Luke Cage

Season 1 – 80% – The most problematic Marvel series on Netflix, which suspiciously pretended to be an unnecessary contribution to the perfectly assembled mosaic for a long time. But the fact that Luke is known to us thanks to his significant involvement in Jessica Jones' story is not a hindrance, but rather the biggest asset. His passion and tough unwavering attitude come across naturally and fit perfectly into the ruthless environment of Harlem. The local atmosphere, full of gangsters, corruption, rap, and jazz, quickly engulfs the viewer in a labyrinth with no way out, allowing them to forget, at least partially, about the unnecessarily slow pace of the second half. The supporting characters also remain a huge plus, with detective Misty, portrayed by Simone Missick, growing closest to my heart in her suggestive performance. Season 2 – 60% – Almost every series from the local universe is accompanied by complaints about the number of episodes and their length every year. I have never agreed with such objections, but this time (and maybe for the last time) I have to agree. Thirteen episodes are unbearable in this case, each shot drags on endlessly, the abundance of banal dialogue or monologues exceed the timing of the reveal, and the plotlines could easily fit into half the space, even though there is still plenty to tell. The first wave of bloodthirsty enemies is gone, leaving behind the second, fragmented one. In one part, it brings a lot of incomprehensible accents accompanied by unlistenable reggae, and the face of a fierce warrior, while in the other part, it presents an old group of misfits, led once again by Mariah, the most affected, overacted, and ultimately worst negative character in the entire Defenders universe. Subjectively, it seemed to me that she had almost as much screen time as Luke himself, who went through an unnecessary change. While in the first season he carried ancient scars and the resulting traumas with honor, now the writers added some kind of "inner rage" to him, which drives away allies and loved ones and often leads him to questionable decisions if not outright bad ones. His strength as the stoically calm muscle of Harlem is significantly dulled, and with insufficient space for my favorite Misty, there remains only one true positive point. Shades. This slippery snake, about whom I pondered throughout the previous season whether I liked him or not, suddenly effortlessly becomes the king of the whole series. Whether he is hatching more schemes, pursuing personal goals, or simply facing the consequences of his decisions, Theo Rossi shines with every mischievous smile. It's a bit sad that it's not the titular hero, but the unpredictable Mr. Alvarez, that keeps me wishing for the bleak world of restless rhythms and voices to return to the screen someday. Because, indeed, I understand the creative intent behind the mob-inspired finale, but the bitter aftertaste still stings. (18.03.2017)

Marvel and Netflix blaxploitation in the form of an excellent miniseries (with an excellent soundtrack), which is, however, to its own detriment sadly fragmented into thirteen-episode format. Especially the second half has poorer quality and is based on to excessive level that does not correspond to the first half. Although Cage and Misty can drive the movie in many weak moments, but they noticeably lack a good opponent. The bad guys are not explicitly only a makeweight without potential, but they are either insipid (Cottonmouth) or conceived in a way I don’t like (Diamondback), let alone when backed by Fisk and Kilgrav. It's definitely not bad, but it's the weakest (albeit still decent) movie of "Marflix's" television universe. (02.10.2016)

Season 2 like the black Godfather. What was originally a stripped-down comic book adaptation has become a wholesome gangster drama, with a fantastic bad guy (Bushmaster!) who cuts the heads off his opponents, but by the end you're rooting for him to take down that bitch Mariah (played brilliantly by Alfre Woodard). Towards the end, the line between good and evil blurs, just like in life, where everything is relative. Mike Colter is charismatic to the bone, I like his calm acting which exudes strength. Again I must single out Bushmaster aka Mustafa Skahikr and his classy jamasta which really grew on me. Add to that the ubiquitous jazz, blues and here and there decent hip-hop and a strange, sad atmosphere, which is unusual for a comic book adaptation. Towards the end, Coppola's The Godfather is even quoted in one shot; the creators were aware of exactly what their work was reminiscent of. I'm really sorry it's not going to continue. (17.07.2019)

Yes, it is certainly the weakest addition to the MCU TV series, especially within Netflix, but it still has high production values that many TV creators can only dream of. The result is somewhat sluggish and more stretched out than ever before. However, Mike Colter as Luke convinced me back in Jessica Jones, and I was quite looking forward to his solo series. Cottonmouth, Diamondback, and that peculiar Hawaiian guy will go into the list of ordinary MCU villains, although they won't be right at the top because the first mentioned one still entertained me occasionally despite having little space. But my absolute favorite is Simone Missick and her fearless Misty Knight, whom I hoped for a comeback in any Defenders series while watching, and I am glad it happened, even though she didn’t catch my interest right from the start. Overall, except for a few completely filler episodes in the middle, I enjoyed it decently, and in the second season, the showrunners intervened more decisively in the choreography of action scenes, so it was actually pretty good. I'm just a little disappointed that the second season ended so openly at a glance and then got canceled... 7/10 (12.02.2019)