Marvel's The Defenders Review: 5 Ups And 7 Downs

6. Underwhelming Action

The Defenders Daredevil Luke Cage Iron Fist Jessica Jones Elektra
Netflix

The Netflix Marvel Universe has become known, among other things, for its action sequences. These are shows that bring us plenty of superhero fight scenes, whether good or bad, and it was a reasonable assumption that The Defenders - what with four heroes and just eight episodes - would follow suit.

Unfortunately, the action is pretty thin on the ground. The series opens with a badly lit fight, we get the first Defenders fight at the end of episode 3, and a few more scrapes along the way after that.

There aren't enough action sequences, but even with the ones we do get there's nothing to really make them stand out or electrify us in the way Daredevil's have done previously. The hallway set pieces, which were once so exciting, now just feel like they're in there because they have to be, and the rest is pretty underwhelming too (so maybe it's actually a good thing there's not more of it).

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.