Iron Fist on Netflix

[samadriel]

https://youtu.be/MvbsdAyRPGo
First trailer. Looks alright. I didn't hate the ninjas in Daredevil season 2 as much as everyone else did, so if they show up here, I can take it. That shot of him looking at the little red serpent design suggests Madam Gao might be coming back, which is cool.

[brat-sampson]

Getting a bit obvious that most of the Netflix heroes basically have the power of being good at punching shit, but I'm sure I'll try it out. I mean surely Cage could do most of the stuff in that trailer, but is also invulnerable, Jones could but had a more interesting villain etc.

[Kelvin]

So it's Green Arrow with fists?[nb]Green Arrow was obviously Batman with arrows.[nb]Batman was obviously Zorro... of bats![/nb][/nb]

[Alberon]

And Zorro was Robin Hood but with swords rather than arrows.

[Small Man Big Horse]

After Luke Cage I'm not excited about this in the slightest, especially as the showrunner was responsible for the horrendously awful final season of Dexter.

[Bazooka]

Yeah no need for this, Daredevil I still stand by as be excellent.Luke Cage was good until Cottonmouth

Spoiler alert

died

[close]

but lacked the pace of Daredevil.

[checkoutgirl]

And Zorro was Robin Hood but with swords rather than arrows.

Robin Hood used a sword.

[checkoutgirl]

Yeah no need for this

It's obviously about Marvel making cash out of as many of their licences characters as they can. I wonder where the tipping point will be. But with Luke Cage and Iron Fist getting their own shows it's very difficult to envisage a tipping point. Who had heard of Luke Cage even 10 years ago? When I heard they were making a Deadpool film a couple of years ago I laughed but who's laughing now?

[AsparagusTrevor]

After Luke Cage I'm not excited about this in the slightest, especially as the showrunner was responsible for the horrendously awful final season of Dexter.

That's the season where the below scene was not only filmed but left in the final edit.




If there's more shit like that in Iron Fist it'll be golden.

[samadriel]

I heard they were making a Deadpool film a couple of years ago I laughed but who's laughing now?

Not Marvel, they didn't make the Deadpool film.

[Alberon]

As usual, Netflix has sent the first half of the season to review sites and the consensus seems to be that it's a bit crap.

THR – Daniel Fienberg

    After three straight creative successes, three above-average character introductions, the partnership between Marvel and Netflix was due for a dud. This isn't to say that Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage have been shows without flaws... Each show, though, has had virtues of tone and aspiration that made it feel like a complicated superhero TV code had been cracked. [Iron Fist] feels like a step backward on every level, a major disappointment that already suffers from storytelling issues through the first six episodes made available to critics and would probably be mercifully skippable in its entirety if it weren't the bridge into the long awaited Defenders crossover series.

Variety – Maureen Ryan

    Quite a few dramas in the streaming arena have pacing problems, and even Netflix's better Marvel programs have displayed an affinity for contrived, time-killing subplots. But "Iron Fist" is the most frustrating and ferociously boring example of Netflix Drift in some time. Not one element of this plodding piece works. The action scenes lack spark, snap, and originality. None of the flat, by-the-numbers characters makes any lasting impression. And as origin stories go, the tale of Danny Rand (Finn Jones), at least as rendered by this creative team, is about as exciting as a slice of Velveeta cheese left out in the sun too long.

Den of Geek – Mike Cecchini

    But there's something missing from Iron Fist. Visually, it's a little bland for many of these early episodes, often lacking the cinematic pop that made Daredevil or Luke Cage such visual standouts. While every Marvel Netflix series has pacing problems, and many feel like they spread 8-10 episodes worth of story over 13 chapters, it usually takes a few installments before you feel the show begin to spin its wheels. But Iron Fist is a particularly slow starter, and it takes nearly three before you get a sense of why anyone behaves the way they do.

The Verge – Kwame Opam

    The sad truth, however, is that Iron Fist is the weakest of Marvel's Netflix series to date. As far as diversity, representation, and appropriation go, the series fails in a number of ways. But, over the course of its first six episodes, it also manages to fall short on basic levels like storytelling. Its creative laziness bankrupts the entire show. Marvel's new series is a disappointing case study in studios needing to try harder to tell difficult stories well.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Ouch, that's pretty damning stuff, especially as it was what people feared might happen. If it's worse than Luke Cage 'll probably watch the pilot just so that I know who Rand is, but then ignore the rest and wait for the Defenders series to turn up.

[Penfold]

I'm on the fourth episode.

I kinda like it, it's not very good but I don't mind, there's a lot more sunshine than previous series and the main guy can be relaxed and goofy rather than the constant scowls of previous series.

[kittens]

man, i did not like luke cage. had to get very pissed to watch that. if this is worse than that i probably won't bother. i used to really like these marvel things as dumb entertainment but now i'm struggling through them, no point is there, i'll just

[Bazooka]

It's basically the martial arts bits of Daredevil yet nowhere near as enjoyable, villain boring, dialogue boring,fighting boring, but fit birds check, that's your lot.

Had it been the first Marvel show of the four, it might have gotten away with it, but as the last it falls very flat.

[Bazooka]

Big plot hole: he wouldn't have a driving license.

[Small Man Big Horse]

man, i did not like luke cage. had to get very pissed to watch that. if this is worse than that i probably won't bother. i used to really like these marvel things as dumb entertainment but now i'm struggling through them, no point is there, i'll just

No one liked Luke Cage, and with good reason. Just about to watch the Iron Fist pilot now and will post random thoughts to make it less boring (for me, not anyone else, obviously):

So this is the darkest credits sequence yet. And suggests it's about a martial arts superhero who can cover people in oil, and sometimes little yellow baby sparks come out of his fists or hands.

So far it seems that Danny's origin story is that a kid bullied him a bit and cheated at monopoly, he was involved in some plane crash, disappeared for ages but has now returned. Now he's hanging out with the homeless, stalking an old friend and doing some yoga in the park. Ah, fuck this, I've got Star Wars Rogue One to watch. Might return to finish off the pilot, but I'd be amazed if I watched any more than that.

[kittens]

his name is danny? that is same name as me!! o.k. gonna love this

[Mister Six]

The pilot is tediously dull and expositionary and Danny seems quasi-autistic in the way he expects everybody to just welcome him back with open arms, and his inability to tell that they're all a bit freaked out. Is that a character trait in the comics?

I clocked off with 15 mins to go but a friend of mine who hates Luke Cage says it picks up with the second episode and becomes genuinely good fun, at least for the first six episodes. I'll go back to it when I have more time.

[Custard]

Not getting great feedback this, is it. Even a total Marvel "fan-girl" I know has clearly not been enjoying it, as all her Facebook posts are "well, I enjoyed bits of this...", basically putting a brave face on it

So far it's only Daredevil season one that has really worked and been consistently good I think, and its been downhill from there

[Lord Mandrake]

Hit this hard today, up to episode six. It's entertaining enough and quite likable in it's breeziness. Rand himself is easy to dislike. Entitled, with an underlying arrogance and spoiled brat quality which belies his surface level earnestness. Not sure if it's entirely intentional but it kind of works as he develops. His po-faced mate, Colleen is certainly easy on the eye lads but is one-note as are the weird siblings - the sister in particular is a very unconvincing performance.

It's really, really bright and so far visually interesting but the Kung Fu is utter piss to my sensibilities. it doesn't have the tunes of Luke Cage, the humour of Jessica Jones or the brutality of Daredevil yet to me it's better paced so far. Being a Netflix/Marvel show naturally some of the dialogue is atrocious and sometimes the actors seem like they can't be arsed but I shall persist, for now.

[Penfold]

Fuck this show.

Episode 12 spoiler

Spoiler alert

Danny finds out The Hand can track peoples phones and says he left his at their compound. Now Bakuto takes Ward's phone to skype Danny who now has his phone on him?

[close]

Fucking ridiculous.

[up_the_hampipe]

No one liked Luke Cage, and with good reason.

Speak for yourself (and others). I enjoyed it... apart from everything after

Spoiler alert

Cottonmouth's death.

[close]

[Bazooka]

Ok so we binged the whole series this weekend, and I will admit I have changed my tune.First thing to say, get past the first two episodes and it it gets better.

If you are not into martial arts, then don't bother. What was strange about Iron Fist is that the more compelling story and characters is not the superhero element. Iron Fists himself becomes much more likable by the end, and I did feel myself rooting for him, Colleen Wing does just seem like eye candy in the story(no complaints though). It's silly fun,some bad dialogue(no worse than the average TV show), and yes to compare not a patch on Daredevil but not as bad as made out if you consider the whole series.

The soundtrack is the best of the bunch so far.

[Penfold]

To be clear.

This song isn't on the soundtrack.

Be careful. Especially after that fucking shithouse thing I mentioned earlier.

[Lord Mandrake]

Nosedive from 7 - 10. Danny becoming more petulant and irritating, DC Jim Carver as Harold Meachum going full retard. Kung Fu David Blaine, loads of meetings - in a board room. Plots just endlessly recycling themselves and weird tangents that seemingly go nowhere. All this I can forgive but what is unforgivable is how shit he is at Kung Fu.

[Dr Rock]

I liked it, especially going in with low expectations after the early reviews were slating it. I'm a fan of Iron Fist from the comics, I suppose it's a shame he never wore his costume, or anything that came close, but I felt they handled the kung-fu fighting just realistic enough, nothing too preposterous so it never seemed silly. There were parts of the undead Meacham fella and his kids that gave me a David Lynch or Twin Peaks vibe, and the underlying theme I suppose was questioning what you've been told and choosing your own path. Which was nice.

[SteveDave]

I watched all of this over the weekend.

Here's what I could've done instead-

Helped out at a homeless shelter
Got 8 hair cuts
Lived out
Sat in a park and got sunstroke

[Small Man Big Horse]

In a shock move Netflix has cancelled the show: https://io9.gizmodo.com/holy-cow-iron-fist-has-been-cancelled-by-netflix-1829723063

I never made it past the opening episode but given everything I've read about it I'm quite pleased, if only as it might mean they'll funnel the money in to something better.

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

Netflix won't invest in new Marvel shows. Disney is launching a competing service (probably a rebranded Hulu) and they're planning to have shows related to the MCU (at least some Loki and Scarlet Witch miniseries spinoffs) released there from now.
That means that Netflix may be able to order new seasons from the remaining shows for some time (maybe indefinitely), but that Iron Fist won't be replaced by something else involving another Marvel character.

By the way, season 2 was adequate. I can't say it was anything great or really good, but the new production team had tried to fix the big issues from the first season, and the relative lack of confidence from Netflix resulted in just 10 episodes being ordered. It helped a lot, as there was much less padding than in most of the other Marvel shows.