Despite extensive criticism, Marvel’s ‘Iron Fist’ proves entertaining

May 16, 2017 — by Roland Shen

Marvel's 'Iron Fist', despite having some plot holes, proves to be likable and entertaining nevertheless.

In 2013, media giant Marvel struck a deal with Netflix to create multiple web series following the unrealistic but ever-fascinating adventures of their many heroes. For the past few years, Netflix has been producing popular shows including “Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones” and “Luke Cage,” which are all set in New York City and fall under the umbrella show “The Defenders,”  to be released in August.

Netflix once again released another of these highly anticipated series called “Iron Fist” in March. The show follows protagonist Danny Rand, born to a wealthy family and thought to be dead, in his journey of reacquiring the wealth and power that he originally had in New York while also fighting a secret organization of ninjas.

Viewers had high expectations for “Iron Fist” due to the popularity of the past superhero shows, but many critics and viewers alike don’t think the show has lived up to the hype. With a Rotten Tomatoes rating of just 17 percent, “Iron Fist” is the lowest rated show in the entire Marvel-Netflix franchise.

In spite of the tepid reviews, the show does have merit and is thoroughly entertaining, as Rand transforms from rags to riches and faces a legion of ninjas at every corner.

But it wasn’t just the main character and the screenplay choices that made the show great to watch.

The supporting cast of “Iron Fist” may have been the most significant in shaping the show’s atmosphere. Rand’s love interest, Colleen Wing, played by actress Jessica Henwick, gives a much more uplifting mood to contrast with the dark obstacles Rand had to fight in New York.

Despite the many positives the show had, the show received its low ratings for a reason. In the comics, Iron Fist is a master martial artist, someone who can defeat almost anyone in the Marvel Universe. Though the show does have its grand fight scenes and martial arts sequences, the choreography seemed unrealistic and even dull at times.

The story itself also isn’t as polished as it should have been. A few major plot holes in the storyline left fans confused about the timeline of events, and some aspects of the story are introduced but never concluded. For example, mid-season, the show introduces as a cliffhanger a massive, seemingly endless hole in the middle of New York that could have only been created by the show’s main antagonist; instead of following up with the cliffhanger, the hole is never seen from again.

Even with these negative aspects, the show deserves a chance. Every television show comes with mistakes that lead to criticism, but because “Iron Fist” is only in its first season, these mistakes can definitely be fixed in the highly anticipated second season projected to be released in mid 2019.

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