never put aside what he wants to convey and how he wants to do so. It can be said that, as a creator, he's a cinematographic standard-bearer for what it means to tell good stories.
With that being said, what DC Comics fan wouldn't want to have a coherently and organically created cinematic universe that doesn't feel like a procedure established just to make money like what Snyder, Hamada and the rest of Warner Bros' mismanagement presented a few years ago? After bringing the best DC antiheroes movie to life in 2021, James Gunn was named co-chairman and co-CEO of DC universe, now known as DC Studios as a nod to Marvel that partly feels like the possible start of a corporate miniwar. He's the right man for the job and my heart says "Yes, I do." Resentment aside, I have always preferred DC over Marvel, but I agree with the amazing idea they had of unifying absolutely 85% of their characters and stories to raise more money than a country like Trinidad and Tobago could in 30 years, which started when Robert Downey Jr. uttered that iconic "I am Iron Man" in 2008.
In theory and according to what many believe, this new beginning will see the light of day with the movie directed by Gunn about The Last Son of Krypton/Man of Steel played by David Corenswet, which will premiere in June 2025. But no, the guy had no better idea than sitting in one of the hundreds of corners of his shiny white relaxing Malibu mansion—no, luckily it wasn't burned down—to think for a while about how to create his own universe and write a story about criminal/military creatures "hired"—not to say forced—to complete a mission, partly serving their sentence. Yes, basically his version of the famous premise of The Suicide Squad, but animated and with the classic style that almost all DC universe's series adopt, with the same gory tone and slightly known array of characters, including Weasel, Doctor Phosphorus, G.I. Robot, The Bride, Nina Mazursky and Rick Flag Sr.
So, where's the innovation and what makes Creature Commandos so enjoyable? To start, it's necessary to highlight the huge work and genuine development regarding the characters. If Gunn knows anything, that's how to create weirdly endearing figures that can wander in our minds for a long time. He knows the comics' story in-depth and, as the great writer he is, grants humanity to weird freaks who are easy to empathize with. Ultimately, human beings are also weird creatures, right? The director knew how to show it in Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, making us cry with a talking raccoon and a humanoid shark.
In this continuation of The Suicide Squad's events, we follow Flag Sr. and Amanda Waller in a new attempt to maintain control over the interests between the United States and the rest of the countries—that are usually part of the third-world. The fictitious place in which action takes place is no longer Corto Maltese, but Pokolistan, a city lost in time whose only possession is oil and a frozen monarchist system in which its princess, Ilana Rostovic, is the most important piece to prevent losing that resource. Look, the main plot isn't the most intricate, and that's exactly why Creature Commandos is so dynamic: the series knows its game and plays it extremely well.
Schematically organized in seven episodes of approximately 25 minutes, the series tells the story behind each one of these peculiar antiheroes in every episode. The most interesting part is that, thanks to the revelation of their actual motives, we later understand the reasons behind their decisions and how they act in general. These are three characters that impacted and even moved me the most:
1. THE BRIDE
Created as a desire of the most talkative Frankenstein of all, this minor tribute to the 1935 movie takes an unexpected but comical turn thanks to the dynamic between both characters and "The Bride's" harshness after previously witnessing the murder of someone she really loved. She's ironic, brutally violent but also extremely sensitive.
2. NINA MAZURSKY
A creature born human that, in spite of her change in appearance, is the only one that shows glimpses of kindness as no other. Born with a lung disease, Nina knew how to stand aside over the years, being a victim of bullying and indifference, but always maintaining a low profile. Her life story, together with the bonds she forges with her partners throughout the series, reminded me that we should never judge a book by its cover, we have to open it to see what's inside.
3. WEASEL
In Gunn's movie, this huge weasel was introduced as the murderer of 27 children, who expressed himself weirdly and that, ultimately, was one of the only survivors of the coastal attack. In Creature Commandos, all that sense of strangeness is lost after knowing the real story: Weasel only wanted to make friends and, in a school fire, he was the one who tried to save the children from the fire, not kill them. The scene in which we see him running through the flames grabbing a girl while takinggunshots is one of the most heartbreaking things I've seen in my life.
The canon is already established. The second season has already been announced.
Posted on JANUARY 28, 2024, 17:41 PM | UTC-GMT -3
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