In recent times, there has been a popularization in movies about hero films. Neftlix followed the trend and brought a set of superheroes in the same style already popularized, that is, heroes who had already had their own feature – and in the case of Netflix, their own series. It is the case of The Defenders, which unites Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Elektra, Luke Cage and Danny Rand, to defeat a common enemy: the “hand”, villain introduced in the series Iron Fist.
There is already certainty that the series will not fail to be desired, given the success it once had when it was exclusively shown at Comic-Con, where the audience applauded from the beginning to the film. The first episode brings the kind of entertainment that most of the population, especially the superhero-like part, hopes: the series continues the story of each of the characters, not forgetting their development in each individual series. In addition, the combination of fights, drinks, destruction and even more ardent scenes promise to entertain anyone.
However, as with most TV shows, and for video streaming services such as Netflix, The Defenders also have their issues. For example, the plot is not very original and the goal of the protagonists and the villains seems beaten. However, the clever dialogue, even if sometimes delayed, and the expectation of the union of the characters, gives the show what it needs to be another success of the giant producer.
While the sum of all these characters was clearly successful, The Defenders also brings the successes, and problems, of each hero. Characters such as Jessica Jones, played by Krysten Ritter, bring the complexity of a person suffering from post-traumatic stress from being practically raped by their enemy. At the same time, supporting characters count on the excellent performance of Sigourney Weaver, in addition to other heroes, like Danny Rand, interpreted by Finn Jones. All but the new ones present the same problems they had in their individual series.
If we remember certain events related to the release of Iron Fist, we can understand these problems easily. This series, which suffers from a lack of balance between realism and fantasy – and where Danny Rand’s main power, Iron Fist, is forgotten during many of his episodes – was not helped at all when many fans began to complain that Danny it was not Asian. To make things even worse, actor Finn Jones did not want to leave the negative comments aside and blamed critics for not understanding the show. Such action has made his character to be seen as petulant, something that remains in the new series.
Even more problematic is that, even with just 8 episodes (other Netflix shows have at least 13), Defenders have parts where the scenes are slow and do not develop the story in a satisfactory way. But even though it’s not an innovative series that will put Netflix on another level of excellence, Defenders will still entertain and please fans of the individual series.
(article translated from the original version in portuguese, by Google Translate)