Post by N7Pathfinder on Mar 23, 2017 20:19:12 GMT
After finally finishing all 13 episodes just now, I'm just going to say that Iron Fist was actually pretty good. Undeniably flawed (the weakest of the Netflix shows) but still good. The biggest problems I've had was how jumbled the overall story was (i think we got like THREE or FOUR stories worthy of their own seasons) and that the actual Iron Fist itself was a bit underwhelming (I was expecting some kind of hum or spark to show off how powerful it is). There are many criticisms fans have made about the portrayal of Iron Fist, but when you think of them in context of the story it was telling, they actually make sense.
1. Many people are complaining that this Iron Fist is a weak fighter, when in the comics, he was a legendary badass. In context with the story though, it makes a bit of sense that Danny nearly gets killed multiple times. He spend 15 years in Kun-Lun with no real fight other than training. On top of that, he left Kun-Lun before he even finished it. This would be Danny's first time dealing with true mortal combat, and I'm pretty sure a fight to the death is not the same thing as a practice fight (I don't even think they trained against guys with guns). Not to mention, he has a bit of a rage problem. Kung-Fu is all about controlling your emotions allowing you to flow in a battle, but Danny still had pent-up rage in him that distracts him from focus.
2. The Iron Fist wasn't used a lot, which I'm a bit disappointed by, but again, he left before he could even finish his training. Because of that, he can't fully control the fist. A little disappointing, but it still makes sense.
3. There's also the problem with Danny seeming a bit naive, with most people talking about how he idiotically talks about Kun-Lun in the beginning making him sound crazy. Well, it's been 15 years since he's been home, so of course he would be exited to come back. Plus, Danny had been trained by monks, and I'm pretty sure that means he was taught, nay INFUSED WITH, honesty and telling the truth. Even if he could, he naturally wouldn't want to unless it was absolutely necessary. And again, conflicting emotions (I think that's the only thing defending these points)
4. People were upset about Shao Lou not being present and underused, wittled down to only a line. The only excuses I can think of that are budget problems. They had to make do with what they got.
But otherwise, the cast was good, the action was cool. It was...okay. There's only one thing I hated. They had Ward murder Harold, sort of setting him up for a psychotic breakdown or main villain, and then after two episodes bring him back. That has got to be the biggest cop out ever!
But could I have done it better? That I'm not sure about. My idea was to have Danny indeed come back to New York, but like the comics, he's on a quest for vengeance. The first episode has him return to New York, reclaim his place in Rand Enterprises and then get to Harold Meachum (who is not a psychotic immortal anger prone man). There's an interesting talk about why Harold murdered Wendell, with Danny making a hard decision to spare him. But later that night a ninja assassin murders him anyway. So the rest of the season would have been about Danny Rand proving his innocence both to the world and with Joy. This would have involved encountering Master Khan, who in this version would be a warrior for the Hand with mystical powers tied to Kun Lun (is he inhuman? Or something else?). Along the way, he teams up with Colleen Wing and Misty Knight (this not only provides a proper connection to the other shows, but is also accurate to the comics). The whole season would follow Danny's quest for justice while also having him question what it means to be an Iron Fist. In this version, Danny flees Kun Lun before he even finishes training, and he has to deal with a rage problem that gives him trouble summoning the Iron Fist. But, to make it fair, he will mostly be fighting skilled Hand Warriors and not common street thugs, giving him an excuse for being a bit rusty. It also builds up the Hand for their eventual part in The Defenders.
1. Many people are complaining that this Iron Fist is a weak fighter, when in the comics, he was a legendary badass. In context with the story though, it makes a bit of sense that Danny nearly gets killed multiple times. He spend 15 years in Kun-Lun with no real fight other than training. On top of that, he left Kun-Lun before he even finished it. This would be Danny's first time dealing with true mortal combat, and I'm pretty sure a fight to the death is not the same thing as a practice fight (I don't even think they trained against guys with guns). Not to mention, he has a bit of a rage problem. Kung-Fu is all about controlling your emotions allowing you to flow in a battle, but Danny still had pent-up rage in him that distracts him from focus.
2. The Iron Fist wasn't used a lot, which I'm a bit disappointed by, but again, he left before he could even finish his training. Because of that, he can't fully control the fist. A little disappointing, but it still makes sense.
3. There's also the problem with Danny seeming a bit naive, with most people talking about how he idiotically talks about Kun-Lun in the beginning making him sound crazy. Well, it's been 15 years since he's been home, so of course he would be exited to come back. Plus, Danny had been trained by monks, and I'm pretty sure that means he was taught, nay INFUSED WITH, honesty and telling the truth. Even if he could, he naturally wouldn't want to unless it was absolutely necessary. And again, conflicting emotions (I think that's the only thing defending these points)
4. People were upset about Shao Lou not being present and underused, wittled down to only a line. The only excuses I can think of that are budget problems. They had to make do with what they got.
But otherwise, the cast was good, the action was cool. It was...okay. There's only one thing I hated. They had Ward murder Harold, sort of setting him up for a psychotic breakdown or main villain, and then after two episodes bring him back. That has got to be the biggest cop out ever!
But could I have done it better? That I'm not sure about. My idea was to have Danny indeed come back to New York, but like the comics, he's on a quest for vengeance. The first episode has him return to New York, reclaim his place in Rand Enterprises and then get to Harold Meachum (who is not a psychotic immortal anger prone man). There's an interesting talk about why Harold murdered Wendell, with Danny making a hard decision to spare him. But later that night a ninja assassin murders him anyway. So the rest of the season would have been about Danny Rand proving his innocence both to the world and with Joy. This would have involved encountering Master Khan, who in this version would be a warrior for the Hand with mystical powers tied to Kun Lun (is he inhuman? Or something else?). Along the way, he teams up with Colleen Wing and Misty Knight (this not only provides a proper connection to the other shows, but is also accurate to the comics). The whole season would follow Danny's quest for justice while also having him question what it means to be an Iron Fist. In this version, Danny flees Kun Lun before he even finishes training, and he has to deal with a rage problem that gives him trouble summoning the Iron Fist. But, to make it fair, he will mostly be fighting skilled Hand Warriors and not common street thugs, giving him an excuse for being a bit rusty. It also builds up the Hand for their eventual part in The Defenders.
