Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Marvel's Netflix Series Reviews

Well as I wait to watch Batman v Superman and Captain America: Civil War... I thought I'd review the Netflix Daredevil Series and Jessica Jones. I'll start with DD...

Firstly let me say... The shows are HOT! To me Daredevil scores major points for many things. 1. It's Law and Order UK, Sopranos and Super hero rolled into one. It makes you believe Superheroes can happen if you allow yourself to suspend belief for the notion that a little boy can get heightened senses once blinded by chemicals. The legal wrangling ties into the grimey New York world of Hell's Kitchen crime belly, that wreaks of Soprano-ness, with a robust Kingpin performance, though I wish it explored the court room and legal concept a little more if only philosophically if not flesh out the legal academics. But greatest of all is the rendition of Daredevil... Compelling... A good intentioned liar and lawyer trying to win in and outside the court house. Daredevil stands alone as an edgy yet artful, dark and gritty ensemble drama that have elevated the superhero origin story in a similar fashion to HBO’s “True Detective” and how it ratcheted up crime procedural.

2. Cinematography and fight choreography... Off the chain. The series that has some teeth to it. Rich in a textured pulp story telling style,crime noir and brutality. The tale is so powerful it could really serve as a metaphor for how the agencies of power and power brokers operate in the USA. Matt Murdoch a legal figure, employing torture, lies, spying(heightened hearing akin to NSA) and deceit as tools shows the dual diversity in the series. At the same time a vivid and a higher sense of realism (I'm wondering if it is those new 4K cams and newer), which is counter-balanced by the unreal and somewhat surreal notion of a blind superhero, a handicapped Spider-man if you would who skitters up walls and employs Batman-esque tools like grappling hooks and martial arts. As usual Marvel's heroes serve as human interest pieces from various psychologically nuanced angles.

3. World Building and Community. Something that hooked me was the world creation that I am more used to seeing in Sci-Fi and Fantasy films of the J. R. Tolkien type order or James Cameron maybe. The show also has a sense of theater or stage-like community, from the scenes and setting to the cast... something that reminds me of that old Brit comedy 'Allo Allo' and 'Dr. Who'... The Brit transfer hasn't gone so well for Dr. Who's Rory and Legends of Tomorrow over in the DC Universe camp, I have a leaning to British actors and film and independent foreign film, so for me Charlie Cox's depiction is epic, articulate, intelligent and nuanced. I am not a fan of comedic foils, the cliché  silly sidekick, but Foggy is a witty, sarcastic counter point to some of the arguments that are expounded throughout the series, he plays the voice of reason, doubt and conscience, hence the humor is more real, as to me life can be sardonic in certain ways, and it makes perfect sense to me that a successful blind man would be more gregarious than loveable but fat and frumpy fudddy duddy. Foggy and Matt have a very credible emotional dynamic in what other actors, writers and directors would possibly have crafted as campy or didactic even stilted scenes.

Deborah Ann Woll's secretary worked as well. Some people and less feminine in-tuned minds may contend that the Karen character is weak combo of too gullible to be true, improbably competent in her 'investigation' and like a bastion on issues of 'morality and ethics'. I however have had experience with a lot of women who are both intelligent & flaky, genius and neurotic, brilliant but psychotic, slutty looking catholic mathematicians who are astute calculative, yet who are shy and caught up in complex religious mores and beliefs, will party yet won't have sex! Women can be that multi-layed and I think she some up some of that.

All in all I say it's a hot series... I am in the middle of Season 2 and just starting Jessica Jones... I recommend you check em out... Piratebay or Netflix... anyone!

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