Jessica Jones: 10 Reasons Why Marvel's Films Simply Can't Compete
8. There's A Clear Human Element
This is just a matter of fact statement - Jessica Jones' writing is on a whole other level from the films'. Complimented by the exemplary performances of Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter and David Tennant to name but some, the ability of these shows to dissect their source material so well, so thoroughly, is just wonderful to see - a fortunate consequence of which is its ability to convey a story grounded in human experience. Daredevil already displayed multiple emotional crescendos (Nelson vs. Murdock a notable highlight), but Jessica Jones took this one step further, really weighing in on themes the MCU's films have deemed mostly to be unworthy of attention. Everyday human relationships, experiences and mental struggles all come to dominate the show's narrative in new and inventive ways, with due sensitivity being given when approaching potentially uncomfortable plot-lines. At the end of the day the MCU needs to be a lot of things for a lot of people, and it would be both unfair and unviable to ostracise such a large portion of potential viewers in the name of solely tackling adult themes, but this doesn't mean it can't tackle at least some of these issues without losing its audience.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
