The Defenders, the culmination of Daredevil season 1 and 2, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron fist is an eight-episode mini-series produced by Marvel Television and released exclusively on Netflix. I enjoyed to various degrees all of the prelude series, especially Daredevil season 2, which might just be the greatest television season I have ever seen. However, three episodes into Iron Fist, I tapped out and resorted to reading the plot summary for the rest of the trudged episodes. I just found the show to be too slow, drab, boring and Finn Jones' Danny Rand was whiny and unlikeable. Despite of that I was still looking forward to The Defenders because one, the other three heroes' shows were all good, and two, I was curious to see how well they could do "Avengers on a TV budget." What results is a season that is ultimately disappointing for everybody who has been following the Marvel Netflix series since the beginning.
By far the best thing about the series is the interaction between the four leads. The acting is generally pretty good, with the standouts being Charlie Cox and Krysten Ritter. All four of the Defenders are very different people with very different objectives that are brought together to stop a threat. The filmmakers certainly were able to emulate to an extent the banters and interactions of the Avengers for this team, which got the biggest smiles out of me while I was watching. The Defenders is easily the funniest and most lighthearted of the Netflix shows due to the many situational humor involving the protagonists. Iron Fist is the 'thundering idiot' that believes in 'destiny' and other mysticism which causes skeptical straight-man Luke Cage looking at him like he is crazy. Jessica Jones is the take-no- crap, hard-ass who just wants to settle things as soon as possible and Daredevil is the 'weirdo' being the only one dresses in a costume. It is these distinctive characteristics and clashes amongst them that brought charm to the show.
While the interactions are great, they do feel a little bit forced sometimes. Daredevil and Iron Fist might have obligations to defeat the Hand, the main antagonists of the series, but Jessica Jones and Luke Cage really felt like they were just along for the ride. Many instances when Jessica was accompanying Matt Murdock on an excursion, I cannot help but to feel she just did not need to be there. The scene would have not have been any different if she was absent, in fact, the show's plot will remain unchanged even if you were to remove Jessica and Luke entirely. Crossovers are good, but they are usually even better if there are organic reasons to justify it, and the reasons for Daredevil and Jessica to work together are just too superficial.
Daredevil season 1 and 2 and Jessica Jones season 1 were the best of the Marvel Netflix series because they were committed to their tone, and not to mention they also were just expertly crafted by very talented people. Daredevil season 1, the Iron Man of the Netflix MCU, was gritty and very street-leveled with tons of religious allegories supported by a great villain in Kingpin. Season 2 introduced ninjas, Elektra and most importantly the philosophical dichotomy between the eponymous hero and the Punisher. Jessica Jones season 1 dealt with sexual and relational abuse, power and control with David Tenant as Kilgrave in a commanding role. But the Defenders was just all over the place. They could not settle on one tone, because they wanted to do so many things at once and all four leads justice. With too many cooks in the kitchen, no central themes or focus, it turned the show into a meandering tonal mess.
The action was highly disappointing after the awesome fights from the Daredevil series. Even compared to Luke Cage, the Defenders looked low quality as they are never properly lit; either it is completely bright in an office building or completely dark in a sewer. There are no hallway fights, stairwell fights or prison brawl to be had here, just a bunch of shaky, close-up, darkly shot dance sequences the filmmakers call fight scenes. It was bad, and I could not believe how much the quality has dipped since Daredevil season 2, as it does not even look like it is made by the same people. I really thought as we move forward, even low-budget television series can have quality fights scenes like The Raid, as it is the talent behind the choreography that often makes the difference, not pure money.
The buildup to the Hand from the Daredevil series is finally paid off here but failed in epic proportions. They got Sigourney Weaver here to play the main villain, Alexandra, but she was utterly wasted. None of the main villains in the Hand was intimidating, and after two plus years of buildup, it seems like this secret, powerful organization is nothing more than a bunch of pushover thugs. The Five Fingers of the Hand was supposed be the best fighters around, but they are neutralized so easily it was frustrating to watch. Plus, aside from Weaver, the D-list actors who play them are all uninteresting. I believed for the villains, Marvel should have gone all out and hired more brand-named actors to play the roles, lending more credibility.
The Defenders was overall a disappointing romp that does not hold a candle to the previous solo series (except maybe Iron Fist). Nevertheless, I still found myself enjoying it as it is the culmination of the Marvel Netflix shows, but I do not enjoy it enough where I would watch again. Overall, the show was unfocused, forced, had average action, and ultimate dissatisfied the hell out of me. The mingling of the four leads might be its saving grace, but it is not enough to bring The Defenders out of mediocrity.
By far the best thing about the series is the interaction between the four leads. The acting is generally pretty good, with the standouts being Charlie Cox and Krysten Ritter. All four of the Defenders are very different people with very different objectives that are brought together to stop a threat. The filmmakers certainly were able to emulate to an extent the banters and interactions of the Avengers for this team, which got the biggest smiles out of me while I was watching. The Defenders is easily the funniest and most lighthearted of the Netflix shows due to the many situational humor involving the protagonists. Iron Fist is the 'thundering idiot' that believes in 'destiny' and other mysticism which causes skeptical straight-man Luke Cage looking at him like he is crazy. Jessica Jones is the take-no- crap, hard-ass who just wants to settle things as soon as possible and Daredevil is the 'weirdo' being the only one dresses in a costume. It is these distinctive characteristics and clashes amongst them that brought charm to the show.
While the interactions are great, they do feel a little bit forced sometimes. Daredevil and Iron Fist might have obligations to defeat the Hand, the main antagonists of the series, but Jessica Jones and Luke Cage really felt like they were just along for the ride. Many instances when Jessica was accompanying Matt Murdock on an excursion, I cannot help but to feel she just did not need to be there. The scene would have not have been any different if she was absent, in fact, the show's plot will remain unchanged even if you were to remove Jessica and Luke entirely. Crossovers are good, but they are usually even better if there are organic reasons to justify it, and the reasons for Daredevil and Jessica to work together are just too superficial.
Daredevil season 1 and 2 and Jessica Jones season 1 were the best of the Marvel Netflix series because they were committed to their tone, and not to mention they also were just expertly crafted by very talented people. Daredevil season 1, the Iron Man of the Netflix MCU, was gritty and very street-leveled with tons of religious allegories supported by a great villain in Kingpin. Season 2 introduced ninjas, Elektra and most importantly the philosophical dichotomy between the eponymous hero and the Punisher. Jessica Jones season 1 dealt with sexual and relational abuse, power and control with David Tenant as Kilgrave in a commanding role. But the Defenders was just all over the place. They could not settle on one tone, because they wanted to do so many things at once and all four leads justice. With too many cooks in the kitchen, no central themes or focus, it turned the show into a meandering tonal mess.
The action was highly disappointing after the awesome fights from the Daredevil series. Even compared to Luke Cage, the Defenders looked low quality as they are never properly lit; either it is completely bright in an office building or completely dark in a sewer. There are no hallway fights, stairwell fights or prison brawl to be had here, just a bunch of shaky, close-up, darkly shot dance sequences the filmmakers call fight scenes. It was bad, and I could not believe how much the quality has dipped since Daredevil season 2, as it does not even look like it is made by the same people. I really thought as we move forward, even low-budget television series can have quality fights scenes like The Raid, as it is the talent behind the choreography that often makes the difference, not pure money.
The buildup to the Hand from the Daredevil series is finally paid off here but failed in epic proportions. They got Sigourney Weaver here to play the main villain, Alexandra, but she was utterly wasted. None of the main villains in the Hand was intimidating, and after two plus years of buildup, it seems like this secret, powerful organization is nothing more than a bunch of pushover thugs. The Five Fingers of the Hand was supposed be the best fighters around, but they are neutralized so easily it was frustrating to watch. Plus, aside from Weaver, the D-list actors who play them are all uninteresting. I believed for the villains, Marvel should have gone all out and hired more brand-named actors to play the roles, lending more credibility.
The Defenders was overall a disappointing romp that does not hold a candle to the previous solo series (except maybe Iron Fist). Nevertheless, I still found myself enjoying it as it is the culmination of the Marvel Netflix shows, but I do not enjoy it enough where I would watch again. Overall, the show was unfocused, forced, had average action, and ultimate dissatisfied the hell out of me. The mingling of the four leads might be its saving grace, but it is not enough to bring The Defenders out of mediocrity.