Netflix Review: Marvel’s The Defenders
We've been waiting for The Defenders ever since Marvel and Netflix announced that Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist were coming to the online streaming service. I finally was able to binge watch all 8 episodes and as much as I had high hopes for this first season, it was just ok. I wanted more action, believable scenes, but it is still a good series to watch.
The lead cast members do, at least, deliver. Krysten Ritter arguably steals the show as Jessica, while Charlie Cox and Mike Colter both shine as Matt and Luke. Finn Jones, meanwhile, finally gets the chance to deliver as Danny Rand and is written here vastly better than he was in own series. He's finally confident in the use of his powers and far more likable as a result. To my surprise, I really enjoyed Elodie Yung, who played Elektra Natchios, from her fight scenes, costume, and how they interweaved her into the storyline - I think it was executed nicely.
On the plus side, there are a lot of great twists and turns and the first six episodes are very strong. Seven and eight aren't bad, but things start going downhill and it's ultimately the action which saves the show in those. That's brilliant from start to finish and Iron Fist in particular really benefits as his powers are finally impressive and the Fist is no longer used sparingly and then needs half a day to charge back up. Seeing these heroes fighting side by side is awesome and while it would have been nice to further explore Jessica's powers, the team definitely looks good when they're in action. The Defenders is by no means a bad show and is overall very good. It's not quite up there with Daredevil and Jessica Jones' first seasons but it still does an effective enough job of bringing these heroes together for a team up which is a lot of fun and will leave you anxious for more adventures like this somewhere down the line. It's just a shame that it probably won't have a lasting impact on you and it would have been good to see these great comic book characters get a better story to work with.
Hopefully, the next time these heroes come together, they'll have a better villain to face and a stronger storyline. Despite some of the failed moments, The Defenders still delivers an enjoyable team up for these characters and I still enjoyed it, but it's clear that it could and should have been so much better. If you have watched, let me know your thoughts. Enjoy! – xo Mel