The problem with Netflix' Iron Fist
You’ve seen this story before. Of course, you’ve seen every story before if there is truth in the idea that there are really only 7 types of stories. What you come for is some originality in developing the story, some way of telling the story that is gripping, or a great performance that makes the story worth watching. Unfortunately, with Iron Fist, you are left with none of these, making the only reasons to watch the series because:
The other problem is that the main character, Danny Rand, doesn’t belong in the world that has been created for The Daredevil, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. More on that after the spoiler alert.
HEY! LOOK! SPOILER ALERT! If you are planning on watching Iron Fist, stop reading here. Spoilers will follow the ad.
- It’s part of the Marvel Universe
- You’re interested in The Defenders series
- You have the time to waste
- You have already watched all the other interesting stiff on Netflix
- You want to see something that holds promise while delivering on mediocrity
The other problem is that the main character, Danny Rand, doesn’t belong in the world that has been created for The Daredevil, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. More on that after the spoiler alert.
HEY! LOOK! SPOILER ALERT! If you are planning on watching Iron Fist, stop reading here. Spoilers will follow the ad.
Danny Rand is an orphaned child (Spider-Man) raised by monks after the crash (Dr. Strange) of their plane in the mountains. Raised by monks (pick a Kung Fu movie, also Dr. Strange), Danny learns to be a master of his Chi (The Karate Kid) and runs away from the monastery.
Back in the real world (fish out of water), Danny is a billionaire (Tony Stark, Batman, Arrow) who everyone thinks is dead (Arrow). Danny lives on the street until he is recognized and brought back into the business with his 51% of the shares in his father’s company that still somehow belong to him.
The friend from childhood betray Danny. Danny’s “uncle” betrays him as well (The Green Goblin without the gadgetry). His girlfriend reveals herself to be part of the organization that he is supposed to destroy (Austin Powers, anyone), and the good leader of this organization turns out to be the bad guy (pick a monomaniacal leader who wants to do what’s right from the greater good, as long as he is included at the head of the greater good). In the end, the monk best friend leaves and decides that Danny must be killed (done so much better in Dr. Strange). And the good-bad guy Madame Gao is in on the whole conversation.
Anybody want to make a bet that The Green Goblin wannabe comes back to life in the next series? No one dies in the Marvel Universe, (except Quicksilver, maybe), and both of the heroes at the end blatantly disregard the ONLY way to kill him message they received just a scant while ago. I hope he doesn’t because his role is played out, but it would also be a perfect story line if he comes back and enlists the help of his daughter to terrorize everyone, including his daughter.
This has all been done before, and you can see it coming. That would be okay if the characters were interesting and different or if the show were more tightly edited. Instead, you get 13 hours of slow, plodding plot intersected with inessential and monotonous dialogue. How many times do we need to hear the speech about telling the truth and a relationship being over only to have the relationship blossom at the end because, uh, people change, are deluded, and are capable of realizing the truth and coming to terms with it (not a message that registers with the events of this past 6 months)?
Because this is a tie-in to The Defenders, the hardest question is how does Iron Fist fit in with the street level crime fighters that Luke Cage, Daredevil and Jessica Jones have been sold as? Aside from their similar skills set, which might make fodder for another post sometime in the future, Danny Rand is fundamentally different in motivation from the other characters. Daredevil loves his city. Danny couldn’t give a fig though he does care about people, which conveniently gets lost half way through his series. Luke Cage, while wanting to be left alone, cares about the people in his city. Jessica Jones, a private detective with a conscience, is steeped in TV noir while deeply representing important and troubling topics – topics that Iron Fist glossed over if it dealt with them at all. In fact, while the other Netflix shows have characters who seem like entire people, Rand and his cohorts seem more like paper cutouts.
It wasn’t that Iron Fist was bad. However, set against the tapestries of the other shows, it suffers in comparison, and since it is a part of that universe, it’ll be interesting to see how Marvel brings Iron Fist back to the city to team up with a group whose only bonds are Claire and Jeri Hogarth.
Back in the real world (fish out of water), Danny is a billionaire (Tony Stark, Batman, Arrow) who everyone thinks is dead (Arrow). Danny lives on the street until he is recognized and brought back into the business with his 51% of the shares in his father’s company that still somehow belong to him.
The friend from childhood betray Danny. Danny’s “uncle” betrays him as well (The Green Goblin without the gadgetry). His girlfriend reveals herself to be part of the organization that he is supposed to destroy (Austin Powers, anyone), and the good leader of this organization turns out to be the bad guy (pick a monomaniacal leader who wants to do what’s right from the greater good, as long as he is included at the head of the greater good). In the end, the monk best friend leaves and decides that Danny must be killed (done so much better in Dr. Strange). And the good-bad guy Madame Gao is in on the whole conversation.
Anybody want to make a bet that The Green Goblin wannabe comes back to life in the next series? No one dies in the Marvel Universe, (except Quicksilver, maybe), and both of the heroes at the end blatantly disregard the ONLY way to kill him message they received just a scant while ago. I hope he doesn’t because his role is played out, but it would also be a perfect story line if he comes back and enlists the help of his daughter to terrorize everyone, including his daughter.
This has all been done before, and you can see it coming. That would be okay if the characters were interesting and different or if the show were more tightly edited. Instead, you get 13 hours of slow, plodding plot intersected with inessential and monotonous dialogue. How many times do we need to hear the speech about telling the truth and a relationship being over only to have the relationship blossom at the end because, uh, people change, are deluded, and are capable of realizing the truth and coming to terms with it (not a message that registers with the events of this past 6 months)?
Because this is a tie-in to The Defenders, the hardest question is how does Iron Fist fit in with the street level crime fighters that Luke Cage, Daredevil and Jessica Jones have been sold as? Aside from their similar skills set, which might make fodder for another post sometime in the future, Danny Rand is fundamentally different in motivation from the other characters. Daredevil loves his city. Danny couldn’t give a fig though he does care about people, which conveniently gets lost half way through his series. Luke Cage, while wanting to be left alone, cares about the people in his city. Jessica Jones, a private detective with a conscience, is steeped in TV noir while deeply representing important and troubling topics – topics that Iron Fist glossed over if it dealt with them at all. In fact, while the other Netflix shows have characters who seem like entire people, Rand and his cohorts seem more like paper cutouts.
It wasn’t that Iron Fist was bad. However, set against the tapestries of the other shows, it suffers in comparison, and since it is a part of that universe, it’ll be interesting to see how Marvel brings Iron Fist back to the city to team up with a group whose only bonds are Claire and Jeri Hogarth.