“Iron Fist” Doesn’t Pack Much Punch
Marvel has finally misfired, and Marvelites are not amused. Iron Fist, the latest Netflix series from the Marvel pantheon, premiered last week with a thud. The star of the series is Game Of Thrones alum Finn Jones. One would think that playing swordmaster Loras Tyrell would make Jones the perfect actor for the role of Danny Rand who wields the power of the Iron Fist. But critics are complaining that Jones' fight scenes are awkward and stultifying.
Critics are also decrying the fact that Jones is Caucasian. The character in the Marvel comic books is Asian-American and fans understandably feel that the series doesn't accurately depict Danny Rand from the get-go. They go even further to say that the show doesn't authentically portray Asian culture and Asian-Americans as a whole.
However, the biggest problem seems to be that there just aren't enough fisticuffs in Iron Fist. There's a lot of stilted dialogue and a noted absence of the frequent, over-the-top action scenes that Marvelites expect.
In today's attention deficit society, a series has little time to wrestle viewers away from their cell phones. Judging from the reviews, Iron Fist could be the first Netflix Marvel series to take it on the chin.