The Gifted recently debuted on Fox and carries a style very much like superhero television series: scenes that resemble budget movies but clearly do not have enough money to create something that really looks real. The result is a competent photo with special effects that leaves something to be desired. In productions that deal with superpowers, this can hinder the belief of reality in the universe created by producers and filmmakers, who rely on other characteristics to please the public.
Generally, the best way to hide cheap effects is to develop such a good plot that the audience does not care about anything but the characters. This can be difficult to achieve even when the production is based on works already known and that have thousands of fans. And there are several examples of this in television and more recently in streaming video services like Netflix.
It is not difficult to remember Iron Fist that, like the series The Gifted, is based on characters in the Marvel universe. In this superhero series, the lack of coherence in Finn Jones’ character type Danny Rand ends up pointing to the weaker parts of the production: cheap special effects and a rather arrogant acting of the main character . The result was that, coming after other successful titles like Jessica Jones, Iron Fist was rejected almost immediately by the public.
The Gifted looks a lot like these other productions. Both his photography and his special effects leave (much) to be desired. In addition, many character types are well known to the public and can easily lead to boredom in a world where it is easy not only to change channels, but also to look for another form of online entertainment.
However, those who are glazed by superheroes and mutants and, consequently, patient enough to stand and watch a clichéd plot until the middle of the first episode of The Gifted, will see that the quality of the series improves. The secret to this improvement: the family.
Much of the Marvel universe is based on mutants who, being humans who evolved and possess special abilities, are despised and hunted by humans without powers. In this way, works like X-men are based on stories where mutants of the good fight for their acceptance in the human society, besides other mutants that want to dominate the world and / or humans that want to eliminate them. However, The Gifted tells a different story.
The great attribute of this new series is its ability to tell the story of mutants from both a mutant and a human point of view. And the way this was achieved is due to the creation of a plot where a family father, Reed Strucker (played by Stephen Moyer) previously served society against the mutants and now needs to protect his teenage children (played by Percy Hynes White and Natalie Alyn Lind) newly discovered mutants. From there the series gains a breath and promises to show something new and creative.
In the Marvel universe where mutants usually tell themselves, introducing a family where human parents help mutant children leaves the known universe even more complex and exciting.
(article translated from the original version in portuguese, by Google Translate)