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

5. Some Of The Direction Is Terrible

Defenders Dragon
Netflix

One of the big problems with the action scenes we do get - apart from the choreography - is the lighting. There's some awful direction and camera work in there that makes them incredibly difficult to follow, and at certain points the action is so dark it's incomprehensible (I wondered if this was just me, but it seems to be a problem a number of colleagues have had).

It doesn't just apply to the fight sequences either. At the end of episode 7, when the big reveal is made that it's a dragon skeleton down below Midland Circle (because that makes total sense), the impact is severely lessened when you can't really make out what the thing is.

The show does make some interesting visual choices, most notably and commendably the unique backlighting for each hero. But much of it is so badly lit and shot that it's hard to watch at certain points.

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.