The Defenders (Miniseries) - A RMNT Review

When Netflix first announced that the Marvel superhero character Daredevil was going to have his own television series, I smiled, and when it was released on April 2015, I praised it as a masterpiece. Then on November 2015, Jessica Jones makes her live-action debut, and just like Daredevil, it was superb. Then after the latter series introduced Luke Cage, it was no surprise that he too would have his own series which was released on September 2016, while not as masterfully crafted as the previous two series, it still delivered a solid first season to the yellow shirt-wearing Hero of Harlem. Then last year, on March, Iron Fist makes his live-action debut, and while it received negative reviews from critics and mixed reactions from audiences, I was one of the many who thought that the series had a decent good start, despite its flaws. So now that that the 4 heroes have had their introductions in their respective shows, it was time to have these characters meet and team up to fight a powerful threat! But the question remains: will this succeed?

On August 18, 2017, Netflix releases the long-awaited crossover miniseries titled "The Defenders", which follows Matt Murdock AKA Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Danny Rand AKA Iron Fist as they all come across one another when the Hand, a secret ancient clan that was previously introduced in "Daredevil" and reappeared in "Iron Fist", makes their move as they plan to destroy New York City. Can the four heroes work together while trying to deal with each other's flaws? What is the Hand's grand scheme and why? Can this crossover miniseries beat all expectations?

The Defenders delivered one huge aspect that I've been wanting to see ever since its big announcement perfectly: the chemistry and exchange of banter between the four main characters! Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colton, and Finn Jones all clash amazingly, as it was entertaining, funny, interesting, and well-executed. The way these characters clash and work off each other is memorable and I highly praise each of the leading four's performances for delivering those golden moments. The fight scenes are also impressive as we get to see each character face many foes either individually and as a team, especially from the ending of Episode 3 to the first half of Episode 5. Even Iron Fist's fight scenes have improved well after his series' first season! They’re both exciting and a visual feast! And speaking of visuals, here’s a highlight that I want to comment on, and that of course, is the visual style for each character, for example: in Matt Murdock’s (Daredevil) scenes, you’ll see shades of red, which represents the color of his suit and the color of blood from the times he’s receive injuries and/or given to his enemies, Jessica Jones’s scenes being blue and showing the noir vibe, Luke Cage’s scenes being yellow with hip-hop music playing in the background, Iron Fist’s scenes being green, and finally, Alexandra’s scenes being shot with bright lighting and white decor. Its a visually clever way of capturing the feel and essence of each character from their respective series. However, if you're expecting the main four to get along well from the start as while many feel that its hard to root for the team if they don't have chemistry, you do see it, but not in a way you expect, mostly due to all of them having strong personalities, like Jessica Jones preferring to work along since she has issues with people in general, Luke Cage being accustomed to handling things on his own due to having bulletproof skin to keep others safe, and Daredevil, who's usually a team player, but is also the most experienced of the group, but wanted to avoid doing vigilante work in the first place. But the big issue I have is Iron Fist and some the choices he makes in the later episodes, which can bring frustration since his portrayal is not very well-liked in the first place, and I can get his motivation, it just came off as a bit of a bothersome, but at least improved in the end.

But now, you're already familiar with the four main leads from their respective shows, but cleverly, the first two episodes of the crossover show what the characters have been up since after their respective finales. As for the supportive characters, they make an appearance as well and while they all don't appear as much, they each have their moments in certain episodes from interacting with the leading characters to even having a role in progressing the plot without feeling inconvenient or being left out. There's a scene when they all appear in one shot and it was satisfying and worth the wait, especially from how its framed.

Now that I've spoken about the protagonists and their supportive characters, let's talk about the antagonists. The Hand once again assumes that role after they last appeared in "Iron Fist" and they comeback in full swing, with Alexandra (played by Sigourney Weaver) leading. Alexandra is a mixture of resourceful, powerful and mysterious, which on her own makes for a very interesting villain, but sadly not among the best villains of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Elektra, who (spoilers) supposedly died in the season 2 finale of Daredevil, returns from the dead and works alongside the Hand as part of their grand scheme. Overall, while a dangerous threat to the Defenders, their impact as a whole feels somewhat underwhelming, since the buildup feels somewhat forced to be honest, plus their plan is all around confusing to understand, making the motivation all the less interesting, but still redeemable thanks to the performances.

The plot and story structure feels properly delivered, as it runs for just eight episodes, which is necessary to reintroduce our four main leads, balance their roles, build up to the point of them all meeting for the first time, determining their end game, establish their relationship, along with main plot, action scenes and important character moments and ending. The only critique I can conclude is the underwhelming impact of the Hand's grand plan and certain moments in a couple of fight scenes that look poorly lit, making it difficult to figure out who's fighting who.

In conclusion, "Marvel's The Defenders" was well worth the wait, delivering great performances from the four main leading stars, their interactions with one another, action scenes, unique cinematography, story structure, and good balance of tone, despite a weak execution from the main antagonists and with one of the main characters. With Daredevil renewed for a third season and Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist getting their second seasons, 2018 should definitely be quite the exciting year!

Story: 3.5 / 5

Characters: 3.5 / 5

Production: 4 / 5

Final Rating: 3.5 / 5