As a casual but long-time Marvel fan, as a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and having thoroughly enjoyed Netflix’ three previous MCU offerings (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage), I was rather eager to watch “Iron Fist,” the latest Netflix MCU series. It first became available on March 17th, and I dove in, full-binge mode.
Unfortunately, I found the series to be woefully uneven and quasi-schizophrenic, as if it couldn’t decide or figure out what it wanted to be. Is it about the main character finding himself and his proper role in the universe? Is it a corporate-intrigue thriller? Is it a traditional “good guy vs evil organizations” story? Is it an origin story? Is it about Eastern philosophy? Is it a martial arts vehicle? Is it a kung-fu comedy? Is it about family? Is it a love story?
It sought to be all of these and more. Were it handled by deft writers and talented direction, it might have actually pulled it off. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case. What turned out was a big bowl of overcooked spaghetti, made worse by actors who either couldn’t escape unwieldy, blunt-force, and disjointed dialogue or who simply were unable to deliver effective performances.
Iron Fist, the nom-de-guerre of billionaire business scion Danny Rand, is one of a number of second tier superhero characters that Marvel has been offering us via television, movies and streaming. “Iron Fist” refers to both the character and to his super-power, the latter being the ability to focus his chi, or energy force, into his fist, which then glows, becomes invulnerable, and can deliver a superhumanly powerful punch.
The character’s back story begins with an airplane crash in the Himalayas, a crash that killed both his parents and left him, 10 years old at the time, alone in the bitter cold. He was found by some warrior monks (think Shao-lin and the original Kung Fu television series) and brought into a mystical land called Kunlun, a portal to which opens only rarely. Danny trained with the monks for 15 years, became the Iron Fist (singular – there can only be one at a time), and then returned to New York to… well… that’s one of the points of the story.
** Spoiler Warning – one very mild Episode 1 plot point is revealed below. **
This is pretty standard fare for superhero narratives, of course, and it’s not in the back story that the series runs into trouble. It’s pretty much everywhere else, unfortunately. Danny arrives in New York, barefoot and garbed in unwashed hippie attire, and walks into the lobby of his family’s eponymous corporate headquarters building. He offers wide-eyed naivete, asks to see his father’s partner (who had supposedly died 12 years earlier, but who is actually alive, hiding in a penthouse, and puppet-mastering the company), and is ushered out by building security. Martial arts hijinks ensue.
The story unfolds from there along multiple paths. His childhood friends, Ward and Joy Meachum, now run the company, and are confronted with the appearance of the Rand heir and his claim to 51% of the company. A martial arts teacher, Colleen Wing, goes from chance street encounter to friend and possibly more to a key component of several plot lines. Other major characters emerge along the way, as the story evolves and branches. Importantly, Rosario Dawson’s nurse character Claire Temple enters the story, providing connections and continuity with the other Netflix-MCU series and superheroes (hold that thought).
The writers seek to flesh out the main characters in rather different ways, with often-jarring results. Danny Rand goes from naif to hothead to fortune-cookie-dispensing Eastern mystic, and from near-invincibility to “how the hell did he ever become Iron Fist” mediocrity in his martial arts fights (one sequence in Episode 8 is so blatantly out of place with the rest of the show that it seemed shoehorned in because the writers had just seen a Jackie Chan movie), and never settles down into a consistent character. Ward Meachum is a blend of ruthless corporate animal and lost soul, but fails to convince on either front. Joy Meachum is a shark-with-a-heart stereotype and intended to serve as the family’s moral compass, but didn’t resonate in either intent or execution. Colleen Wing’s character can’t decide between naif and cynic. Harold Meachum, the father, hams it up and talks to everyone in the same cadences as he narrated the tale of the Spartans as Dilios in the movie 300.
The series does have a brisk and intricate plot line, with multiple stories interwoven, several key reveals and redirects, and arcs that get resolved with some success and effectiveness. It also does well in keeping us and the characters in moral gray areas, and manages several moments of genuine uncertainty as to who the good guys and who the bad guys are. Its chief failings lie in clunky dialogue, sloppy and scattergun character development, and a significant comparative lack of writing quality compared to its Netflix-MCU siblings.
I’ve opted for a relatively spoiler-free review here, so the multiple plot paths and twists are left for you to discover. If you’re a fan of the MCU and of the other New York-based superheroes that Netflix has offered, you’ll enjoy the show enough to warrant watching. Since Netflix is offering a crossover miniseries (The Defenders) with Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and a number of the supporting characters this fall, a completist will certainly want to watch Iron Fist in preparation. If you’re new to the Netflix-MCU, I’d strongly recommend watching the other shows first. And, if you want to “get it right,” watch them in this order: Daredevil Season 1, Jessica Jones, Daredevil Season 2, Luke Cage. If you get through all that, you’re enough of a MCU fan to warrant committing to 13 episodes of Iron Fist. If you lose interest in any of those shows, there’s little reason to think you’ll like Iron Fist.
My rating: 5 out of 10.
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