Iron Fist | Geek Node Archive

Genre Superhero
Producer Marvel
Actors Finn Jones, Jessica Henwick, Jessica Stroup, Tom Pelphrey, David Wenham, Wai Ching Ho, Barrett Doss and Rosario Dawson
Where we got our copy Netflix
Reviewed on Netflix
Available on Netflix
Air Date 2017-03-10
Episode 1-13
Season 1

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Published April 13, 2017

Enter the Iron Fist

I will be honest, other than a few key details I knew absolutely nothing of the mythos of this Marvel character. This proves to be a good thing and provided a nice contrast to the usual order of business when you go to watch a movie. You know how it is, we walk into movies with a general perception of what to expect and spend a little time afterwards bitching about the liberties studios took with the characters we love.

When you are a comic book person, this feeling of emotional investment is amplified as you have your own vision of what path they should and shouldn’t take. Even when things go slightly awry (here’s looking at you “Martha-Batman”), its fine, and makes good fodder for some fun arguments.

But to be truly surprised by a series? Now that’s a rare occurrence indeed.

Moving along

The series keeps in tone with the more mature atmosphere as compared to the “Disney Model” used in the movies. While it does have lighter moments, these are few and far apart. Again this point sits in the plus column.

The premise is pretty simple; the hero Danny Rand returns home after 15 years after being assumed dead. He has gained next-level martial arts skills. Upon his return, he finds the company his dad built is now run by his father’s business partner’s offspring, in less than wholesome ways. They also happen to be his childhood friends. ( Whew! )

Yes- another rich orphan boy who is lost for decades only to return to his city to find his company poisoned. Betrayed by people he thought he could trust he must use his abilities and physical prowess to return it to its former greatness. All while seducing a pretty girl next door (who naturally sees the real him) while unveiling the mystery of the season’s big bad and taking that mofo the “F” out.

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Yes, I said the premise was “simple”. I didn’t say it was original.

Then again that is the comic way, so don’t let that derail you.

Get on the train

The series is a slow brew and takes it’s time to establish the characters and plot threads. While the first few episodes seem to drag a bit, the drama starts to ramp up nicely after episode 3.

Admittedly the exploration of the titular character’s powers can be frustrating as it feels like forever before we really see him do any real damage. This is a superhero series after all.

I felt that this was more of a suspense/drama series that lacked a little in action for my liking. For a series about a mystical kung-fu master there just wasn’t enough kung-fu (though to be fair, there just never is).

I was a little let down by the fact that this series wasn’t able to beat that “staircase scene” in Daredevil. I suppose with Daredevil being the bigger property will always get better scenes.The other critical low point is they forgot to put the “origin” in “A Netflix original series”. While every minute of Danny’s return seems to be documented, his training in the Monastery and specifically how he got the Iron Fist Powers is always brushed over. Now I can understand that rendering dragons and other dimensions can be taxing on a budget, but if the CW can do sharks and gorillas then Netflix ought to up the ante a little.

In the End, it doesn’t Really Matter

Bottom line, it’s a flawed series that seemed a little underwhelming primarily because it’s overshadowed by the previous offerings from Netflix.

But it is still far superior to most series currently on air, armed with 13 episodes it is still a great way to spend 13 hours. I do not, however, recommend you follow me and watch it back to back. Iron Fist would work better as a weekly series rather than the Binge enhanced Netflix model.

I hope there is a season 2. Mostly to see if they can remedy the elements that were neglected on the first outing. All we know for sure at this stage is that Danny will return for the Defenders series coming to Netflix soon.

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Finally, after a long hiatus life gave us another long weekend (if you were smart enough) and I used it to series-binge my heart out. Aside from playing catch up with most of my daily favourites, I decided to go head to head with the deadly Iron Fist series on Netflix. As you probably know, Netflix has done wonders with its Marvel productions, with Daredevil taking top spot and Luke Cage following closely behind. Even the not-so-stellar Jessica Jones was pretty good (IMO when compared to other series). Enter the Iron Fist I will be honest, other than a few key details I knew absolutely nothing of the mythos of this Marvel character. This proves to be a good thing and provided a nice contrast to the usual order of business when you go to watch a movie. You know how it is, we walk into movies with a general perception of what to expect and spend a little time afterwards bitching about the liberties studios took with the characters we love. When you are a comic book person, this feeling of emotional investment is amplified as you have your own vision of what path they should and shouldn’t take. Even when things go slightly awry (here’s looking at you “Martha-Batman”), its fine, and makes good fodder for some fun arguments. But to be truly surprised by a series? Now that’s a rare occurrence indeed. Moving along The series keeps in tone with the more mature atmosphere as compared to the “Disney Model” used in the movies. While it does have lighter moments, these are few and far apart. Again this point sits in the plus column. The premise is pretty simple; the hero Danny Rand returns home after 15 years after being assumed dead. He has gained next-level martial arts skills. Upon his return, he finds the company his dad built is now run by his father’s business partner’s offspring, in less than wholesome ways. They also happen to be his childhood friends. (Whew!) Yes- another rich orphan boy who is lost for decades only to return to his city to find his company poisoned. Betrayed by people he thought he could trust he must use his abilities and physical prowess to return it to its former greatness. All while seducing a pretty girl next door (who naturally sees the real him) while unveiling the mystery of the season’s big bad and taking that mofo the “F” out. Yes, I said the premise was “simple”. I didn’t say it was original. Then again that is the comic way, so don’t let that derail you. Get on the train The series is a slow brew and takes it’s time to establish the characters and plot threads. While the first few episodes seem to drag a bit, the drama starts to ramp up nicely after episode 3. Admittedly the exploration of the titular character’s powers can be frustrating as it feels like forever before we really see him do any real…

TV Series Review: Iron Fist

2017-04-13

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A not so Marvel-ous Series

A not so Marvel-ous Series - 7

70 7

A fairly solid entry in the shared Marvel (Netflix) Universe, could have been better if it didn't pull it's punches.

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Entertainment / Gaming Author at Geek Node

The possible result of lab experiment gone horribly wrong, a real life Anti-Hero with all of the sarcasm/attitude and non-of-the superpowers. Still tears up each time he sees Arnie lowered into the molten metal. Thinks he is super funny… others beg to differ. Was going to live his life ¼ mile at a time until he converted it to the metric system… and would choose the red pill every time. Driven by Dreams and Fuelled by Passion.