Marvel: Iron Fist

Season 1 – 90% – Rejected by critics, surprisingly mocked by viewers, but almost lifesaving for me. While Daredevil balances action and drama and reaches the limit to which a serious comic can go, its followers Jessica Jones and Luke Cage were much heavier personal (or in the second case, social) dramas, and although both were great achievements, I began to feel slowly that I needed a break and a change of mood, so that I didn't have to reach rock bottom for the third time in a row. Maybe that's why I'm advocating for Danny everywhere I go right now. This guy with the iron fist has his inner demons, but he doesn't forget to fool around, surprise, and entertain just as I could wish from such a concept. In combination with physical Tom Pelphrey as the unpredictable Ward, with David Wenham's life portrayal of all-knowing Harold, and especially with the charming Jessica Henwick as the irresistible Colleen, I couldn't understand why so much dirt was poured on this successful ride from every angle. After a few negative reviews, suddenly a bunch of viewers found themselves as judges of whether the action is top-notch or believable, which seems more than ridiculous in the case of those commentators who haven't seen an action movie in a year. But for me, the action side of things is just the icing on the cake because it brings more fights than the previous two Defenders combined, and the showdown in the rain in the penultimate episode is such a suspenseful and fateful study that the silence still resonates in me. Iron Fist becomes an integral part of the story structure and he can be the much-needed spice that will make the future team-up the peak of the entire universe. Season 2 – 75% – The somewhat breathless effort to connect all the themes from the first season is appealing, but sadly it doesn't work out in the important area of the main antagonist. Davos, his stubborn expression, and his de facto singular purpose and goal are evidence of that. On the other hand, I'm delighted that the seemingly ungrateful task of continuing the life struggles of Ward and Joy remains perhaps the most interesting storyline. Colleen mostly serves as a moral compass for the titular hero or for the whole neighborhood, and the resulting troubles with gangs lack zing and thus signify an incomprehensible inclination towards the style of Luke Cage. And I don't understand that because the mysterious fantasy was precisely what set Danny apart from the rest of the universe, and its minimization (or rationalization, see the rituals) degrades the original face of the series. Despite all this, the eternal blond goofball is still likable to me, and I cheered for him until the very commendable end. I can accept that ending a generic happy ending, even though it's a bitter pill to swallow, given the not surprising cancellation and the implication in the last five minutes of a potential next season. (01.05.2017)

Daredevil is the clear winner. I gave up on Jessica Jones after three episodes and I didn't even get into Luke Cage. Iron Fist, however, kept me decently entertained for all 13 episodes. The acting was good even though the main character annoyed me with his opinions at times, but I found the story very engaging and the pacing quite brisk. What I consider a downside is the action, which takes place most of the time in the dark and you can't see anything, even the choreography is quite artificial and not very striking for my taste, for a martial arts series it is disappointing in this respect, there’s no R-rating and the lack of a villain is also disappointing. We know Madame Gao and The Hand from Daredevil, so a Kingpin or Punisher style character was very much missed here. Still, slightly above average.70% (06.04.2017)

The opening isn’t bad, but the action, which should have been at least as good as in Daredevil, was disappointing and you could even see when the stuntman takes over. A little shaky in terms of storyline, and I hope for a good explanation about why Danny sometimes behaves like a madman. Finn Jones was wrong for this movie. Despite everything, quite watchable. The mysticism is greatly improving, the same as links to Daredevil’s world. The hip hop in the fight scenes really bothers me. (23.08.2017)