Iron Fist on Netflix (Spoilers - Please label by episode)
David_D
Posts: 3,884
Have at it!
And, as a reminder, please put what episode(s) you are commenting on at the top of your post, so that people watching at different rates don't get spoiled. Thanks.
And, as a reminder, please put what episode(s) you are commenting on at the top of your post, so that people watching at different rates don't get spoiled. Thanks.
Comments
I only was able to fit the first episode in but I liked it quite a bit. I've heard that the reviews haven't been good so maybe my expectations were low...or maybe it gets worse as it goes on..but I'm hoping the critics end up being wrong.
Danny Rand is already, to me, a much more likeable character than Jessica Jones. His predicament is interesting..Iron Fist fighting to get his life back while also getting justice for his parents could make for some compelling story telling. The villains seem like real sleaze balls and worthy of some beat downs.
Anyways, good first episode but we'll see how it plays out.
I think around the 4th episode it feels like the big plot really starts which I think is fine. The first 3 episodes are about learning who these characters are? But once it swings into the main story it gets really good. The fighting I thought was really good and it needed to be, because of what Iron Fist is about.
Big Spoilers for episodes 1 - 13 from here own out. Please don't read if you haven't finished the show and intend on doing so.
I liked the Hand in this much more than in Season 2 of DD. Madam Gao instantly jumped up to top 3 villains across all of these shows. Right behind Kingpin and Killgrave. And when she used her powers to throw Danny it was like "Oh Crap" lol.
I liked Danny and the actor playing him. And understanding he is nowhere near as strong as he can be and is still learning. I thought all his fight scenes where awesome and anytime he charged his Fist it was exciting. And I liked that they put a limitation on him using that punch.
I liked Coleen to and I really liked her and Danny's relationship. It's rare in this shows that characters just get together. I thought her fight scenes where pretty good to. Her being trained by The Hand and that story was interesting. And her believing Bakuto at first I think is believable? He simply tricked her for most of her life.
Bakuto was interesting because you could believe maybe he was leading a "good" version of The Hand. I think it's more that he is like Gao except Gao is basically honest and doesn't try and pretend.
But Bakuto was more about trickery and getting these kids he's taken off the street to care enough about him so that they'll do whatever he wants. Actually he reminds of the Shredder from the first Ninja Turtles Movie lol.
Madam Gao was awesome and her history is very interesting. It seems like she is ancient and immortality like several members of The Hand are. And maybe even more so? And she's clearly been to the place Danny trained at. I expect her to be in the Defenders? And she did mention "my Master" in an episode. So theirs definitely someone above her which is interesting.
Wade's story was good and it was very clear he was like he was because of his father. And I called it very early on that he and Joy would switch in regards to who's a "Bad guy" and the way it ended I definitely think Joy will be an adversary to Danny.
Harold was interesting, because you definitely knew he was not a good guy and probably had something to do with the plane crash, but then they would try and confuse you. Like when he killed that guy who hurt Joy. And then your like "maybe he's not that bad?" LoL. But he definitely was.
I honestly forgot about the guy who could resurrect in DD. But when they mentioned that they brought Harold back to life, I immediately thought of that and Elektra. That's definitely what they will do with her.
Things I didn't like where I thought the episodes length was maybe to long? Every episode was like 54 minutes long and that's a lot of time to fill. And the Joy and Wade scenes at the company I just didn't care about.
I think all of these shows have some flaws but overall I have liked every season of all of these shows. I'm looking forward to The Defenders.
-It wasn't as bad as critics said
-I kind of shrugged, turned off my iPad and went back to bed.
Just to touch on this very briefly; I'm glad they didn't yield to the people who wanted an Asian actor. If Rand would've been cast in any other ethnicity to add diversity, I would've been fine. I foresee the criticism of a character who masters martial arts being Asian opens up complains of stereotyping. Hell, Suicide Squad got called stereotyping & racist in one article I read.
This series has its faults, but any review I read that focused on not casting an Asian actor as Rand immediately got dismissed by me. That ship has sailed, move on to the here & now.
When I watched the series, I kept thinking of Big Trouble in Little China. I think it's mostly from the score. Any time Rand said "I am the Iron Fist," & the response was "what's the Iron Fist", I kept thinking of Thunder's "who?" To Jack Burton's third-person speech.
The supporting cast was really good. The actor playing Ward seemed to get the most to work with. I went from not caring about him to rooting for him by episode 13. I'm glad to see Claire's presents increases more throughout these shows. And Colleen Wing...wow. I hope the actress did a lot of the fighting.
Next to DD, Iron Fist is the character I'm most familiar next. The portrayal of Rand was different then I imagined. I never read the early stuff, so I don't know if he started off as childlike. I understand the real world is darker then K'un L'un, but he just seemed so foolish.
Probably my biggest issue (aside from most of the bearded actors can't actually grow a beard) was the peaks & valleys of Rand. It felt like one episode he'd get the confidence to be Iron Fist...the next episode he'd have doubt again.
I'm also not certain why they went with a bearded Rand. It looked horrible. I thought he had more a neck beard then one on his face. I thought they could've replaced the black hoodie with a dark green with gold trim & it'd at least seem like a costume.
I thought there were some fight scenes that were very fluid looking. Others scenes (specifically with Jones) were unimpressive & stale.
I think the actor/character who felt "just there" was Joy. Her story arc felt like plot H in this show. Granted, her journey by episode 13 potentially sets up a great storyline for season 2. Especially with who she's seen with at the end. His journey mirrors her's, so it makes sense. Despite the strong presence of Wing & Claire, Joy at times felt like "the damsel in distress".
I'm hoping now that the staff behind this series got its feet wet, there will be a season 2. I think, along with the criticism, they'll be able to produce a better show. Especially if Rand comes off better in Defenders.
M
Maybe it's because I was attracted to the actress, but did anyone else get the feeling some of Joy's relatives were looking to inbreed? There were a couple times it looked uncomfortable.
I'm glad they did the psyche ward here, so if they ever do a Moon Knight series, we can skip the bull shit, misunderstanding schizophrenia angle.
M
Nothing really happened.
It was certainly the least-inspired of the four, but it was nowhere near as bad as advertised.
For me, it would have been worth it for just Colleen, Claire and Madame Gao.
Looks like Claire is well on her way to become White Tiger.
After Defenders, I think we deserve a Daughters of The Dragon series with Colleen, Misty Knight, Claire and Patsy "Hellcat" Walker.
My favorite part was the scene in which Danny has lunch brought to the dojo, and Claire is so amused by her friend's infatuation.
My least favorite part was the bit at the end with Joy and Danny's ex-boyfriend plotting vengeance.
M
Episode 13
Finished it last night and I breezed through the last seven episodes. It was a slow start. One commentator on Collider suggested just watching the last seven which you could do. I'm a completist so I would watch the whole thing. I was entertained it was a matter of maybe 10 episodes of content spread over nearly 13 hours which was not needed.
Action was okay. I read they had a tight schedule and Finn had to learn the moves on the fly. Hope they correct it for future shows. I look forward to the Defenders and maybe a Heroes for Hire show.
Likes
Ward Meachum. What that guy had to go through. Sheesh.
Colleen Wing. Hope to see her again.
Danny - Claire is right. He and Colleen need therapy.
Dislikes
The pacing of the first few episodes.
Really like Ward. Kind of liked Wing. Loved Claire. Loved the Claire line where she asked if wouldn't have been a good idea for the "2nd" Hand to have changed their name. Great line.
I know we had some newsreel footage of an Iron Fist, but Danny couldn't wear something like the outfit?
http://www.comingsoon.net/tv/news/907309-alice-eve-joins-marvels-iron-fist-season-2/amp