The report card’s out on the first season of Netflix’s latest show ‘Iron Fist,’ and we’re sad to report that they’ve got a solid D… minus.
From the man who brought you some unforgettable work in great shows like Dexter, Rome and Six Feet Under, comes the latest of the marvel superheroes, who can punch pretty damn hard. Created for Netflix, writer and producer Scott Buck has taken on the role of show-runner, hand in hand with Marvel television productions and in association with ABC Studios and Devilina Productions.
Excited? Well… don’t be.
This is not Netflix’s first foray into the superhero franchise as they’ve already had a few highs with shows like Jessica Jones, Daredevil, and Luke Cage, so it’s not like they don’t know what they’re doing. This time however it was a swing, a hit, and a miss.
Danny Rand (Game of Thrones’ Finn Jones), son of a billionaire businessman, comes back to New York City after being missing and presumed dead for fifteen years (sound familiar?). He returns home to reclaim his family’s legacy and billion dollar enterprise. The show is very close to a being a ‘Bold and the Beautiful’ meets ‘Arrow’ mashup at this point in time. The family drama is more than a tad over the top. We get it rich people have rich people problems.
So why doesn’t it work you ask?
Well for starters it’s going to take a bit more that squinting and downing a few drinks to really see Finn Jones as the ass-kicking superhero. Let’s be honest, he’s just not that great of an actor is he? The switches between easy going Danny, brain exploding from all the emotion Danny, and serious, determined and deep Danny, are a bit disconcerting put it mildly. It’s a difficult at times, figuring out which Danny annoys you the most, although cringe worthy dialogue like “If you wish to see the truth, then hold no opinions,” make the decision a little easier.
Plus, it’s easy enough to play pretty boy Loras Tyrell in Game of Thrones, all you really have to do is not fall off your horse and occasionally swing a sword around while wearing armour. But to be believable as a martial arts expert with the power of Iron Fist? Let’s just say, Jones didn’t make the grade.
It may not be completely fair to compare this show to its predecessors as they at least had costumes/masks allowing show-runners to replace actors with professional martial artists, allowing them to look, well….cooler. Yet, all indications are that Jones painted himself into a corner given how vocal he was in telling anyone and everyone who would listen that he is the Iron Fist. But listen buddy, if you’re going to insist on doing all your own fight scenes, you gotta hit the gym a bit harder. I mean, come on…have you seen Chris Hemsworth as Thor?
No real hero is offered a chance to shine without a badass, well bad man constantly pulling him down. Daredevil had Wilson Fisk, Jessica Jones had Kilgrave and Luke Cage had Cottonmouth. Iron Fist has …. hmmm well, no one really. The real threat that Danny faces, the Hand, is a shadowy ninja organization has already been introduced in Daredevil and so there’s only a little new to know.
Mediocre acting put aside, what may be even more shocking is just how bad the writing and production values are. Trust us, you could literally be in the middle of a scene, walk out, make a bag of popcorn, put a load of washing in, make a few phone calls, come back in and there’s a good chance you haven’t missed anything.
One of the main problems is that the show is being used more as a platform to lead up into the Marvel Defenders series than one that delves into Iron Fist itself. If you still feel like plowing through the show, if only to spot possible hidden easter eggs into the highly anticipated Defenders crossover due for release later this year, here’s a peek at the trailer. Just don’t say we didn’t warn you.