the guardians of justice is one of the most interesting proposals of Netflix in a while. Although its title may not be entirely attractive, almost a commonplace within adaptations inspired by comics and superheroes, the series presents an attractive, powerful combination of resources and stories. This is not a minor aspect due to the context.
Cinema and platforms streaming have in the stories of DC and Marvel an infinite universe of stories that guarantee many tickets sold and huge amounts of views. Currently, no franchise generates more money than the Marvel and DC Cinematic Universe, through productions such as batman, maintains your link with part of your audience. For their part, services like HBO Max allow adventures like peacemaker. Although it seems a natural and convenient bet, it has a risk.
In general, audiences could become saturated with so many stories. As well-known stories wear out, like the one about Hombre de Hierro or Captain America, incorporating other stories becomes increasingly complex. “What does this one do that the other one doesn’t?”, “Another movie about Spider-Man?”, “How many Marvel movies do I have to watch to keep up to date?”, are some of the questions that frequently stir up the spectators. The differential factor of the guardians of justice it is to go one step further in terms of narrative tone, adaptation and editing.
the guardians of justice:
a polyphony of genres and resources
Is it possible to mix Sin City (Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, 2005), Watchmen (Zack Snyder, 2009) network (Sidney Lumet, 1976), winking at Mortal Kombat and direct references to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Universe in the same series? Yes. Can it work out? Yes.The guardians of justice is that series? Yes. It can be confusing, if you also add that the Netflix story includes animated moments and in stop-motion. However, the gear of so many resources and references is adequate, generating an interesting multimedia experience.
The series does not use them just to get out of the established visual canon and make references to the productions and genres mentioned. It also takes advantage of them to parody the type of story it addresses and position the viewer in different perspectives, as if instead of a viewer it were someone at the controls of a video game from the 90s. It could be understood as a tribute to those resources and forms of division.
The doubts
For younger viewers, the references to arcade games, more typical of the old huge arcades than of today’s consoles, as well as so many references to historical events, may be strange. However, it is in these aspects that the strength of the story is found, capable of going through different moments while telling what it wants to say: superheroes, as fragile as any human, experience a crisis of power and morale.
It is based on an ironic, dark, sarcastic, cruel, explicit, gore tone, to make references and mockery to the current moment, while one of the superheroes tries to clarify what has happened to the main moral and protective beacon of the world, Marvelous Man. All of this, including the references and tributes to the films and series mentioned above, at a hectic pace.
Yes the guardians of justice If it were a weapon that is fired within the story, it would be a machine gun. The risk that Netflix runs is that so many aspects involved are not understandable or alienate viewers accustomed to much flatter stories, especially in terms of staging. The combination of gender may be attractive to some but may not be to others.
A Necessary Perspective Within Superhero Stories
So far, the main franchise of superhero stories does not delve too much into its dark side. The Cinematic Universe Marvel still enough soft in relation to complex issues on the current agenda. From sexual health to the rights of minorities and marginalized. The DC Universe, in cinematographic key, undergoes a kind of restructuring, while stories like TheBoys (Amazon Prime) are stomping to get out of the common stories; Something similar happened in the case of peacemakerthe most recent success of HBO Max.
That last series, written and directed by James Gunn, is explicit, sarcastic, and builds bridges with issues on the global discussion agenda without being complex. On the contrary, it is a solid entertainment package from different points of view, one of the surprises of the year. At the same time, he laughs at comfortable postures and common, politically correct places. In that direction travel the guardians of justice. It should be noted that they are not the same because this Netflix series is much cruder and richer in its references.
It may not be a comfortable series for sensitive stomachs, but it is a necessary story within a universe of stories about superheroes that seems monotonous in most cases. In this way the forces are balanced. Not all stories and adaptations should be told through the perspective of the guardians of justice nor submit to the borders that the Marvel Cinematic Universe sets. There is merit to Netflix in differentiating itself from the best-known stories and adaptations, while still nurturing from them.