The Netflix MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) team has produced some of the best series ever. Apart from Iron Fist - which wasn't that highly rated but still enjoyable - the others have seen very positive reception with the high quality series of Daredevil, Jessica Jones & Luke Cage. So, there is a lot of expectation riding on this mini-series that finally brings together the four street-level New York heroes.
While there are some really enjoyable moments within the series, and some memorable scenes, too, I find The Defenders rather disappointing. The high quality storytelling and dialogue (as seen in their respective individual series) is missing. The series kicked on a little in the middle episodes after a very slow start in the first few episodes - but then was disappointing again at the end.
Some of the positives includes the interactions between these main characters. The clash of personality is an interesting aspect of the show. And so is the coming together of the supporting characters from respective shows and the banter they have. The new villain Alexandra (played by the wonderful Sigourney Weaver) is good to an extent - but still lacks that cutting-edge persona. And of course, the action sequences are visually among the best we've seen.
That being said, the storytelling & dialogue is poor. It didn't hook me in and get me invested as much as I did with the other series. The story feels shallow and without spoiling anything, a lot of the plot points only made me confused & annoyed. And those final two episodes also highlights why - despite having a high caliber actress in Sigourney Weaver - the villain in this show is nowhere near the likes of Kingpin or Kilgrave. And by the way, I underlined the word 'visually' in the previous paragraph because while the action looks cool, it didn't feel like it mattered because I wasn't invested enough and it never felt dangerous. Take, for example, the fight between Daredevil and The Punisher where each of the blow felt dangerous and you fear for what happens next. This one does not feel like that at all.
With so much expectations riding on this series, it certainly feels disappointing. There are some cool action sequences & enjoyable moments, but is overall a disappointing set of events to watch...poor storytelling. Among the Netflix MCU, Daredevil S2 remains my personal best & favourite, closely followed by the high quality Jessica Jones S1 & Daredevil S1. Iron Fist S1 is still enjoyable, but Luke Cage S1 & The Defenders S1 are both disappointing for me.
VERDICT: 40 / 100
I would not personally recommend this to anyone, but if you are an avid follower of the Netflix MCU, then it seems that there is no choice for you but to watch it and just try to enjoy the positives and keep your expectations low. Here's hoping The Punisher will be a much better turnout...
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