This Thursday on Max, DC Studios' DCU begins with the animated Creature Commandos. The first two episodes will launch for fans, though critics have already watched all seven chapters of the show.
While the series marks something of a soft launch for the DC Universe, it will be our first glimpse at what James Gunn has planned for the franchise moving forward (the real test is still going to be next summer's Superman).
As we write this, Creature Commandos has a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score based on 18 reviews; only one is negative and that opines, "If DC was going to drop the nihilistic and brutal aspects of DC’s previously shared continuity, that’s not happening here. If anything, Creature Commandos doubles down on the old grimdark DCEU vibe rather than forging a new path."
The DCU being compared to the DCEU is likely the last thing DC Studios wants but it's easy to shake off a review like that when the rest are so positive. While fans have yet to chime in, it's fair to say Creature Commands has got the DCU off to a strong start.
How did the DCEU begin? With 2013's Man of Steel. Directed by Zack Snyder, it divided opinions thanks to such controversial creative decisions as Clark Kent allowing his father to die, the widespread destruction of Metropolis, and Superman killing General Zod. However, the movie was praised for its epic action scenes and score, as well as a great cast from top to bottom.
Man of Steel sits at a "Rotten" 57% on the review aggregator, albeit with more than 340 reviews counted. That makes this a slightly unfair comparison, but it's one that's being made by many DC fans on social media. Needless to say, we'd expect the same thing to happen next year, this time with Man of Steel pitted against Superman!
Gunn has a solid comic book movie/TV show track record on Rotten Tomatoes thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy (92%), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (87%), The Suicide Squad (90%), The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (94%), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (82%), and Peacemaker (93%).
"Delightfully deranged, Creature Commandos is a crazy, captivating, instant classic that puts the new DCU on the map while offering fans an endless list of reasons to return each week," we said in our review. "James Gunn has delivered a monstrous must-see."
Creature Commandos tracks a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans. When all else fails...they’re your last, worst option.
The cast features Steve Agee as Economos, Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana, Anya Chalotra as Circe, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., Sean Gunn as GI Robot & Weasel, David Harbour as Frankenstein, Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, Indira Varma as The Bride, and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller.
Creature Commandos is written and executive produced by James Gunn. Based on DC characters and produced by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation, additional executive producers include Peter Safran, Dean Lorey, and Sam Register; Rick Morales serves as a supervising producer.
Creature Commandos premieres on Max on December 5.