The last of Netflix’s defenders has finally arrived to stream on the small screen! A slightly shaky start with bad reviews from Rotten Tomatoes (allegedly caused by President Trump, according to the Iron Fist himself, Finn Jones). With a very different pace from the previous Marvel Netflix shows we are introduced to Danny Rand, a shabbily dressed twenty five year old who looks as though he has no place in New York City. The show continues at a snail’s pace; eventually we learn that Danny is really the lost heir to the multi billion dollar Rand company, started by his parents who disappeared with their son fifteen years ago.
With more twists and turns than any of the other of the Hell’s Kitchen superhero series, Iron Fist soon establishes itself as an intriguing newcomer. Revealing secrets aplenty about plot lines already teased in shows like 'Daredevil' and 'Luke Cage', fans of the pre-existing Defenders series will do well to keep a eagle eye open throughout, as all characters are tied in and certain key Easter eggs can be seen regularly.
Iron Fist boasts well developed characters, with strong, well built relationships and a interesting plot. Each season stretches across 13 hour-long episodes which really allow for great character development that can’t be achieved within the time constraints of the cinematic universe. We get almost six times more material watching these characters compared to the likes of Iron Man and Thor.
Despite the strong characters and interesting links with other material in the universe, it remains that Finn Jones is the wrong choice for the role of Danny Rand. Jones attempts to do the character justice, but delivers a boring, monotone performance interrupted by explosive angry outbursts. His performance certainly isn’t terrible, but when compared with Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock, 'Daredevil') and Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones, 'Jessica Jones') Jones’ performance does not compare. I just can’t help but feel disappointed.
The two best things about this series have to be the sensational Jessica Henwick (who plays Danny’s romantic interest Colleen Wing, and audience favourite David Wenham, (portraying the ever changing Harold Meachum, Danny’s mentor and one of many adversaries). My only wish was that these two characters could have had more interaction as I feel both actors could have bounced off of each other and created a really interesting dynamic.
A confusing tale of heartbreak, betrayal and Kung Fu, Iron Fist falls short of its predecessors but remains a good show to watch in the long list of recent Marvel releases. Unfortunately, the Defenders still lacks any solid set up, despite extensive back stories on its protagonists. Despite this, there are still four well developed, strong characters going into the show. Iron Fist could easily have been improved by ending with a brief scene of the team meeting or even an after credit scene introducing the Defenders’ the antagonist, but it appears we will all just have to wait and see.
Overall I will score this series 66% due to a slow but interesting plot. Most of the actors really pull the rabbit out of the hat, and marvel has really done a good job slipping in a lot of Easter eggs for fans to find. Despite all of this I can’t help but feel like nothing was achieved or gained in the show. In other shows there was a clear cut villain who needed to be tackled, Iron Fist seems to devote itself entirely to exploring the Iron Fists’ character. An interesting show nonetheless, it still leaves me eager for the upcoming Defenders show.
Written and published by Lewis Broadway. Edited by Beth Parker.
Photo credit: https://twitter.com/TotinoTedesco
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