Pilot Review: Iron Fist

Iron Fist (Netflix)
Premiered March 17

I feel like I need to be watching all of these new Marvel series, partly because I know that I’m going to want to follow “The Defenders” when it premieres and won’t want to miss anything from the mythology. While I was completely enthralled with “Jessica Jones” from the first episode, it took me considerably longer to warm to both “Daredevil” and “Luke Cage.” This show, on the other hand, seems markedly different, and much, much less sophisticated and impressive. This introductory exposition felt like it dragged so much, with the nonchalant and mysteriously alive Danny Rand insisting over and over that he was who he said he was while two people from his past refused to even acknowledge the possibility before eventually turning much more sinister, making their intentions to keep his potential existence quiet clear. The one scene in which Danny did something impressive, flipping himself out of the way when a taxi nearly took him out, also felt somewhat forced and out of place, and I can only hope whatever action awaits going forward will be far more convincing and compelling. I feel like I need to give this show another try just to see if there’s anything of interest to be found, but at this point, I’m not at all optimistic given this extremely lackluster and plodding start. No one in the cast did much to help that, and I’m finding Danny more irritating than anything else, hardly what you want to be saying about your main character from the very beginning.

How will it work as a series? We know that there’s more to Danny than he’s letting on and that he is indeed who he says he is, and so I assume we’re going to learn a lot more about what turned him into who he is today and why everyone seems to want him did. It might be a bit interesting, but I’m not sold.
How long will it last? Premiering this show last was probably smart for Netflix since, seeing the dismal reviews that it has gotten across the board, I assume there’s going to settle for Iron Fist being a character on an ensemble show and not getting another showcase season of his own.

Pilot grade: C