In a doomed attempt to keep up with the zeitgeist, I watched Marvel’s The Defenders on Netflix.
A Guardian Review said the first couple of episodes were redundant as they introduced characters we already knew from their own series; not relevant to me as I haven’t seen those series. Well, except for episode one of Iron Fist which was more than enough.
There were plenty of things about The Defenders I liked a lot, especially about the production values. The colour palette was great throughout, subtly (or not so subtly) shifting with the characters–Matt Murdoch/Daredevil was filmed with red tones dominant, for example. I really liked the framing most of the time too; they did a good job of evoking the tropes and feel of classic NYC street photography, finding formal composition and beauty down in the darkness. Characters were often filmed through windows or glimpsed through the side-windows of passing automobiles, evoking hints of Saul Leiter. For my tastes, there were too many camera angles designed to mimic comic-book panels, but it wasn’t as egregious as, for example, American Gods.
Sound design was strong too, as was the steady, deliberate pacing. As is now de rigeur from any TV show with pretentions to excellence, it had a good titles sequence, The villain, played by Sigourney Weaver, was good too, and wasn’t the usual moustachio-twirling scenery chewer.
My problems with The Defenders were with the script and the characters.
I found the show dismayingly formulaic, bound tight to cliche and conventions of the Hero’s Journey. Right on cue, characters rejected the call to action until some catharsis caused them to change their minds. Shit, we even had a grizzled old mentor come by to be mysterious and lay some heavy exposition on us. Within this, the dialogue was too formalised and over-wordy compared to how people actually speak (with the notable exception of Jessica Jones). I didn’t find myself engaging at all with their peril. The actors did their best with what they were given, often giving more than the writing actually deserved, but I think they could have made it sing with better material. The plucky sidekicks didn’t fare any better, though the actors all did well.
Stock shot cliche alert, with Iron Fist manspreading and Jessica Jones showing her arse
As to the leads, we have the whiny rich kid with maturity issues, the dude just trying to save his ‘hood from the bad guys, the emotionally conflicted masked vigillante, and the ex-superhero with a traumatic past and a taste for Canadian whiskey. Yeah, right.
And the ending? If you go to war there is a price to pay: there has to be a toll. The good bit is there was, the bad bit is the final scene completely undermined it.
Finally, it wasn’t weird enough. If you’re dealing with ancient mystical powers, a whiny kid with a hand that glows from time to time doesn’t cut it.
All in all, a clean, professional production lacking in any artistic or dramatic challenges, so a grumpy >meh< for the series. It isn’t so much that it pales to nothing in comparison to Twin Peaks or Sense8, though it does, it’s that there really isn’t any excuse for this sort of risk-free film making since The Wire showed exactly how to do compelling drama with realistic dialogue, deep characterisation, and tight plotting. Hell, just watch S1, E1 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for a masterclass right there.
On the plus side, it did suggest I really ought to watch Jessica Jones, a character who interests me–well written, and believably portrayed by Krysten Ritter.
========
Added: I’ve now watched several episodes of Jessica Jones. It was taut, suspenseful and mysterious. Cinematography was spot on, all moody colours and tones soundtracked by strains of distant modal jazz in the NYC night. In short, everything The Defenders wasn’t.
Recent Comments