Marvel's Iron Fist (Netflix Series - 2017)

Marvel's Iron Fist (Netflix Series - 2017)

Despite some mindless controversy and a wealth of brutal reviews courtesy of critics (many of whom were unable to move beyond the "whitewashing" bullshit), viewers seem to have watched a different series altogether.  Whether you prefer Rotten Tomatoes or IMDB, if you compare and contrast the critic's ratings and the average joe's ratings, you'll see a gap that might be better referred to as a canyon.  Now, no one out there is hailing Iron Fist as a home run--and it isn't--but it is entertaining and it's a far cry from the utter failure so many critics have made it out to be.  Having recently enjoyed the series, I certainly agree with the viewing public, and while it wasn't nearly as invigorating as the first season of Daredevil or Luke Cage, I think it fits nicely with the rest of their Netflix offerings.

The critics were pretty much universal in their disdain for the presence of Finn Jones in the lead role.  Honestly, this is the first thing I've ever seen him in and I thought he did a fine job.  I'm a big fan of the comic book, and Jones nailed the innocence and warmth that separate Iron Fist from characters like Daredevil, Luke Cage, and the Punisher.  He also did a good job with the action bits, and while I recognize that he didn't do all of his stunts, this didn't really hurt the show at all.  And speaking of action bits, despite all the criticism aimed at the lack of such sequences, I thought this series had a lot more going for it in the way of throwdowns than either Jessica Jones or Luke Cage.  In the interest of full disclosure, I would have preferred to see a legitimate martial artist cast in the role, but I feel like Jones did a solid job with the part.

His supporting cast fared even better, with Marvel's Netflix mainstay Rosario Dawson continuing to excel as Claire Temple (Marvel's Night Nurse) while Jessica Henswick proved to be the show's biggest find as Colleen Wing.  Wing is a legitimate badass whose combat scenes frequently overshadowed those featuring the titular character.  I also found Tom Pelphrey to be a joy to watch, and his Ward Meachum may have been the character that the script provided with the biggest arc.  Whether the episode at hand required Ward to be an elitist dickhead, a coldblooded killer, a desperate junkie, or a semi-likable cat in search of redemption, Pelphrey was up to the task.  Jessica Stroup did a good job as Ward's sister Joy, a character tasked with hitting almost as many levels, but I don't think the script gave her quite enough material to work with.  Some of the key moments concerning her character were so abrupt and ill-defined that I can't say that she nailed it, though I don't hold her directly responsible.

Any show or movie is ultimately only as good as its villain, and David Wenham's Harold Meachum may have been the most impressive thing about Iron Fist.  Given my affection for the source material, I was pleased to hear that Wenham had been cast in this part, and given his talent I knew that Harold would likely be the big bad for the first season.  I was totally cool with this, and I have to say that the Harold Meachum of this Netflix series emerged as a more intriguing and credible threat than his comic book counterpart.  Wenham chewed scenery and brought a lot of physicality to the role, consistently stealing the spotlight and elevating the program whenever he was on screen. 

Like I noted earlier, many of the show's biggest critics have blasted it as a dull affair and lamented the lack and/or quality of fight scenes, and I think this is a bit puzzling.  It does fall well short of the high water mark set by the first season of Daredevil in this regard, but I think it has just as much action as the second season of that show and it surpasses both Jessica Jones and Luke Cage so far as both the quantity and the quality of showdowns are concerned.  Many have objected to the style of these battles, but I enjoyed seeing Danny presented as a more graceful and less vindictive combatant.  Daredevil is a street fighter and he brutalizes his enemies while Danny's mastery of martial arts is more akin to a dance, allowing him to smoothly evade attacks and swiftly incapacitate most enemies with ease.  His foes are more likely to wake up wondering what happened than to come to in traction with a long road to recovery ahead of them.  Again, I would have preferred a genuine martial artist in the part, but Finn did some cool stuff, and I greatly enjoyed the all-too-brief splitscreen bits that gave the proceedings a unique touch.  Finally, I would single out the sixth episode ("Immortal Emerges from Cave") directed by kung fu aficionado RZA as the strongest hour of the series, and any Iron Fist fan or martial arts devotee should have a blast with that episode.

The other defining moment of the show arrived in episode 8, when Lewis Tan absolutely killed it as a master of drunken boxing.  As a whole, this episode didn't have the same power as "Immortal Emerges from Cave," but the fight scene pitting Iron Fist against Tan as Zhou Cheng (one of the coolest adversaries from the comics to pop up on the show) is easily the best action sequence of the first season. 

In summary, while the show did suffer from several lapses in logic and some uneven plotting, that sixth episode and the big fight scene in the eighth episode may stand as the best evidence that Iron Fist was far from a failure and has the potential to rival Marvel's other Netflix shows.  David Wenham's killer effort as the heavy and Jessica Henswick's Colleen Wing were also big winners, and given time Finn Jones may just bring the haters over to his side.  I look forward to seeing Danny alongside his peers as one of The Defenders, and I'm hoping that a second season will shed more light on our hero's training in the mystical city of K'un Lun.  Was Iron Fist everything I had hoped for?  No, it did fall well short of that mark.  Was it a turd?  Shit no.  It was a good show with a wealth of untapped potential, and if Marvel and Netflix allow it to continue, there are definitely signs that it could deliver on all that promise.

Final Grade: B-

Daredevil (2015) - Series Review

Marvel's Daredevil, currently available on Netflix, is sensational.  Those who have enjoyed this unique character in comic book form over the years know just how rich this property is, but those who only knew of the Devil of Hell's Kitchen by virtue of the misguided 2003 theatrical release may be surprised to hear this.  Rest assured, Marvel didn't send Matt Murdock and company to Netflix because they had concerns about Daredevil's viability.  No, apparently they did it to give him a bigger presence in their imprint.  Thirteen episodes (roughly sixty minutes each--and all of which are available now) allow Charlie Cox and the rest of the cast to dig deep and deliver a stirring series that establishes Daredevil as one of the most exciting and dramatic creations the house of ideas has to offer.

I'm a big fan of comics, and Frank Miller's work with Daredevil surely ranks among the best stuff that I've ever had the pleasure of reading.  Anyone who feels the same way will be thrilled to learn that his stellar run with the character is well-represented here, both in terms of presentation and plotting.  The story is appropriately grim, yet it is also engaging and dramatic.  Most importantly, it's action-packed and the fight scenes are tremendous.  There are a number of battles contained in this series that are among the best throwdowns we've seen in a Marvel production, to include movies like The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  Yes, it's true--this Daredevil kicks ass.  And, just like in the comics, he also gets his ass kicked a lot.  There's as much (if not more) screen-time devoted to Matt getting doctored up and trying to explain his various bruises and lacerations as there is time devoted to the brutality that yields all this damage. 

Obviously, the casting is critical for a venture of this nature, and Charlie Cox is a perfect fit for the part of Matt Murdock/Daredevil.  Like many of Stan Lee's greatest creations, it's entirely possible that this hero's civilian endeavors are more important to the tale than the stuff that happens when he dons a costume and squares off against his enemies.  Cox never falters and he benefits from a rich part that presents him with a lot of tough decisions to ponder and a wealth of emotions to portray.  In the end, Matt Murdock emerges as one of the best-defined characters presented in any of Marvel's film and television ventures, and Charlie Cox seems like a legitimate star.  There are a great many reasons that this series works, but none are more integral than Cox and his winning performance.

He's backed by a number of worthy players who all benefit from compelling parts and detailed storytelling.  Honestly, after watching this show audiences will be far more familiar with the supporting cast of Daredevil than major characters who have graced the big screen in Marvel's cinematic universe--characters like Hawkeye and Falcon, among others.  Perhaps the biggest winner in this regard is Vincent D'Onofrio.  Not only does this amazing talent literally transform into the Kingpin (like, not only does he look like he was plucked from the pages of the comics down to the lines on his face, but how did he know what Wilson Fisk always sounded like in my head?), but Loki is the only other villain who has played such a major part in Marvel's live-action escapades.  The way this villain is fleshed out was superb and the rage he displayed whenever he lost his cool was truly frightening.  Elden Henson also did a fine job as Matt's sidekick, Foggy Nelson, and Toby Leonard Moore was also a big find as Fisk's right hand of doom. 

Honestly, everyone did a great job, to include Vondie Curtis-Hall as Ben Urich and Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page.  Rosario Dawson was as beautiful as ever in the role of Claire Temple (though I wish she had been given the opportunity to do more badass Roasario Dawson stuff) and Bob Gunton was nice and slimy as Leland Owlsley--a mundane but entertaining take on Marvel's B-rate villain The Owl.  I wish there had been more of Scott Glenn as Stick, but he was a great choice for the part, and John Patrick Hayden brought a lot of heart to the part of Matt's father, Battlin' Jack Murdock.  All things considered, the casting was top-notch, and the writing made the best use of all these incredible talents. 

A great cast, lots of action, and a fast-paced show with a lot of heart--what's not to love?  I can't think of anything this show didn't do well.  Maybe the only complaint I could muster is something that most won't agree with and it could be a bit of a spoiler.  So, yes, SPOILER ALERT and all that, skip the rest of this paragraph if you're worried about such things, but I liked Daredevil's "black pajamas" look so much that when he finally put on his actual costume I was a bit disappointed.  Honestly, they did a nice job with the outfit, but it just didn't work as well for me on-screen as his simple black get-up did.  This may sound downright blasphemous, but when I saw Daredevil in his official costume, well, that's the only time this show reminded me of that 2003 disaster starring Ben Affleck.  Let me soften the blow a bit by stating once more that I liked the red suit and they did a good job with it, but it just didn't thrill me as much as the black look did.  Maybe that's just me.

In closing, this show was totally awesome.  This was the adaptation that fans of the character deserved, and it looks like the Marvel shows coming to Netflix have a very bright future.  I loved the nods to Iron Fist in this series, and given that he's one of my personal favorites, I'm salivating at the prospect of seeing him get this sort of treatment.  If you dig comics, or movies based on comics, or badass shows in general, do yourself a big favor and watch Daredevil on Netflix.

Final Grade: A

Ben as Bats?

For those of you who don't know, Ben Affleck has been cast to play Batman in Zack Snyder's next Superman film, which will apparently pit DC's most iconic heroes against one another.  This is drawing a lot of fire from the internet crowd, though some are backing the decision.  My initial reaction was to groan, but that's largely due to the fact that the move brought back memories of Daredevil, a film I'm still struggling to forget.

Having said that, many of the problems I have with Daredevil weren't Ben's fault, and even at that point he probably would have been a better choice for Bats than Marvel's horned hero.  I think it's fair to say that he has evolved, and currently, he probably has just the look WB was looking for.  They've been saying they want an older, wiser Batman, and Affleck is at a stage in his career where I think he fits that bill.

The notion of Batman and Superman throwing down in a major motion picture is pretty epic, though I do worry that this project is being rushed.  As long as they have a quality script, I think this movie might just deliver the goods.  Daredevil suffered from a lousy script and terrible direction, as well as a pair of awful revisionist takes on Bullseye and the Kingpin.  The fight scenes were terrible and there just wasn't a lot to like about the picture aside from a gripping opening and David Keith as Daredevil's pop.  I don't think the upcoming Batman vs. Superman throwdown will have those problems; Snyder is a visionary directory who always scores big when it comes to action scenes.

At first, I wasn't sure about Ben as Bats, but as long as there's a good script in the mix, I think this could wind up surprising a lot of people.

Note: The Town is one of the best thrillers to come down the pipe in the last several years, and the more I thought about this, the more Affleck's role in that feature shaped my opinion.  I was a big fan of Good Will Hunting once upon a when, and everything Affleck did for Kevin Smith was golden, but it's really The Town that has me thinking he could excel in this part.