TV Review : Iron Fist by Marvel/Netflix

TV Review : Iron Fist by Marvel/Netflix 

Season One : Episodes 1 to 6  

Inferior to Daredevil, but then isn't everything ? 

 

image courtesy of tvweb.com

Iron Fist has come in for some pretty heavy flak from reviewers, but has been perhaps misunderstood and judged too harshly against Daredevil

 

In the latest Marvel offering, Finn Jones plays Danny Rand ; son of a billionaire and apparently  returned from the dead after a plane crash long ago. In this new Netflix collaboration then,  the last of the Defenders is ushered in. Rand has been training with warrior monks since the plane crash that orphaned him, and has become the Iron Fist ; a martial arts legend who can summon enough Chi to punch through anything. 

This is a slow start to the series, as Danny's first challenge is to re-establish his identity and claim to his inheritance, something that perhaps takes up too much story time. The initial villain is rather uninspired ; a little more Phantom of the Opera than criminal mastermind, and Danny himself comes across as naive and self-preoccupied. Some of the dialogue needs editing, and the fight scenes do not have the bone crunching realism of Daredevil. I can see why some reviewers have criticized the characters as dull, and the hero in particular as a little unlikable. Who cares what happens in this story ? 

Nonetheless, Iron Fist slowly gains momentum, particularly when some old enemies  ( and friends ) from the Daredevil world crash the party. Rand gains a sidekick who adds interest, perhaps romantically too, ( Colleen Wing as a martial-arts teacher ) and the series begins to delve into the darkness and develop a flavour of its own. Iron Fists fighting style is the more elegant dance-like Kung Fu as opposed to Daredevil's boxing and improvised brawling. Think Donnie Yen in Ip-man rather than the Punisher turning inmates into mince-meat. At first this leads to some rather unsatisfactory fight scenes, as barely any blood flies, and Danny's style seems more about dodging as opposed to dispatching opponents. Later however, the martial arts develops into some pretty spectacular flying double kicks, and our hero actually accrues the type of battle wounds that laid Daredevil on the couch so often. You begin to appreciate the beauty of the choreography, even if it still seems a little unrealistic.  Even the intro and music improves, as Trevor Morris lays down tracks reminiscent of Daft Punk in Tron Legacy.

The character of Iron Fist himself is more problematic. It takes time to reveal his code of conduct and his mission. In the first few episodes Colleen Wing is actually more interesting as a character struggling with moral dilemmas and developing a new identity. Danny seems annoyingly ignorant, and he's not the only character to seem a little unbelievable. His rivals, and then later business partners, the Meachams, lack depth and complexity, despite their centrality to the story. Luke Cage and his enemies ( and even friends ) were far more believable and interesting. It's worth remembering however, that Danny  is supposed to be returning from fifteen years in the wilderness, an isolation he was dropped into as a ten year old child. In many ways he still has the mind of a child, and one who is new to the New York city of 2017. As he gradually wises up and the battle with the real villains comes into focus, the series develops a more satisfying pace. Iron Fist still seems a little uneven  and scattered with its story lines and characters, but at least you begin to have faith that things will settle down. Maybe even the Meachams will become interesting and develop personalities beyond the corporate boardroom !

 

Ultimately this is a series that  should be given a chance and judged on its own merits. I think some reviewers are looking back and seeing Daredevil as perfection, and perhaps Luke Cage and Jessica Jones as better than they really were. Finn Jones never quite has the charisma to hold the series up on his own, but with a collective effort it bumbles through. Iron Fist stumbled a little with its entrance, but that doesn't mean it won't grow into something satisfying. People need to remember they're watching TV, not judging some new-found work of Rembrandt. Yes it's art, but it's not to be taken that seriously, and it's not finished yet.

 

7/10