So, I'm going to side with all those reviewers who liked, enjoyed or even loved this new Marvel superhero TV series.
I actually wasn't going to write a review for this TV series, because I thought my rating would suffice.
But then, I read some of the reviews, and....
You know what? I'm not very proud of being white right now. Seriously. I know, I know, some folks will probably yell something like "Black Propaganda" – or some totally f****ed up sh*.t like this.. Sigh.
I'm sorry, I don't usually curse as much or single out people or reviews, but I literally can't keep quiet about this, right now...
Because. This is just so stupid.
People, like one reviewer, managing to insult gays and people of colour in one sentence. Or others bemoaning the lack of "diversity", since, ya know, only very few characters were white, the majority were POC. Or better yet, people whinging that they did only see black people in the first something minutes and "not a single person of any other race". Like, are they bloody serious?? They watched a whole 20 minutes of I don't know how many hours this series consists of and whinge about there only being black characters. Because, and I paraphrase: America consists of "people of all races" and not just African-Americans?!
Honestly, I'd love to laugh out loud right now if this didn't make me wanna throw up a little bit. Or a lot. I feel stupid even saying this, because this shouldn't have to be said! But here goes:
1. There is like thousands of movies and TV shows of, e.g. American origin, that consist of an all or mainly white cast! So, seeing as America is so diverse with many different races making up its population, where are these people crying for "diversity" then? (And really, there were plenty of "different races" in this series if one cared to watch more than 20 minutes...) And than saying, more or less, "I'm not a racist, but turnabout is fair play"... I'm very sorry, but that is very racist. Like, if you don't understand that, than... well, I don't know. I really hope that people will realise that racism comes in many shapes, and not all of them in the form of flat out hate slurs against other ethnicities. But in the shape of "little, everyday things". Hope dies last, I guess.
2. As I understand it, this whole series plays in Harlem, a major African-American residential, cultural and business center, at least that's what I got from the series and from Wikipedia. So.. you may guess where I'm going with this, right? Right. I guess, considering that little tidbit of information, one might be able to realise that, ah yes, it makes sense that the characters are predominantly POC, ya know? But well, I guess it's like talking to a wall in some cases. Sadly.
_____________________
WELL, I'll stop with my rant here. Sorry people, if you were looking for a simple review without all this nonsense. ;)
Because, this show actually deserves to be rated without going into all this stuff.
I watched this series in more or less one session (hello binge watching^^) -- and that's how good this series was!
The show was totally, absolutely entertaining. Netflix (and Marvel) have produced another hit series, in my opinion. But to be perfectly honest, while I enjoy most comic book film adaption quite a lot, I haven't read any comics in my youth. So, more often than not I go into these things without any knowledge or expectations of the characters or their original storyline.
I can understand, maybe, that some people were a bit disappointed by the lack of a proper, "allmighty villain" who matches or surpasses the heroes strengths in most ways, as seems to be usual for comics... and which was also the case in Jessica Jones or Daredevil, for example.
Here however, the hero is confronted with more than just one bad guy. Although the main villain (or what I perceived to be the main villain in the end) didn't excel in fist fights and physical strength, but in ruthless scheming and plotting and politics, by playing the media like a pro. So, not you're usual comic book villain, I'll give you that. But then again, this villain is a woman, so scheming is much more appropriate for her than the blunt force that men usually seem to prefer in this genre. Well, more than women anyhow. ;) But don't despair, there's plenty of action and fights and blood and guns to be found as well.
So yeah, I was fully engrossed and entertained. Luke Cage, as Jessica Jones is, kind of an anti-hero. Bad past. Treated unfairly by the universe. And still holds on to a heart of gold, a conscience and fights for what's right. So, in short he is a hero who doesn't see himself as a hero.
In my opinion this show was a very well done: a high quality Netflix production with some great acting and a suspenseful plot. I also liked that Claire (from Daredevil and Jessica Jones) played a bigger role in this series, because I really enjoyed her character.
All in all, this series was everything I expected of this Marvel superhero series. Netflix clearly didn't disappoint (me). Maybe, it wasn't as good as Daredevil (especially the 2nd season), but it surely is right up there with Jessica Jones, which I enjoyed immensely as well. (And I actually liked JJ way better after I re-watched the series right before the release of Luke Cage.) I'm really looking forward to the next season!
I actually wasn't going to write a review for this TV series, because I thought my rating would suffice.
But then, I read some of the reviews, and....
You know what? I'm not very proud of being white right now. Seriously. I know, I know, some folks will probably yell something like "Black Propaganda" – or some totally f****ed up sh*.t like this.. Sigh.
I'm sorry, I don't usually curse as much or single out people or reviews, but I literally can't keep quiet about this, right now...
Because. This is just so stupid.
People, like one reviewer, managing to insult gays and people of colour in one sentence. Or others bemoaning the lack of "diversity", since, ya know, only very few characters were white, the majority were POC. Or better yet, people whinging that they did only see black people in the first something minutes and "not a single person of any other race". Like, are they bloody serious?? They watched a whole 20 minutes of I don't know how many hours this series consists of and whinge about there only being black characters. Because, and I paraphrase: America consists of "people of all races" and not just African-Americans?!
Honestly, I'd love to laugh out loud right now if this didn't make me wanna throw up a little bit. Or a lot. I feel stupid even saying this, because this shouldn't have to be said! But here goes:
1. There is like thousands of movies and TV shows of, e.g. American origin, that consist of an all or mainly white cast! So, seeing as America is so diverse with many different races making up its population, where are these people crying for "diversity" then? (And really, there were plenty of "different races" in this series if one cared to watch more than 20 minutes...) And than saying, more or less, "I'm not a racist, but turnabout is fair play"... I'm very sorry, but that is very racist. Like, if you don't understand that, than... well, I don't know. I really hope that people will realise that racism comes in many shapes, and not all of them in the form of flat out hate slurs against other ethnicities. But in the shape of "little, everyday things". Hope dies last, I guess.
2. As I understand it, this whole series plays in Harlem, a major African-American residential, cultural and business center, at least that's what I got from the series and from Wikipedia. So.. you may guess where I'm going with this, right? Right. I guess, considering that little tidbit of information, one might be able to realise that, ah yes, it makes sense that the characters are predominantly POC, ya know? But well, I guess it's like talking to a wall in some cases. Sadly.
_____________________
WELL, I'll stop with my rant here. Sorry people, if you were looking for a simple review without all this nonsense. ;)
Because, this show actually deserves to be rated without going into all this stuff.
I watched this series in more or less one session (hello binge watching^^) -- and that's how good this series was!
The show was totally, absolutely entertaining. Netflix (and Marvel) have produced another hit series, in my opinion. But to be perfectly honest, while I enjoy most comic book film adaption quite a lot, I haven't read any comics in my youth. So, more often than not I go into these things without any knowledge or expectations of the characters or their original storyline.
I can understand, maybe, that some people were a bit disappointed by the lack of a proper, "allmighty villain" who matches or surpasses the heroes strengths in most ways, as seems to be usual for comics... and which was also the case in Jessica Jones or Daredevil, for example.
Here however, the hero is confronted with more than just one bad guy. Although the main villain (or what I perceived to be the main villain in the end) didn't excel in fist fights and physical strength, but in ruthless scheming and plotting and politics, by playing the media like a pro. So, not you're usual comic book villain, I'll give you that. But then again, this villain is a woman, so scheming is much more appropriate for her than the blunt force that men usually seem to prefer in this genre. Well, more than women anyhow. ;) But don't despair, there's plenty of action and fights and blood and guns to be found as well.
So yeah, I was fully engrossed and entertained. Luke Cage, as Jessica Jones is, kind of an anti-hero. Bad past. Treated unfairly by the universe. And still holds on to a heart of gold, a conscience and fights for what's right. So, in short he is a hero who doesn't see himself as a hero.
In my opinion this show was a very well done: a high quality Netflix production with some great acting and a suspenseful plot. I also liked that Claire (from Daredevil and Jessica Jones) played a bigger role in this series, because I really enjoyed her character.
All in all, this series was everything I expected of this Marvel superhero series. Netflix clearly didn't disappoint (me). Maybe, it wasn't as good as Daredevil (especially the 2nd season), but it surely is right up there with Jessica Jones, which I enjoyed immensely as well. (And I actually liked JJ way better after I re-watched the series right before the release of Luke Cage.) I'm really looking forward to the next season!