The Defenders Early Reviews: 10 Critical Reactions You Must See

3. Too Much Talking, Not Enough Action

"There is a lot of talking. Backstories, what happened between when we last saw these characters and now, who the villains are—everything is shown and told. While the banter is lovely and a single villain speech would be acceptable, there seems to be a fear that viewers would be completely lost if every bit of the story wasn’t explained out loud." - Gizmodo

"Don’t let the recent trailers fool you into thinking the show is action-packed. There are good sequences, but they are scattered. And that is fine, so long as what’s in between doesn’t drag. But halfway through, the show is still figuring out how to balance its four heroes and the Hand, and how to tell these stories in a way that is both fun and compelling." - Collider

It was genuinely surprising how little action there was in Iron Fist, and it seems like The Defenders unfortunately follows suit, doubling down on exposition-laden dialogue and not simply allowing the audience to interpret more initially subtle elements on their own.

The result is that there's less time for fighting, and though most of the action so far (especially the much-hyped hallway fight) has been widely acclaimed, it seems that those hoping for a relentless parade of superhero set-pieces may find themselves somewhat underwhelmed.