Those who have been following the three characters from the Marvel Universe on Netflix: Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage, would have most probably found those TV series to be very interesting -- even glued to your respective seats while munching on popcorn. With the lead up to the next Marvel character on Netflix building up the anticipation further with a trailer and teaser featurette, it is rather unfortunate that the first few episodes of Iron Fist barely breaks out in sweat, limping onto the center stage as opposed to delivering a knockout punch that will wow audiences.
What is the problem with Iron Fist’s first episode? For starters, there is a whole lot of talking. And I do mean, plenty of talk. Of course, the situation would have been a whole lot better if the talk was scintillating and stimulating, but unfortunately, it seemed that the scriptwriters had an off day which made it all the more dull on the ears. Not only that, the fighting sequences were not only brief, they lack that kind of conviction that would have you return time and again.
Other Netflix Marvel shows started off strongly, where the pacing issues only began to arrive on the scene (pardon the pun) after several episodes in, where by then, you would have been hooked to want to see it through all the way to the end. Iron Fist takes the opposite approach, whether by (poor) design or accident, and Netflix executives might wonder whether it is worth continuing with subsequent seasons if the reviews continue to be poor (that will definitely affect the viewership as well). Will there be a turnaround and redemption for Iron Fist? Only time will be able to tell, but perhaps with scathing reviews appearing all over the place, the script might be revised for the future.
Iron Fist features Danny Rand, a boy born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Unfortunately, his parents perished in a plane crash, while he was miraculously alive throughout the ordeal, being raised in the martial arts of the mystical other-dimensional city of K’un -L’un. Over years of training, he then mastered the ability to focus his chi and call upon the power of the Iron Fist. However, the acting in the fighting scenes do happen to leave a whole lot to be desired, as he does not exude that sense of a martial artist when captured on camera.
All first six episodes have failed to impress viewers where the action scenes are concerned, and that itself is a black eye against the Iron Fist series. Perhaps there might be a change in the direction of the series, or Finn (the person who plays Iron Fist) would have to up his game in the martial arts sequences, but something needs to be done unless Netflix and Marvel would like to see this series crash on a snowy, cold mountain in the Himalayas with no guardian angel ready to swoop down and save it.
Will we see the series continue all the way to subsequent seasons, and if not, how will The Defenders go beyond its first season?
