By Jamie Miller
DC Comics, they’ve been around for nearly a century and given us some of fiction’s greatest heroes such as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman as well as its most dastardly villains such as Lex Luthor, The Joker and Cheetah. However they have also tried their hand at creating their own version of classic horror monsters…Enter “Creature Commandos”
“Creature Commandos,” which premiered on Max on Dec. 5, is loosely based on the comic series of the same name. Taking place after previous DC entry’s, “The Suicide Squad” and “Peacemaker” with Amanda Waller, having been exposed after the events of the later series finds herself unable to force criminals and supervillains to do the government’s dirty work. Never one to be deterred, however, Waller finds a convenient loophole. Technically, congress said she couldn’t send people on black ops suicide missions anymore, but they didn’t say anything about monsters. Now the fate of not only the nation of Pokolistan but the world as a whole are in the hands and claws of a group of less-than-happy monsters.
The series features the voices of Indira Varma, known for roles in the likes of “Game of Thrones” and “Rome” as The Bride, the unofficial second in command of Task Force M. She was created to serve as the bride to one Eric Frankenstein only to decide to choose her own fate finding herself roped into the group.
Sean Gunn known best for playing Kraglin Obfonteri in the “Guardians Of The Galaxy” trilogy pulls double duty, voicing two separate characters. One is the creature known simply as Weasel, a weasel human hybrid creature last seen in “The Suicide Squad” having been locked up for apparently murdering a group of children and barely has more intelligence than a common animal. The second character voiced by Gunn is G.I. Robot, a prototype robot created in World War II to fight against the Third Reich. While friendly and personable, he has one fatal flaw. Heis programmed to kill Nazis at all costs, and prone to pull out a gun if he thinks someone may be one.
Alan Tudyk, known for roles in the likes of “A Knight’s Tale” and “Firefly,” voices three characters including Doctor Phosphorus, a member of the group who, having been a former scientist until after the cruel actions of mob boss Rupert Thorn, is turned into a radioactive entity and is the most vicious and brutal of the group. Tudyk also voices Will Magnus, a robotics scientist who studied G.I. Robot after the war and Clayface, a shapeshifting Batman villain, a character which Tudyk also voices in “Harley Quinn.”
Zoë Chao, known for roles in the likes of “Strangers” and “Afterparty” lends her voice to the role of Nina Mazursky, a fish-like woman only able to breathe in water and with an appearance somewhat indicative of the classic Gill-man from “Creature from the Black Lagoon.” Mazursky is the most gentle of Task Force M, being unwilling to kill.
David Harbour, known for starring in works such as “Stranger Things” and “Violent Night” voices Eric Frankenstein, the show’s version of Frankenstein’s monster and the one The Bride had been designed for long ago. Forever unable to take a hint, Frankenstein has literally stalked her all over the world and throughout history determined to win her love being equal parts eloquent and brutishly homicidal.
Frank Grillo, known for roles in the likes of “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” lends his voice to the character of Rick Flag Sr., the leader of Task Force M, who is responsible for overseeing the group to make sure they complete their mission. Flag is the father of Rick Flag Jr. seen in the films “Suicide Squad” and “The Suicide Squad.”
Also along for the ride is Maria Bakalova of “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” fame, voicing Princess Illana Rostovic, the princess of and in effect leader of the nation of Pokolistan serving as the love interest to Flag and the target of Circe’s wrath.
Speaking of, Anya Chalotra, known for playing the witch Yennefer of Vengerberg in “The Witcher,” voices the immortal sorceress Circe, desiring the throne of Pokolistan for herself Circe has assembled her own followers in the form of The Sons of Themyscira to aid her in her goal to kill Rostovic and eventually conquer Themyscira. Viola Davis, known for roles in the likes of “The Help” and “How to Get Away with Murder,” reprises her role as Amanda Waller the cold and ruthless overseer of both Task Forces X and M.
Now I love this show. The acting was top-notch notch, especially from Harbour and Varma. The writing is also phenomenal, managing to go from making you laugh to hitting you with a gut punch of emotion with ease, the show managing to make you sympathize and even root for the likes of a weasel man and a radioactive murderer. The only two flaws I can see are for one, there appear to be occasional animation mistakes, such as a character who had blood splattered on her face, only to have it disappear for a few frames and then reappear. Nothing that ruins the viewing experience, but it is noticeable if you’re paying attention. Also, the show is somewhat hurt by its brisk length. “Creature Commandos” only has seven episodes, with each episode, in addition to telling the overarching story of the series, also telling the origin of each member of the group which is difficult to do in seven under 30-minute episodes. Those two things aside however the series was outstanding, eight and a half torches out of 10 easy.
