Iron Fist

Starring: Finn Jones (23 episodes), Jessica Henwick (23 episodes), Jessica Stroup (23 episodes), Tom Pelphrey (21 episodes), Sacha Dhawan (15 episodes), David Wenham (11 episodes), Alice Eve (10 episodes), Wai Ching Ho (9 episodes), Giullian Yao Gioiello (8 episodes), Christine Toy Johnson (7 episodes), Barrett Doss (7 episodes), Fernando Chien (7 episodes), Simone Missick (6 episodes), Natalie Smith (6 episodes), Henry Yuk (6 episodes), Rosario Dawson (6 episodes), Ramon Rodriguez (5 episodes), Clifton Davis (5 episodes), Marquis Rodriguez (5 episodes), Jason Lai (5 episodes), Jowin Marie Batoon (5 episodes), Ramon Fernandez (5 episodes), David Furr (4 episodes), Alex Wyse (4 episodes), James Chen (4 episodes), Toby Nichols (4 episodes), Sydney Mae Diaz (4 episodes), John Sanders (4 episodes), Elise Santora (4 episodes), Jean Tree (4 episodes), Carrie-Ann Moss (3 episodes), Murray Bartlett (3 episodes), Hoon Lee (2 episodes), Rob Morgan (1 episode)
Directed by: Stephen Surjik (2 episodes), John Dahl (2 episodes), Farren Blackburn (1 episode), Uta Briesewitz (1 episode), Deborah Chow (1 episode), Andy Goddard (1 episode), Peter Hoar (1 episode), RZA (1 episode), Miguel Sapochnik (1 episode), Tom Shankland (1 episode), Kevin Tacharoen (1 episode)
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Action, Adventure
2017-2018

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1 - 2

Summary: Danny Rand (Finn Jones) returns to New York from mystical K'un Lun with the power of the Immortal Iron Fist.

Review:
Tim: The fourth of Marvel and Netflix's Defenders series, "Iron Fist" also happens to be the worst one. After incredible first seasons of "Daredevil" and "Jessica Jones" and the very solid "Luke Cage", we got this one. I blame showrunner Scott Buck for many of these issues, but this is a series with just a ton of problems. I was legitimately excited about this series- to get to see Marvel's take on a martial arts master, it promised to introduce a new mystical element into the street-level Marvel heroes. Unfortunately, the show never got off the ground.

The first season started about as bad as it could get. The way the characters were introduced and the laughable dialogue they were given was truly shocking. I remember watching the first twenty minutes of the first episode feeling horrified at the shoddy production. The early episodes were nearly unwatchable. The cast felt uncomfortable and very little was working. I will say that the series picked up a bit as the first season went on. There were some legitimate strengths in it. However, even after improving, by the end of the first season, it was clear that "Iron Fist" was a misfire- the worst thing the MCU had ever produced. This series has to be thanking God that Scott Buck left to completely ruin "Inhumans", which took the mantle of worst ever from this show. It was surprising that this series even got a second season. I was glad for it, although I was also glad it had been shortened to 10 episodes. Looking back, I'm not sure why I was pleased. I suppose it was somewhat fun to see these characters again, but the second season was a slow mess. I was thankful when I heard it was cancelled, and even more thankful several months later when I watched the last episode and could move on with my life.

There's so many issues with this series, but you have to start with Finn Jones. I actually liked his casting, as I was familiar with his work on "Game of Thrones". Jones' Danny Rand never came together, though. He always seemed like a spoiled, out of touch buffoon. For someone who is supposed to have mastered a martial art, someone who needed to have complete control of his body and mind, he continually makes poor, irrational decisions based on fleeting emotions. It just never made any sense. Jones worked hard at the physical aspects of the role, but they were never convincing. He's not a martial artist and that showed every time he needed to fight. He grew into the role somewhat, but he was never right for it.

I do need to thank the heavens for Jessica Henwick, another "Game of Thrones" transplant. Her Colleen Wing was the single best aspect of the entire series. Her character is strong, rational, caring, and all around incredible. I loved her performance and her character. She oftentimes was the only thing that made this show watchable. I can't say enough about how great she is here, even with pitiful material to work with. Jessica Stroup and Tom Pelphrey were atrocious at the beginning of the series. Their acting was so bad, so forced. I couldn't believe they were actually cast in these roles. I hated them both and never believed in their characters. To give credit where it's due, they both improved as the series went on and made big leaps in the second season. Neither of them was great, but their performances stopped grating on my nerves and they both had several worthwhile moments. The improvement is remarkable, because they couldn't have been worse when they started. They were like soap opera actors. Alice Eve was a huge addition to the cast in season two. I like Eve and her character was fascinating. She managed to give a strong performance even when the show around her let her down. She was definitely a highlight. David Wenham was somewhat enjoyable, but his performance was too often over-the-top. It was nice to get Simone Missick over from "Luke Cage" in season two, but she wasn't able to improve the show too much. The same can be said for Carrie-Ann Moss and Rosario Dawson- I love that they were here and helped a little, but I felt bad they spent their time on this disappointing series. Sacha Dhawan was okay, but never great. As a whole, the cast was okay.

For a show centered around a martial arts expert, I was stunned by how bad the fight choreography was. When you look at some of the jaw-dropping fight scenes in "Daredevil," you just marvel at what could (and should) have been done with this character. That never happens. I can't recall a single amazing fight sequence in this series. There were a few decent ones and a lot of crappy ones. That was a major disappointment.

"Iron Fist" was never able to overcome the sheer silliness of the story. The best Marvel series and films have always embraced their comic origins while rooting the stories in the real world. The MCU is believable, which is one of the highest compliments you can give a comic book franchise. I never believed the Iron Fist, K'un Lun, the dragon, any of it. Throughout the show, characters continually scoff at it. That isn't the right approach. This was a series that had promise, but lived up to none of it. It's by far the worst of the Netflix Marvel shows and it's the second-worst of all time (thanks again, "Inhumans"). I admit that I had some fun moments throughout the series and I grew to enjoy the characters of Danny, Colleen, Ward, and Joy. Unfortunately, those characters deserved a better effort than this. While this might not have always been a terrible show, it was consistently lackluster.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, The Punisher, The Defenders