CAN THE FOUR OF THEM SAVE NEW YORK..?
The Defenders stars Charlie Cox, Mike Colter, Jessica Jones, and Finn Jones. It’s the culmination of all the Marvel Netflix shows that started with Daredevil, and did it pay off? Let’s get right into it!
The Defenders is a series that really takes its time with its characters, it doesn’t rush it heroes to come together just for the sake of it. While some people might be dissatisfied with that concept, it works.
You feel like these characters don’t want to come together, but they have to. They hate calling themselves heroes, but New York itself is calling for them, and like it or not they have to answer the call.
While the series does a great job of balancing its characters, there’s very little breathing room between the characters, there’s never a point where they finally accept each other, and set their petty differences aside for the bigger picture. Yes, the team members are impulsive, and have their own agendas. But the same case can be said for The Guardians of The Galaxy, and that movie did a better job of constructing a ragtag team that had to come together for the better good. The team cohesion just wasn’t there, and while that maybe intentional it’s definitely a negative on my end.
The action. While never reaching the heights of Daredevil, was solid. A good amount of hand to hand combat, some great shots featuring the team (although not much).
It’s also interesting that most of the story is very dependent on Finn Jones’ Danny Rand, which we all know didn’t get great reception from critics, and fans. But Danny Rand is best when he interacts with the rest of the team, specifically Luke Cage played by Mike Colter who is once again great at delivering a very charismatic performance. Charlie Cox as The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen himself is always a great thing, but it’s Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones who really steals the show, delivering a snarky yet charming performance.
Sigourney Weaver plays the cunning Alexandra, and while her performance was great. The show takes a certain route with her character that ultimately made her…Pointless. As for Elodie Yung’s Elektra, while nothing wrong with her performance, her appearance in this show is… Questionable, her motivations are all over the place, and her presence just muddles the plot. Same thing goes with The Hand, while their motivations were clear. They didn’t bring any stakes to the series, and it seems this evil organization has overstayed its welcome in this Netflix universe, and hopefully this will be the last time we see them.
It’s great to see both Jessica Henwick & Rosario Dawson back in this show, other supporting cast members such as Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page, and Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelson were great to see. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for Simone Missick’s Misty Knight. Her presence just slows down the plot, and just seems more of an unnecessary roadblock for our heroes.
While uneven at times, The Defenders is still a good amount of fun. The main heroes are fun to watch, and their interactions while scarce, a blast to watch.
flixposition 