Episode 13 spoilers
Spoiler:
During the scene where Bobby finds the evidence folder at the end there is a drawing on the wall that looked like rhino.....who is it supposed to be? Sure it's an easter egg of someone
Finished watching late last night after a lot of beer so just going to write a quick overview without going into specifics. Positives: The music and the cinematography were the outstanding stars of the show for me. Each episode had a feel defined by the music and enhanced by the camera work. For a while I really thought the show was taking place in the 70s and even after I realised it was taking place in the here and now I could lose myself in a Harlem that came straight out of a Shaft movie.
As for the actors, I thought all of them did a good job. Misty, Shades and Pops were outstanding, imo, while Claire killed it, as usual. The rest I liked, but have to admit that compared to DD and JJ I wasn't as blown away. It is very difficult to follow Kingpin, DD, Punisher and Kilgrave as their actors did more than just play the part - they literally brought the characters to life for fans and newcomers alike. In Cage I just didn't get that wow factor.
Which brings me to the negatives. For me, personally, where it fell a bit flat was the writing and the action. Because Cage is such a big, strong guy the action wasn't very exciting. He would just stand there until the bad guys run out of bullets and then walk forward, pick them up and throw them into a wall. I get that it is more realistic that way but especially after the adrenaline-fueled fighting scenes from DD and DD2 the action felt unimaginative.
As for the story... Again, just not very exciting or imaginative. I get that it is a metaphor for Black Lives Matter or something else very political and socially aware and that everything is symbolic of something else very important - but it also wasn't very fun to watch. At least JJ had a pretty decent detective story with a lot of twists and turns that made it unpredictable and therefore enjoyable to watch.
Maybe that's why I liked Shades so much. Instead of trying to be a symbol for black oppression, or childhood abuse, or girl power he was just trying to get an organisation running professionally. While everybody else had emotional handicaps and personal vendettas he was a true professional trying his best to just do his job.
Final verdict? Not bad, but not my favourite either. Quite frankly, as much as I am a fan of Luke Cage (he's always been one of my favourite characters) I think I would rather just watch The Last Dragon again.
I just finished watching it and I quite enjoyed it. Another solid MCU property. I still like Daredevil more overall, but there is plenty to like about Luke Cage. The music, the way it was shot, and the whole atmosphere they had going. I thought most of the characters were solid, and that the action was entertaining enough.
Admittedly, some of the scenes where Luke was going through thugs got a bit redundant, but I still enjoyed most of it. As to some other criticism, how is it that the longest episode is easily the most boring? Episode 9 was mostly just
Spoiler:
Misty's interrogation room therapy session, and Luke stumbling around Harlem while bleeding from Judas wounds. Only the last maybe 5-10 minutes was actually worth it.
I could go into more pros and cons, but I don't feel like writing an entire essay right now. But one thing that I will say is this. I felt Luke Cage did a way better job than any of the other Netflix shows so far in one big regard. Daredevil had a few hints of the broader universe, and JJ had barely any acknowledgement of the rest of the world these characters live in, but Luke Cage, despite being set in Harlem, really felt like part of the same universe the likes of Iron Man, Cap etc. inhabit.
Originally posted by carthageSpoiler:
Cage totally held back against Stryker, lolAll and all great series, and as expected Marvel's Netflix series are amazing.
10/10
Well, he did tell him
Spoiler:
to stop before he really had to hurt him. And when he finally got fed up in the end, he gave Willis a hit hard enough to put him in traction, despite the HAMMER suit he was wearing. But it looks like Diamondback will return, and likely with powers.
And on that note, gotta love Shades. "What you talking about, Willis?" 😆
Originally posted by -Pr-
So anyway, just finished Luke Cage. Have to say I really liked it. The "real" villain, while not being as engaging as Tennant, was still plenty damn good on their own.Cage himself was a far more engaging character to me than Jessica Jones. While I consider JJ to be the weakest of the Marvel Netflix stuff so far, it's not exactly bad, but what lets it down is the central character to me. She's too edgy almost to the point where it's thrown in your face. Cage is far more subtle, which is a nice contrast to how ridiculously over the top the action is, even if it is not as often as I would like.
The action itself is great, and does a really good job of showing off super-strength and durability, imo.
I've seen people comment on there being a lot of politics in the show, but tbh I thought it worked well.
All in all, a good show, and makes me eager to see what comes next.
Wish there'd been a bit more crossover, but I get that the show has to stand on its own.
I think they missed out some golden opportunities for guest appearances. For instance, it would have been so great to see Matt Murdock represent Cage against the false charges, plus it would have helped start the Defenders vibe. Like I said, to me this has been the weakest of the Marvel Netflix so far in terms of plot and action - it just seemed to plod along. Having Matt team up with Cage and Claire for an episode would have been a great way to raise the energy and change the dynamic a bit.
Anyway, I'm quite curious to see what they are going to do with Iron Fist now...
Originally posted by Mindset
You're wrong.
u know what, i have to admit, the Cotton Mouth character became a lot more interesting from middle to the end of the series. I felt the first few episodes, the actor was still trying to get a foot hold on the character, but later on, he really embodies the character in a more organic, natural fashion. Finished it about half an hour ago, i gotta say it was a pretty good series. Good addition to the netflix marvel lineup!
Overall enjoyed it, story wasn't as good as Jessica Jones and it suffered from bad pacing several times, but still worth watching if you're a Marvel or superhero fan.
Cottonmouth was a solid villain, Diamondback not so much. His anger/rage seemed overly forced and
Spoiler:
the final fight was a let down
Am looking forward in seeing Cage return in 'Marvel's The Defenders' next year.
The show was okay overall. I think Luke would habe did well Witterung some more super hero stuff in his series considering that the show plays out in a way where it could blend easily with the rest of the MCU. Also seeing Luke casually lord over mooks kind of became redundant. Also the use of the 70's motiff soundtrack became a bit silly in certain scenes.
