A young man is bestowed with incredible martial arts skills and a mystical force known as the Iron Fist.A young man is bestowed with incredible martial arts skills and a mystical force known as the Iron Fist.A young man is bestowed with incredible martial arts skills and a mystical force known as the Iron Fist.
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Summary
Reviewers say 'Iron Fist' receives mixed feedback. Criticisms target Finn Jones' portrayal of Danny Rand as lackluster, uneven pacing, and inconsistent fight choreography. Cultural appropriation and whitewashing debates surface, though some defend the casting. Praises highlight Jessica Henwick's performance as Colleen Wing, improved Season 2 with better action and plot, and moments of intrigue and character development. The series is seen as having potential but falling short of other Marvel Netflix shows' standards.
Featured reviews
Iron Fist falls short of previous Netflix Marvel productions.
The writing was sometimes cringe-worthy and while some blame the actors, there's only so much that can be done with a poor script.
The direction was also lacking, with oddly constructed scenes and action. It felt like the actors had little feedback on their performances, which led to the repetitive silliness.
The fight choreography... well, I'm not entirely sure there was any. Unlike Daredevil (for example), where there was a genuine sense of reality in the fight scenes, in Iron Fist it felt like the scenes in Arrow. Unlimited energy, unrealistic combat, no real damage.
That said, it's not actually horrible, and makes for a good weekend binge-watch. Just imagine you're watching a 13-hour Saturday Kung-Fu movie marathon, and set your expectations appropriately.
The writing was sometimes cringe-worthy and while some blame the actors, there's only so much that can be done with a poor script.
The direction was also lacking, with oddly constructed scenes and action. It felt like the actors had little feedback on their performances, which led to the repetitive silliness.
The fight choreography... well, I'm not entirely sure there was any. Unlike Daredevil (for example), where there was a genuine sense of reality in the fight scenes, in Iron Fist it felt like the scenes in Arrow. Unlimited energy, unrealistic combat, no real damage.
That said, it's not actually horrible, and makes for a good weekend binge-watch. Just imagine you're watching a 13-hour Saturday Kung-Fu movie marathon, and set your expectations appropriately.
Iron Fist is obviously not as good as the other Marvel Netflix shows (The Punisher, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, The Defenders), but it's still a pretty good show that's absolutely worth watching! I have to admit that I liked Iron Fist a lot more than some judging by some of these reviews but that's because most of the negative reviews are by people comparing it either to the other shows or the comic books. I don't understand why people get upset become a show or movie isn't exactly like the comic book! Stop being such a nerd and just enjoy it for what it is! Iron Fist starts a little slow but stay with it because it picks up and turns into a pretty good show.
As a huge fan of Marvel I'm a little biased because I pretty much like everything they put out. My bias aside, Iron Fist is a pretty good show. It's definitely the weakest of all the Marvel shows but that doesn't mean it's bad. The other ones are just that good. I still think this a good show that's definitely worth watching! It's too bad that Netflix couldn't renew their contracts with Marvel and they had to stop making the Netflix Marvel shows because every single one of them was great! Now that they're on Disney they can bring these wonderful characters back. They already started to with Daredevil and Kingpin and just renewed Daredevil for another season. Now they have to do the same for The Punisher, Luke Cage amd Jessica Jones. While Iron Fist definitely won't get renewed because it was the weakest, they cam still bring some of these Iron Fist characters over to some of their other MCU shows. If you're a Marvel fan then this is a must watch!
Overall iron fist wasn't too bad. I think I was a little more forgiving of it flaws than I normally would have been if I had expected it a masterpiece but I had already heard people say the worst thing about it so my expectations were in check.
Cultural appropriation: a phrase that is never too far from a press review of Iron Fist. It's also what I'm focusing on here, rather than the questions about this show's pacing and editing (for the record, I think it's great).
Should a white man be playing the Iron Fist? That's the big question on the lips of many a film critic. And the answer, in my humble opinion, is 'Sure, why not?' After all, the character was white in the first place.
Is that 'cultural appropriation'? I guess so. But what's it's not is a problem, and I say that as a person of East Asian descent. There is simply nothing wrong with white people doing kung-fu, just as there's nothing wrong with a white person rapping or, indeed, a Chinese person wearing a baseball cap, while eating a Big Mac and singing Sweet Home Alabama.
Yet critics are making out that Iron Fist is like some kind of throwback to Yellow Peril characters like Fu Manchu, but it's nothing of the sort. There's a simple reason why that was offensive and why Iron Fist isn't.
Iron Fist features a white man playing a white man, whereas Fu Manchu was a Chinese man played by a white man, complete with 'slitty eye' makeup.
In spite of this obvious truth, a lot of people suggest that an Asian person would have been better suited to the role. Why? Another chop-socky Chinaman is not what the Asian community needs in terms of media representation. We need more Asian people just being people. An example that springs to mind is Glenn in The Walking Dead. He's great because he's just a regular guy, who also happens to be Asian.
But the critics continue to pile on the criticism when it comes to Iron Fist. I wonder, though, how many of those same critics heaped praise on Kill Bill, which is far more guilty of borrowing from East Asian culture than Iron Fist.
Call Iron Fist what you like. Say it's badly written or boring. That's fine. I disagree, but each to their own. Just stop getting offended about something that's not offensive - and if you aren't Asian, perhaps stop and think about what Asians actually care about.
Should a white man be playing the Iron Fist? That's the big question on the lips of many a film critic. And the answer, in my humble opinion, is 'Sure, why not?' After all, the character was white in the first place.
Is that 'cultural appropriation'? I guess so. But what's it's not is a problem, and I say that as a person of East Asian descent. There is simply nothing wrong with white people doing kung-fu, just as there's nothing wrong with a white person rapping or, indeed, a Chinese person wearing a baseball cap, while eating a Big Mac and singing Sweet Home Alabama.
Yet critics are making out that Iron Fist is like some kind of throwback to Yellow Peril characters like Fu Manchu, but it's nothing of the sort. There's a simple reason why that was offensive and why Iron Fist isn't.
Iron Fist features a white man playing a white man, whereas Fu Manchu was a Chinese man played by a white man, complete with 'slitty eye' makeup.
In spite of this obvious truth, a lot of people suggest that an Asian person would have been better suited to the role. Why? Another chop-socky Chinaman is not what the Asian community needs in terms of media representation. We need more Asian people just being people. An example that springs to mind is Glenn in The Walking Dead. He's great because he's just a regular guy, who also happens to be Asian.
But the critics continue to pile on the criticism when it comes to Iron Fist. I wonder, though, how many of those same critics heaped praise on Kill Bill, which is far more guilty of borrowing from East Asian culture than Iron Fist.
Call Iron Fist what you like. Say it's badly written or boring. That's fine. I disagree, but each to their own. Just stop getting offended about something that's not offensive - and if you aren't Asian, perhaps stop and think about what Asians actually care about.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn the Marvel comic books, Colleen Wing is the best friend and crime fighting partner of Misty Knight. Knight, portrayed by Simone Missick, is a main character in Luke Cage (2016), The Defenders (2017), and Season 2 of this show.
- GoofsIncorrectly regarded as a goof - "Throughout the series, characters, including Danny walk around the dojo wearing footwear. Japanese dojos observe a strict "no shoes" policy that a student, a Sempai, and especially a Sensei would correct. Its permissible to wear socks when traversing the mats, but training is always conducted barefoot." -- Danny Rand was trained in Kun Lun, wherein they study Chinese Martial Arts (kung Fu) NOT Japanese Martial Arts. In Kung Fu, practitioners wear shoes.
- Quotes
Harold Meachum: I have no idea what an "iron fist" is. Sounds like a sex toy.
- Crazy creditsEach episode in Season 1 is named after a Kung fu technique.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Blockbuster Buster: Honest Review - Iron Fist (2017)
- How many seasons does Iron Fist have?Powered by Alexa
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- Also known as
- Thiết Quyền
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime55 minutes
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- 16:9 HD
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