Series Review: Creature Commandos Season 1 (2024)
Monsters are made by Monsters
Summary 📺
Season 1 of Creature Commandos (2024) is an action-packed introduction to the new DCU!
Amanda Waller's Task Force X was disbanded after the incident with Starro in The Suicide Squad (2021). She finds a loophole in the mandate that states no human prisoner can be part of Task Force X. Imprisoned monsters become the new members of Task Force M, also known as creature commandos. Most of these monsters have no qualms about taking human life. They are prime candidates for Amanda's Suicide Squad, now faced with saving a country with oil from destruction.
Can Task Force M save the princess and her country before it leads to a more significant world conflict?
Upside 👍
Creature Commandos reveal the humanity in monsters and the monsters in humanity.
With only seven episodes in season one, the writer(s) develop each character to reveal the monsters who made them. Each character's trauma is revealed, showing that while externally, the Commandos are monstrous, internally, they wrestle with their past. In the past, the humans they loved failed them and were monsters. Amanda Waller is an example of a human doing monstrous things in the interest of her government. The writing of this show is excellent, with action to match.
The Creature Commandos seek catharsis in a world full of monsters.
Downside 👎
The show felt too short and incomplete.
What I mean by that is that creating a shared cinematic/TV universe feels like we didn't come to a full resolution with these characters. That is, of course, because this is their introduction. To be fair, I felt the show was wrapped up well. I wish we had more insight into the main villain's motivation before the conclusion. There are plenty of questions left, and that explains why they have been approved for Season 2 of Creature Commandos.
It's a solid show and an excellent entry into the DCU.
By the way 🤔
SPOILER: There is a discussion about the ending. If you want to avoid any reference to it, skip to the verdict section.
Nina and G.I. Robot were the only hope to break the cycle of monsters creating monsters.
Before I pointed out that all of the monsters were created by other monsters, and that's true for all except Nina. Nina had a loving father who protected her from the monsters of the world, including her own mother. Nina's father loved her more than anything, which showed in how she behaved. Nina was a loving, hopeful soul who bonded with G.I. Robot, an almost sentient creature, and Weasel, a creature incapable of defending himself. Her death was symbolic since she was killed by a monster in disguise.
Nina and G.I. Robot's deaths demonstrate that nothing good survives in a world of monsters.
Verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Chapter one of the DCU is titled Gods & Monsters, and Creature Commandos lives up to that name.
It's a character-driven show that pulls at your heartstrings. It's balanced with action and gore to keep you engaged through the character development. While this season could have used another two or three episodes, it was a solid entry. With Rick Flag being a bridge between this show and movies like Superman, I am interested in how these stories will culminate in a meeting with a supervillain like Darkseid. Until then, I am ready for season 2 of Creature Commandos.
Check it out for the action, stay for the character development and beginning of the DCU.