Former law enforcement officer Carl Lucas is accused of a crime he allegedly did not commit. A man goes to jail. The truth of his words the viewer will never know. There will be no hint, which is strange.
Whatever it was, black boogie Carl, trying to survive in a new world for himself, where the law is above everything and that is why the chief overseer of this "correctional" institution profits from fights without rules in the same prison, additionally putting peculiar experiments on the losers. By coincidence, Charles was involved in these fights. At first, he shows success, but, nevertheless, finds himself in the test bed. And a miracle! - The experience goes well. Carl acquires impenetrable skin and unprecedented strength. In a word, a terminator. Without thinking twice, Carl punches a hole in the wall and runs wherever his eyes look.
In the wild, he changes his name to Luke Cage, gets a dishwasher in an elite institution in Harlem, while working as a janitor in a hairdresser. And it would be nothing, but criminal activity, which in blessed America is not, draws him into his squabbles. Luke begins to give bad guys the back of the head, constantly changing the sweaters shot from bullets.
This is a very brief and incomplete backstory to introduce to the course.
Well, this is a typical comic book film, where the next person without hard work gets super-power and begins to endlessly and unsuccessfully bring justice.
Due to another economic crisis, the global liberal system is failing. Inflation, rising prices, cuts in social spending, layoffs, and increasing military conflicts around the world are all giving people a sense that something is wrong with the world. Hence, there is a demand for, at least, accentuating this problem in the cinema. This project, like many others, raises the issue. Over the course of two seasons, you’ve heard about a system that doesn’t work. And of course, the authors see the solution to this problem in the eradication of bad people. The authors stubbornly do not see the reason for the appearance of these people, or rather they may see, but they cannot demonstrate, because they cannot. You can not bite the paw that feeds them, so at the exit, the viewer must again soak up idealistic slur about the imperfect, but the only true and correct capitalist system. Separately amusing fact that the series received an MTV award nomination in the category "best fight against the system".
If nothing else was presented in the series, it could be on the level of disposable and forgotten similar projects. However, "Luke Cage" is - it is mostly immersed in the trash, but 1/3 is visible on the surface. Unfortunately, this part can not be separated from the base, so it is in this form that this show can be immortalized.
It's about the entourage of the series. Her black themes with their music and other pop culture don't give me the right to chop off my shoulder. The collective author’s handwriting is clearly visible, which stands out against the background of similar creations with this superhero theme. In addition, one way or another, a very watchable plot, so the show still gets indulgence from me. Pity the third season did not happen, and the ending of the second was on the one hand the most strange, and on the other quite intriguing.
Although, I will take a point for unjustified intrigue, because it is useless to plan a project without being sure that the viewer will be able to see the end.
6 out of 10
Too much empty dialogue. The series does not have enough dynamics.
The series did not live up to expectations, because on the one hand it is replete with boring and uninteresting dialogues of people with an IQ of about 90, and on the other hand, there are not enough action scenes in the series about a superhero. Heroes are constantly chatting and talking about all sorts of minor things. For Cage, the description is perfect - the power is, but the mind is not necessary. Cage is a low-intelligence magnate who runs away from his past and cannot solve his own problems in life, but at the same time tries to help save others and solve global problems of society and the system, solve the problems of other people. The brain endures its irrationality, complexity and inability to use its super-powers intelligently. He is poorly versed in people, unable to calculate the strategy of action for many moves forward, often acts impulsively for what and pay everyone around. Therefore, he is constantly manipulated by women and people from the environment, and he only manages to save them all and obscure them with his bulletproof skin. The behavior of the characters of the series is replete with beaten American claws, advertising booze, corruption and criminal lifestyle.
Marvel successfully created an offshoot of the main storyline with the Avengers and won over fans with an experimental pack of stories about superheroes for the “oppressed”: a woman, a black man, a disabled person and an orphan with an Asian touch. And even despite the fact that the second seasons of all “Defenders” and the crossover itself with all at once are somewhat weaker than the initial launches, I am still interested in the story as a viewer. Plus, for the number of hours I watched them, sports interest has already turned on, to find out how the story unfolds now. The second season of Luke Cage, suddenly, turned out to be absolutely my genre! Keep the stamp!
Criminal noir drama in the style of all sorts of gangster stories, but in the world of Marvel. The series, where Negroes are called niggers, are obscene and from the standard plot moves build a slender arc of changes in the characters of the characters - here you can not especially love the style itself, but be impressed with the courage of the creators. The dialogue of Luke and Misty Knight with everyone around them somewhat outweighs the pathos and moralization that caught herself with a persistent desire to fall asleep three times per episode, but noir is possible. Probably. Sounds like a nice genre. On the other hand, there are cool and spectacular technical fights and shootouts. It was so exciting that I forgot to keep track of the technical aspects, as I do when watching it almost always. Thank you to the creators of the season for the moments when I was just a spectator again. I would even love to watch the season if it was not 13 episodes, but at least 4. Because everything that was told in 13 hours is completely calm, even in one small feature film you can fit. Unfortunately, the drawbacks to the stretching and sagging of the narrative do not end and questions remain about the motivations of a whole pack of heroes: what really drew Shades to Mariah, when she constantly wiped her feet on him? Did the authors understand that they wanted to invest in the heroine of Tilda as a daughter rejected by her mother? Wouldn’t the writers want to complicate the character of Bushmaster at least a little? well, there were already complex and contradictory villains, even Mariah was cut off with a large number of character traits. Why couldn’t the main antagonist be made more complex and attractive? Is this some kind of special revenge on Jamaica? At the same time, it should be noted that the season had a common guiding idea with the struggle of good and evil inside you. It is easy to read even to unsophisticated viewers (or teenagers, for example) and has been beautifully raised in every episode. Simple, but for an experimental story for a black chuperhero - adequate.
Only in the final episode did blood flow from the eyes and ears from cosmically inappropriate scenes with vocal numbers. Singing Tilda was beyond good and evil. You need to remember the director of the last episode and not watch his/her work afterwards.
The first season of the third series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Netflix is divided into two parts, each of which could be a separate season, so as not to delay the project. In the first half of the plot, everything is very cool - blood, murders, boobs, etc. attributes of the adult age rating are flawlessly complemented by colorful music at the Harlem Paradise club. Here we are introduced to all the characters, and this is quite an interesting acquaintance, if we talk about the events in the prison “Seagate”, which previously remained behind the scenes.
Of course, and there are some drawbacks, at least this is the most “black” series I’ve seen in the last few years. Basically, if all the blacks here are replaced by whites and vice versa, I guarantee another racist scandal. And women like Black Mariah and Misty Knight are not pretty. However, Mahershala Ali in the role of Cottonmouth pulled out the first half of the season, he is beautiful. True, I’ve always been close to 2Pac, but I still admit that the Notorious B.I.G. poster in Harlem looks more appropriate.
The second part of the season, unfortunately, instantly lost all its drive and style, sliding into the family showdowns of impoverished African-American criminals. Shades here is perhaps the only bright spot, but he is weak. There's also, of course, Rosario Dawson, who brings together all the series from Netflix - cute. Well, and a number of cool cameos, among which I most remember Method Man from Wu-Tang Clan with a full-fledged track, impeccably lying on the video and plot.
The staging of fights, including the final fight, was a blatant hoax, it was a shame to watch. The main villain is ugly, ridiculous and pathetic, and this cancels out all attempts to turn him into a “cool” with a religious background, since it is impossible to empathize with him, and instead of fear, his whining about childhood causes only boredom. In general, the series can be seen, but only as part of the cinematic universe, because I have not seen such a talentless leak quite interesting at first project.
7 out of 10
When I watched the show, I always wondered if Marvel was serious. Really Netflix?
Yeah, good idea. The atmosphere of the bottom was also beautiful.
But my God, every minute is a set of cliches. Evil Negroes who call each other niggers and don't let others. Stupid laughter ' villain' which does not cause fear or tension, but simply amazes with its irrelevance and absurdity. The main character is a black knight without armor, who even left alone with the unarmed main villain, humiliating and insulting him, just gets upset, and goes to sadness. Cage's constant attempts to escape, and the miraculous appearance of the people who will stop him. The most stupid dialogue between the bandits ' Negative heroes who became so because of their difficult childhood.
Watching the series has to be through force - so predictable and uninteresting.
After Jessica Jones and Daredevil, watching Luke Cage leaves a murky and nasty residue.
After the Defenders crossover, which was so heavily criticized that it was abandoned on the miniseries without the right to continue, Luke returned to Harlem to help people. Again, the narrow position of the hero and the cliché. The first series bring boredom, not excitement from watching. Stupid villains, petty biscuits who try to shoot the hero of Harlem, beat him and throw all sorts of objects – this is stupid. I don’t even know for which audience. Netflix and Marvel have made an adult project. But against the background of serious topics, particles of childish nonsense skip.
After the reign of the Cottonmouth, Mahershala Ali came out ... lunar and took the Oscar, and his place was taken by Mustafa Jacqueer. I know you don't care about the names of some black guys, but why? The season trailer impressed that Cage was kicked ass, but the series takes this action very primitively. When the viewer is tired of watching Mike Colter with a “pokerface” throws enemies to the sides and bluntly sticks forward to the camera operator, the series gives something that can demolish the course of events. It was necessary, although it looked cartoonish.
What about the main tie? Mafia rule in the area comes to a showdown between some niggers and others, the devil they still do not play a role. The motive of the enemy is clear and, it is well began to reveal, but the war for the territory, the constant shooting and confusion of the police is not surprising. I've seen it before, it's no longer fun. The new enemy is Bushmaster. After childhood episodes, it becomes quite interesting to follow the plot.
Luke, after receiving the “lule”, becomes on the path of mind-mind, not brute force. And not only Cage, but the whole tone as a whole is different from the initial. How to defeat a strong enemy? Luke's invincible, but there's always a bigger fish. They created this topic, while missing the main thing – in the battles for the territories, the plot begins to awaken. The intrigue leads to the fact that you are not interested in Luke, and how the corrupt authorities, bandits and honest policemen will behave is a completely different matter.
Unforeseen events come to the end, and the last scene can turn the formed image of Cage. Flashbacks with Bushmaster make a new impression on the character. Let's get rid of gangs and cops. Luke's changing. That's nice. The hero realizes the scale of the tragedy, understands that he cannot save everyone, begins to reason, and not break all obstacles with his fists. It seems that sometimes it is useful to get fashion.
What about the references? The series reminds us that it is one universe. Characters wander from Daredevil to this product. Priyato surprised the Iron Fist, especially when the phrase from the comic book about these same heroes for hire is mentioned. The directors of the series are different, this is noticeable in the productions of the general plan. What's the sequel? The series showed that brute force is not always useful, that you need to think with your head.
The second season was more humane and diverse, though that was added. Suddenly, there was an interest in the past of heroes and villains, new facts became available, which in the end were able to pack carefully.
I watched the first season and started watching the second. ' Luke Cage' originally liked the non-standard approach to demonstrating the forces of the main character. Now there are so many superheroes on the big screen that the spectator cannot be captured by special effects alone. Only if you don't do another 'The Avengers' But the series about the hero of Harlem is not about this at all, it is just good and unique in that the shooting is almost chamber, the scenes are the same, the budget is modest, and there are no aliens from space.
Surprisingly, this is the case when you watch series after series because of the interesting charisma of the protagonist and... probably because of the unusual musical accompaniment. Here, perhaps, I will immediately say that these are two indisputable pluses ' Luke Cage', and even if you do not like everything else, at least this series can even be watched in the background and do not worry that missed another stretched dialogue. They talk a lot, in fact so much that sometimes you sit and wait, well, when there is a fight or a shootout, well, at least some. The movie is kind of like a super-man from a cool neighborhood.
But in general, this series is primarily about the device of Harlem, the features of the criminal world and the rather gloomy existence of the main character. I really liked the first season, but the second one is boring. As soon as they told what Cage's trick is, what his weaknesses are, and that he is basically the new proclaimed Harlem defender, interest from series to series subsided. Interesting skirmishes of the hero with the endless gangsters no longer became. But it turns out that he has not one serious opponent-scoundrel. I think in the future, the hero of Colter could finally be given some weapons and more ferocious enemies.
Then there could be a new kind of Blade, which has not been heard of for a very long time. Watch more, for example, season 3, about the adventures of Cage in the same area, I will hardly. Of the minuses, I can note the abundance of dark scenes, generally rather gloomy scenery. There is some charm for a leisurely musician in this, and Rosario Dawson decorates the picture. However, it is the dynamics that I would like more. Fortunately, the authors compensate for the slow narration with irony, there are quite a lot of scenes in the series that seem to ridicule various gangster and superhero action films... you expect that now there will be a hurricane action, and instead of it, bang! and the scene is over. Overall, an interesting series.
You never know what to expect. Especially in a world not yet used to the presence among us ' men with hammers' and ' men in iron suits' But all this is the center of great America, what do people in other cities who know about them firsthand? Basically, no one does anything by refusing to believe it. But when superhumans become part of the crowd, panic and fear of ignorance engender. The city of Harlem, ' the capital' of a black people, was no exception and acquired its own Defender.
Luke Cage is already the third superhero from the “No. 39; common people” & #39; and a member of the future team of the upcoming series ' Defenders'. Its unique feature is impenetrable skin and accelerated regeneration. His adventures will be quite slightly different in spirit from ' Jessica Jones' and ' Daredevil' with which ' Luke Cage' looks on the same level.
The city of Harlem is drowning in crime. Crowds of enemies of famous mafiosi are ready to take the city by storm, to bring it to its knees. Enemies do not sleep, reprisals are tough, as is competition. The state of the city is completely hopeless, if we assume that its inhabitants have come to terms with this. The Stokes family (Elfrey Woodart and Mahershal Ali) have their own plans in Harlem, both managing and driving it to the bottom, flooding it with illegal arms and drug trafficking. But someone will dare to stand up to them. And on the way ' that someone' better not to stand. . .
Luke Cage (Mike Colter) is a superhero. He is not only black, but also impenetrable at all! But that doesn't make him anything incredible. If we recall previous works of Netflix about superheroes, we understand that we are not so much spectacular fights, but a deep disclosure of characters. Cage cannot be called correct, as he learns the basics of superhero existence. He has a difficult past, which is why there are large-scale problems. That's the whole point - the main enemy of the impenetrable, and because of this almost invulnerable, the superhero - the past. And not just him.
Each character in the course of events will change, someone for the better, someone for the worse. This is the fault of past heroes. Luke Cage will find evil, relying solely on his soul demons. Cornell Stokes (aka Cottonmouth) is a villain from a sad confluence of circumstances related to the events of his cruel family; he dreamed of the fate of the musician, but an adamant and cruel mother decides his fate differently. Mariah Dillard is the daughter of the same mother, who became a talented lawyer and later an adviser to the city of Harlem, from which she benefits. Luke realizes that Harlem’s past evils and his past are connected, but only through another person. The Diamond Snake (Eric Laray Harvey) appears here as a resentful mafia with the resources to develop serious weapons for all.
The entire cast worked very professionally, which is why the characters they play are very charismatic and ambiguous. The action is dynamic and not sagging (the exception for me was episode 9). But the icing on the dark cake will be the atmosphere of the series. The stunning balance of black and gold immerses in the atmosphere of rich and dangerous corners of the underworld, constantly plays a good soundtrack that complements the picture, because of which the musical part becomes an integral part of the unfolding action.
'Luke Cage' - a good continuation of the originals about the heroes of the future squad 'Defenders'. The series is completely without pathos and uninteresting moments, at some points its main enemy is the protracted narrative. But this compensates for a number of significant advantages: a good plot, stunning camera work and editing, the original soundtrack and charismatic actors. One wish for the future, so that there is no shame for the future crossover, since the 3rd series as we are told from the screen that something large-scale is coming.
At one time, Netflix series based on Marvel comics made a big splash. First the reference Daredevil, then Jessica Jones with a noir atmosphere and a chic villain, played by David Tennant. I finally got to the show, which began to shake the mountain that Netflix climbed after Daredevil. Ladies and gentlemen, Luke Cage.
Luke Cage is an ordinary guy who works as a janitor in the hairdresser “Daddy’s”. And this guy also has unbreakable skin. And he decides to fight crime in Harlem after one incident. Is it possible to make a movie or a TV series about a man who can’t get shot and can break through a wall? This series shows that yes, you can. Luke has his skeletons in his closet, he is not one hundred percent correct, but still he has his own character, albeit quite typical. He is also opposed by several antagonists, who also have their own history and problems. We will talk about them below.
Like Jessica Jones, there's one actor in Cage who really stands out, and that's Mahershala Ali. This guy gives a first-class acting, he was, in my opinion, one of the few bright spots of the movie “Moonlight”. The rest of the actors are good, but they do not reach the level of Ali. The worst was played by Eric Laray Harvey. His character is already quite comical, but if you add constant replays, it comes to absurdity.
Since I'm talking about Eric Harvey, it's worth noting that with the arrival of his character, the series has sunk. It’s not so much to do with this actor as it is to do with the fact that the series has been picking up pace for half the season, and then in the middle that tempo is lost. The series becomes terribly uneven, and the last series breaks all the storylines and hastily completes everything the characters were going to. Don’t get me wrong, but if you have a non-linear plot that should neatly converge at one point, you should not sharply intertwine them and dismiss the remaining “unnecessary”.
By the way, as in Jessica Jones, fights look funny and ridiculous, but sometimes, very rarely, bribes originality.
Luke Cage has his own atmosphere. Harlem is perfectly shown on the screen, and, oddly enough, the practically invulnerable man does not seem superfluous there. Add to this all the selected music and get Harlem and its inhabitants in all its glory.
Luke Cage is not a bad show. He has a good first half of the season, Mahershala Ali, atmosphere and a good story about the struggle of a bulletproof New Yorker with crime. Besides, the series was able to surprise me, I thought that nothing worthwhile would come out of it. If you are interested in the advantages that I noted, then I recommend watching, otherwise I do not recommend.
The problem of Superman overtook Luke Cage. He's an absolutely flat character. Black good with fists, all so positive and intelligent, bulletproof and invulnerable. Therefore, when the first series Cage refuses to use his powers to the fullest or can not stupidly come and fail everyone, I want to scream: You are a bulletproof, untouchable, super-strong Negro! Go and kick their ass!
Because that's what you expect from a hero with powers. So that he, under cool music, heroically and for hire, scattered bandits left and right ... It happens, but only occasionally. Otherwise, “Luke Cage” is an even action with an excellent soundtrack and a boring plot, where you can see in places how it was artificially smeared into several episodes. If the series had not been so long, it would have been better.
And it's not for everyone. "Luke Cage" raises questions that interest only a certain part of the population. You have to either be African-American or love African-Americans and know their history in America. And you have to understand a whole layer of Western culture, from rap and jazz to black rights activists. Only in some places I am close to this, which affects the perception.
Of course, that doesn’t make the series bad. Luke Cage played surprisingly well on adult themes. Adults not in terms of sex or violence, but in terms of subtext. There's racism and phobias and politics. In some places, sinful deeds will begin and biblical references are available.
And to be clear, “Luke Cage” came out ambiguous, not the most interesting, but viewing does not make you fidget in your chair with boredom and listen to monologues, reading the news feed in another tab. Thank you for the quality and meaning of these dialogues, the music, the atmosphere. Perhaps it would be worth reducing the number of episodes, as they did in “The Punisher”, and then the hero of Harlem would reveal himself from a much more profitable side.
This series can not be called bad, in the nineties such a series would become a cult hit and would break all the patterns. But in 2016, watching it is a bore of death. I had to force myself to watch it (well, it’s part of the Marvel universe, the Jessica Jones sequel and the Defenders prequel).
My TV could not cope with the image of blacks in dark alleys, listening to the chatter of black bandits is not interesting, as is the boastful gangsta rap.
There are also questions in the plot: where were the Avengers and Daredevil, state special services like SHIELD hiding? Luke Cage beat two police officers on camera, committed lynching, destroyed other people's property, but the police with a happy look let him go and do not interrogate.
Watch only for fans of procedurals and criminal dramas
The series is based on the story of a character created by Archie Goodwin and John Romita Sr.
Luke Cage is an ordinary guy who works several jobs to make ends meet. In principle, the ordinary life of any American, and not only. But Luke was not like everyone else, he, as in the comics, had an unbreakable skin, obtained as a result of an experiment that was conducted on him in prison.
He lives in Harlem and doesn't get into anything, hoping to stay in the shadows. Until one day a man named Kotelmut kills Papa, the only one who believed in and helped Luke Cage, supported him. And then Luke decides to come out of the shadows, to intervene in the affairs of the underworld. Do what the police can't do.
The role of Luke Cage was played by Mike Colter, who has already appeared on the audience’s court in the series ' Jessica Jones' well, it was there that we first met Luke. Pleasant appearance and good physical form perfectly allowed Mike to get used to the role, although it can not be said that he particularly shone with acting talent.
Of the negative characters, I will probably highlight Shades (Theo Rossi), whether spectacular appearance, or acting talent, made Shades the most unusual villain of the whole universe & #39; Defenders' he was even better than Fisk. Shades was so dangerous that he seemed to be the kind of puppeteer who stood in the shadows and pulled the strings.
Claire (Rosario Dawson), probably the only visible thread that connects the universe ' Defenders' Netflix channel. She first appeared in 'Daredevil', then flashed in 'Jessica Jones' and then spectacularly showed up to visit 'Luke Cage' I think she will not bypass 'Iron Fist' Claire is a positive character who always elicits a smile and respect. She fights for the right cause, even when it seems that there is no way out.
It shows the brutality of the streets, especially where black people live. The struggle for power, for life, for freedom. Everything, as in life, the strongest subdue or destroy the weakest. If you show weakness, you will be torn. Luke decided to change the game and make Harlem a better place by fighting for those who need him and becoming their hero. He does not wear a mask or hide his name. Everyone knows who Luke Cage is and where to find him.
With each episode, you realize that life in the United States is not as rosy as it is portrayed. Perhaps that’s what’s interesting about the series, that it shows the other side of the coin. Although the plot is based on comics, I don’t think it’s that far from reality. And I mean, not Luke's superpower, but how violent the streets of New York are.
7 out of 10
In my opinion ' Luke Cage' the series is beautiful in its atmosphere. I’ve heard him scolded for being slow, and the audience don’t understand why this series needs dialogue inserts about which actor is better or which team plays basketball better. It all works for me. For me, it creates a beautiful aesthetic atmosphere. I don’t like all-out action, for me, these dialogues partly revealed the characters, and partly helped to believe in them. Beautiful music, unhurried atmosphere, elaborate characters: not unambiguously good, not definitely bad. In my opinion, it was all right.
Unfortunately, closer to the middle of the series began to sag a little. It was at that moment when the plot part of the series went on that he began to lose his appeal to me. In the beginning, it was a series about corruption, about organized crime, which at the same time tries not to go beyond the limits, about politics. In the beginning, it was something new for me. It was like watching a superhero 'The Wire'. And damn it, that was cool! It was fascinating.
But Luke's fight with his crazy brother, it's a little out of my mind. It sounds like a typical superhero. It's not that interesting to me anymore. But the series was still well done. And it was a pleasure to watch. That's just nice.
Anyway ' Luke Cage' a good series. I like all the characters, which is great. That is, regardless of whether the character is positive or negative, you can see a person in it. And every hero at some point is empathetic. In ' Luke Cage' really good humor. And it is more closely traced the connection with 'Cinematic Universe Marvel' In 'Jessica Jones' and 'Daredevil' this connection was not obvious, it could be interpreted in different ways. In the same series, it is clearly stated that the series takes place in the same universe. At least it's nice.
Many believe that 'Luke Cage' a character who is not suitable for a solo series, say that it would be better to release a second season ' Jessica Jones' do not understand why this series was even needed. I'm weird. Luke Cage appeared in the comics a few decades before Jessica, he has a long history, he has been a single hero for quite a long time. Yes, in the series 'Jessica Jones', he was not cast as an interesting character. It was hard for me to imagine a character from 'Jessica Jones' you could make a separate series. But in the end, in my opinion, everything grew together.
'Luke Cage' a bit monotonous, slow, but very atmospheric and soulful series.
P.S. The only thing that really bothered me was the lyrical lines. Luke Cage already had two lyrical lines in ' Jessica Jones' but in this series, the writers decided to add three more. The series does not put a strong emphasis on them, which is good, but still, I think they are a little interfere.
8.5 out of 10
Rejoice all African Americans of planet Earth! This is a completely black superhero series! Well, everything here is like in the most primitive film / TV series about black people. Everyone has been in prison for ten terms, everyone deals drugs, everyone kills, Latinos, Koreans, Chinese get in the way. That's the benchmark.
So, another Marvel series. Of course, everything is cool, pathetic, beautiful and expensive for a television work. The plot is simple, but has its own distinctive features. Namely, the ability of antagonists to attract attention. This affection from the latest superhero novels I have caused only Penguin from DC “Gotham”.
Cornell Stokes and Black Mariah were "created" by senior bandits despite their denial of such a life. As their stories unfold, one can see their discontent and emotional anguish: Cornell wanted to be a singer, and he would have done it if it wasn’t for the family. He was forced to kill since childhood, so it is not surprising that he turned into a monster. I really liked the dialogue, which I will not quote for obvious reasons, but I will bring the essence: the torment and envy of my brother is that he was not given an education and the opportunity to do his favorite thing (sing) unlike his sister.
Another antagonist star was Willis Stryker. The same Stryker who still appears in X-Men as an antagonist, but never revealed himself. Under his leadership, most superheroes were created, and nothing is known about him. So in this series will shed light on this person. Of course, everything will be revealed from the side of the relationship directly with Luke, but the general picture about this most important person of most Marvel works.
It is also worth mentioning another villain Shades. This is a kind of snake-temptor, who in fact does not commit anything himself, but confronts various leaders of gangs, which complicates the life of our superhero and the residents of Harlem as a whole.
In general, in terms of the script, namely, too smooth, protracted development of the storyline, you can see a clear lag in many indicators from the same “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones” (by the way, in this lineup there will be 4 television series, the extreme will be “Iron Fist”). And personally, in my opinion, our patient was out of order due to excessive play on the feelings of “infringed” national minorities. I'm not against this kind of tolerance, but everything should be in moderation.
Let's go through the main actors. Elfrey Woodard (Black Mariah), Mahershalalhashbaz Ali (Cornell Stokes) and Theo Rossi (Shades) are excellent charismatic actors who have made their characters vile, angry and at the same time attractive. This is what antagonists should be!
Eric Laray Harvey (Willis Stryker) is not the right actor for this role.
Mike Colter (Luke Cage) – in principle coped with the role, but it would be better if approved for the role of Idris Elb, who remained only a contender for the role. It didn't grow together...
So, the series with its shortcomings, but it turned out to be a great continuation of the superhero saga from Marvel. Everyone is welcome to watch!
And finally, the outgoing year receives the proud title of Superhero! I don’t remember so many comic book movies coming out in one year. We were waiting for six blockbusters about famous superheroes. I have already dedicated a review to each of them. Therefore, remember the series about another famous comic book hero Luke Cage.
Caught on false charges in prison, Carl Lucas becomes an unwitting participant in a scientific experiment, as a result of which he gained enormous strength and bulletproof skin. The experiment ended with the destruction of the laboratory, and Carl was able to escape. As he is still wanted, Carl takes a new name - Luke Cage - and returns to his native Harlem. He lives quietly, trying not to attract attention. However, the area is uneasy. Numerous showdowns, robberies and extortions involving criminal barons and their gangs, as well as corrupt politicians, Harlem residents suffer from all this. Luke must make a choice - should he continue to hide or intervene and help?
After a rather powerful start of superhero series on Netflix, you unwittingly expect the same continuation. However, after watching the first season of Luke Cage, the impressions remained mixed. I will try to figure out what to do.
The story itself is pretty good. The story of a man with a difficult life path, who decides to start everything from scratch, and who falls into the epicenter of the confrontation of gangs. The plot promises many interesting events, dramatic endings, steep battles. For 13 episodes there is a lot of action, but the disadvantage is that they develop somehow very slowly, slowly, slowly, sometimes even somehow lazy and reluctantly. This is especially true in the middle of the season, when there are several important actions and changes in emphasis. The feeling that the series is trying to rebuild, to find that rhythm again - it does not affect the dynamics, and our interest fades a little.
And yet there is a lot to see in the series: there is a place for drama, and fights, shootings, and all the new references to the notorious Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as comic-sources – I was very amused by the scene where Luke, dressed in an exact version of the costume from the comic book, which includes a bright yellow shirt with a cutout and a silver hoop on his head, sees himself in the mirror and comments – I look like a jerk! I also remember the style and color scheme of the series: if the colors of Daredevil are black and red, and Jessica Jones is gray and purple, then Luke Cage is all shades of yellow, including that velvet yellowish light in bars and nightclubs, or the one that breaks through the blinds in Harlem houses. Speaking of nightclubs, I want to say about another of the advantages of the series – about the soundtrack: the songs that are sung from the stage of Cornell Stokes’ club “Haarlem Paradise” are truly fascinating. Raphael Saadiq - Good Man, Faith Evans - Mesmerized, Faith Evans - Mesmerized, Jidenna - Long Live the Chief, The Delfonics - Stop and Look, Sharon Jones &, The Dap-Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights.
Sweet Christmas!
Luke Cage made his debut as a minor character in the series Jessica Jones. He now acts as the main character. We will be able to learn about his past, his emergence as a man with impenetrable skin. And I loved the image of a hero in a hoodie who decides to no longer hide his strength and help the people of Harlem. Mike Colter - faithful casting for the role of a man who has not been broken by prison or the loss of loved ones, and he continues to fight injustice.
In the course of the series there are many heroes with an interesting biography. Another disadvantage is that they are sometimes very unexpectedly involved in the action that do not have time to understand who they are and how they got here. So I’ll talk about those heroes who did not cause such doubts.
Misty Knight is a New York City police detective tasked with investigating a case involving Luke Cage. The difficulty is that they have a fleeting relationship with Misty, so Misty is not easy to look for something on him.
In the series, alas, there was no such villain who would have kept the hero in nervous tension all season, as in his predecessors. Although the personalities of these antagonists are quite colorful: Cornell Stokes (Mahershala Ali), also known as Aspid or Cottonmouth, a cruel and enterprising businessman who dreams of gaining power and respect in the criminal world of New York. Everyone dreams of becoming a king... One of his assistants - Hernan Alvarez (Theo Rossi), nicknamed Shades for his attachment to dark glasses, - one of those heroes with an interesting biography. His nickname can also be explained by the fact that he prefers to act from the shadows, attacking when he is invisible to others. Later, he begins to cooperate with Cornell’s cousin Mariah Dillard (Elfrey Woodard), who works in the political field, dreams of making Harlem better, but the kinship with her cousin and his dirty deeds cast a shadow on the ambitious politician, forcing her to go on a completely different path.
However, the most pleasant moment of the film was the appearance of Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson), a nurse who worked closely with Matt Murdoch and Jessica Jones. Here her role is more significant, and this can not but rejoice. I liked Claire and Luke’s duet the most in the series!
Despite many miscalculations and errors, the story of Luke Cage came out very good and interesting. I bet he looks weaker against the background of his superhero colleagues on Netflix, but still he has a place to be and watching it was sometimes fascinating. I have not yet decided on my assessment. In conclusion, I just want to wish next year more new and exciting projects about superheroes!
Nice viewing!
The elder was smart, the middle was and so and so and so and so, well, and the younger was Luke Cage.
The replay in the title of the review of a line from the famous children's fairy tale perfectly describes the evolution of the Netflix superhero series. Let's be honest - Daredevil was inimitable. With amazing choreography of battle scenes, intense plot and excellent cast, the series gave a hundred points ahead of any of the existing adaptations of comics on small screens. By the time of its release, Daredevil had many competitors, and the serial market was already full of superheroics. Matt Murdoch burst into this tight niche like a meteor and struck everyone. Downhill.
Then, for one year, we were waiting for an interesting event – the parade of the Netflix planets (the debut of “Jessica Jones”, the second season of Daredevil and the premiere of “Luke Cage”, in this order), which gave an excellent opportunity to compare the three series, as they say, on hot trails and fresh memory. After the red extravaganza to say about the existence of high expectations for beginners, it is not to say anything. “Jessica Jones” tried hard to imitate the serious and dramatic neo-noir, without looking back at its predecessor (and in the future, a colleague) and trying to find its own style. And in vain, because the style turned out to be extremely inconspicuous, the plot resembled a viscous and annoying gum, and the bottle in the hands of Jessica flashed unforgivably often. At the same time, the series almost lost all the advantages of Daredevil, including cruelty, dark brutality, as well as that magnificent combat choreography, and became more ... childish, if you will. Of course, this is all in comparison to Matt Murdoch and because of high expectations. Separate from him, the situation for Jessica would be somewhat better, but this is already a fantasy from the realm of history and subjunctive inclination.
“Jessica Jones” is interesting for us in connection with another event. It was here that we were first introduced to the main protagonist of the upcoming “Luke Cage” – Luke Cage. And, by God, he was terrible. It's disgusting. Luke turned out to be an absolutely boring and unattractive character, and the thought of his future solo with such a way seemed just crazy. Meanwhile, Daredevil shot with the second season, holding his own hand-drawn bar. It is incredible how three parts of the same universe can be so different in quality and atmosphere, because if “Daredevil we conventionally call as a masterpiece, and Jessica Jones as a passerman, then Luke Cage deserves the honorary title of garbage.”
The first series of “Luke” even inspired some optimism and were not bad. The hero did not look as dull and boring as in his backdoor. But then we were shown a series with his backstory, and he turned out to be an even duller and duller character than one might think. By this point, the initially cheerful plot had already begun to fall into strange and not very interesting pieces. The series was not saved by the appearance of Rosario Dawson in the role of Claire Temple, already familiar to the audience. In general, Claire is a very interesting character, and there are quite a lot of her here (as opposed to episodic roles in the same “Jessica” and “Daredevil”), but, come on, she clearly fell into the wrong company. Watching her scenes together with Matt was a pleasure, but how the female part in Luke is even unpleasant, and at the end of the season – especially unpleasant.
Who says if a show is about a black guy, it has to be 95% black? Apparently tolerance, and if that bothers you, relax, it was a joke - the show is filled with black actors 97%. The black neighborhood, the likeness of diasporas and clans, the proper atmosphere for the atmosphericity, that's all understandable, but, guys, can't we add some sugar to this coffee? The picture gives the impression that New York is almost entirely populated by African Americans, and the white people in the city are something of an endangered species. Visually, it looks as if you've replaced all the words "Blue" in the band's famous Eiffel 65 song of the same name with "Black" and seen what happens. Or was it the Rolling Stones?
But, of course, the series would be interesting and with a 100% black cast, if there was a clear plot. It's just boring here. The key story thread is boring, Luke's background is boring, Luke himself is boring. A very interesting situation arises with villains. There are a lot of them here, the central stands out towards the end of the season. And he, guess what? Boring. The non-central villains were still more interesting (especially Theo Rossi’s former solitaire Luke Shades), but they are either not given as much time or not as significant a role as one would like. Instead, we are offered to watch the “dramatic” antagonism of Cage and Willis “The Grammar” Stryker, rooted in the past of the characters and, apparently, in one of the two thousand episodes of “Santa Barbara”, so he is far-fetched and naive.
The show does have some advantages. Great soundtrack, first episodes, some unexpected violent (or not, better so – unexpectedly violent) brutal scenes, vaguely reminiscent of the worst episodes of Daredevil, and Rosary Dawson, if you imagine that Mike Colter is not around. However, this is not enough, and it is especially depressing in anticipation of the release of crossover “Defenders”, among which only Matt Murdoch looks attractive. We can only hope for Finn Jones and “Iron Fist”, the benefit of inflated expectations by the efforts of Luke and Jessica they are spared, and pray for the health and clear mind of the creators of the future “Punisher” with John Bernthal, although already outside the context of the crossover.
4 out of 10
Once “Luke Cage” was released, most of the geek community defeated it as a long and boring series, created for some reason and unclear with which character. They say that six episodes would be enough, the characters are not intelligible and in general it would be better “The Punisher”. I find it difficult to agree with some statements, although Luke Cage’s problems are higher than the roof.
The next series from Netflix tells the story of another superhero, acquaintance with which occurred in ' Jessica Jones' (to which, as well as to the blind lawyer, there are many references). Well, nothing special - bulletproof skin and good intentions as a given. Next comes a typical tie and so on rolled.
The concept of the series is that within a small community there are extremely strange events associated with people with unusual opportunities. But this is then, and for now - criminal showdowns inherent in the black ghetto, in which the main character skillfully maneuvers. Netflix is accustomed to the fact that their superheroics are quite atypical, and more like crime dramas with interspersed superpowers. Here we can agree with this, especially since all this black ghetto at first reminded, God forbid, the legendary “The Wire”.
Usually about these guys shoot a movie, where they fight to the last with a bad uncle, prescribed a red line. However, the surprise is that in Harlem not everything is so simple – a sharp change of the bad guy gives a shake. For a superhero show, this is atypical, albeit with the bad guys, everything goes by cliche. And that's where this "Diamondblack" is. And I have a question: why in a superheroic stick biblical inserts? No, seriously, in a series of hand-drawn books, Badgai quotes the Bible! Not only is it clichéd, it is also comical. In general, the company of villains turned out to be quite diverse - from corrupt cops to straight-forward Marvel villains in the spirit of "I'm just going to kill this guy, because in the plot he's good."
The good guys here are just good. Gradually dramatize the main character, show the guy who stumbled and wants to return to the true path, but the circumstances do not give, the detective is made a criminal genius, who is the only one who sees such a stupid setup that the child would guess, but no – all against her, all against Luke Cage! Some plot moves make criminal authorities just fools. Less pronounced characters bring a pinch of humor. Except that Rosario Dawson, wandering from one series to another, retained her charm from Daredevil to Luke Cage, as a sister of mercy for superheroes.
Marvel and Netflix can do action. Daredevil is an indicator, although in Jessica Jones they slightly stumbled. And Luke Cage has enough of it, although it is extremely Marvel - people fly like dummies, a minimum of blood and bodily harm, as well as harmless shootouts. Therefore, it is cool, but nothing special, given that in this series there are no sharp scenes at all.
The events in Harlem turned out to be interesting, but too clichéd and to some extent stupid. Some plot moves are very interesting, but they are covered by typical moments that are easy to predict - and this spoils everything. The rest is tolerable – the camera work is cool and dynamic, there is action and the spirit of what no criminal drama, flavored with a good cast.
For me, of the three Marvel shows on Netflix, Luke Cage is in last place – Daredevil is too cool, and there is no doubt about Jessica’s detective abilities.
And yes, I have never heard the word “shit” from “The Wire.”
6 out of 10
The adaptation of comics has long been able to quickly enter our daily life and take a special role and place in it. Happily delighting viewers with screen adaptations of more and more new comics. Moreover, only amplifying such performance by the total confrontation of two giants - Marvel and DC. At a time when DC is very successful & #39; captured & #39; television and small steps build their cinematic universe, Marvel has achieved the opposite. But having found shelter in 'Mouse House' and on the streaming service Netflix, Marvel once again continued its expansion of the serial format. And yet, with continued success. What this series created by Cheo Hodaki Cocker, which is the penultimate brick laid by the creators in the foundation of the future ' Defenders'.
' Luke Cage' made only the most positive and pleasant impressions on me. Of course, in terms of quality, the series significantly loses both seasons ' Daredevil' and ' Jessica Jones'. But definitely trying to keep the bar quality ' uprooted ' the aforementioned series throughout the season. It is clear to the naked eye that the creators of the series drew inspiration from the aforementioned series, but at the same time, they did not copy the formula of their content completely and found a different approach to the story of Luke Cage. Which is a pleasure.
Contrary to expectations, this series created by Cheo Hodaki Cocker does not create the impression of another comic about a superhero. 'Luke Cage' turned out to be an ode and a declaration of love to Harlem in absolutely everything. Starting with a superbly selected soundtrack and ending with great locations. That, together with the efforts of the directors, allowed to fully imbue with the spirit, mood and essence of Harlem. Along the way, building on the screen a very interesting and good crime drama.
The plot of the series is developing very slowly. Let him not shine with an abundance of unexpected plot twists, powerful intrigue and everything else, but clearly very worthy reveals the world of Luke Cage on the screen. At the same time, bringing at least some element of interest to the initially too correct, positive and from this a little boring from the point of view of the original character. It is also gratifying that the creators of the series did not completely devote the series to the origin of the hero, but devoted only individual flashbacks and several episodes to this. Thus, almost immediately throwing viewers ' from the spot to the quarry' continuing the plot ' Jessica Jones' and repeatedly mentioning Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Cap and many others. Thus, once again giving the impression of unity between the Marvel Cinematic and Television Universes,
Already ' shot ' in ' Jessica Jones' Mike Colter still looks great in the image of Luke Cage. If in 'Jessica' Colter laid the foundation for his character, it was here that he revealed him fully as a personality and character on the screen. Having played so that no one else in the image does not want to represent. Separately, I want to note Simon Missick, who simply masterfully coped with the image of Misty Knight. In doing so, she sometimes unwittingly draws attention from Luke himself. Well, where without Claire performed by Rosario Dawsen, who has already managed to turn into the main link of all the series of the creative union of Marvel and Netflix.
It is impossible not to mention the rich and impressive number of villains in the series, who either willingly replace each other with parts & #39; the main antagonist of the series & #39; or divide it in turns throughout the season. Theo Rossi, Eric Laray Harvey and Elfrey Woodard coped perfectly with their roles. Each of their characters is not like the other, in its own unique and worthy of complementing all the others. Thus, not letting miss a second and stirring up interest in the further fate of Luke on the screen. I would like to mention the magnificent Cottonmouth performed by Mahershal Ali. Extremely charismatic image and the best role in the career of an actor is unequivocal.
8 out of 10
Luke Cage is another worthy product of the creative union of Marvel and Netflix, as well as the penultimate brick in the foundation of the upcoming "Defenders" & #39; The series is noticeably inferior to its predecessors in everything, but despite this willingly keeps the bar of quality and sets a completely different tone to the theme of superheroics on the screen. Interesting, stylish, pleasant by ear and eye excursion to Harlem in the company of bulletproof Luke Cage, which you want to go again after watching the first season.
Luke Cage is the most depressing Marvel series. I haven't seen Agents Shield, but I think it's more interesting in terms of the richness of events. This series is a dull gray autumn, which lasts a long time, raining everything around and even under a blanket with tea, you can not hide from it. He's not interesting. At all. No way. This series can be told in a minute, because it does not have a rich story.
Cinematography and quality of shooting did not save the series from criticism. If Daredevil was sufficiently saturated with action, plot, gloom and brutality, then there is nothing here. Luke throws extras around the corners like dolls. He's like Superman! He's supposed to break a skull with a blow, but Luke's not like that, he just throws bandits at the walls and ruins another hoodie or T-shirt. The gloom promised twice as much as Daredevil? Pf, and 20 percent missed the first season. Plot? Funny, two villains, one charismatic, the other dullly fused and uninteresting. Eternal conversations about... what? The whole show Luke whines about life, about the block, and bad guys. We're watching a superhero show, hello! He has to break everyone and everything. He's invulnerable and super strong. In the end, we have what we have in the beginning. As in the comics, Luke Cage is a grey character. The actor has the same face all 13 episodes. Really. If a blind lawyer beckoned us with his charm, and a drunken detective with his... overcooking, then everything is bad. Even now, I realize that Iron Fist will outdo this series.
I got a kick out of Jessica Jones, it was a strong show that I thought very much spun the Marvel universe on cable TV. And Luke Cage's appearance there, I think, was enough. Why did I have to make a series about him? I don't understand. I thought it was a boring serial film that goes on TV at night.
The motivation of the villains is ridiculous. Again the pedigree, everything repeats itself. Relax, it's Netflix. Diamond snake and Cottonmouth are remembered only by names, as in principle and the guy with glasses. As I’ve written, camera work won’t save the series, nor the scenery of Harlem. The atmosphere of the area is hurried. But it's a drop of honey in a barrel... You get it. It's a shame Marvel didn't follow the product they were making. Luke got lost in the previous series and that's a fact. Too dull, too gray, too simple everything here looks, from the plot to the characters and bald Luke. I dissuade you from watching this series and even if you watched Jessica Jones with Daredevil and are waiting for a sequel, then this series can be passed by and you will not lose anything.
Watch some good shows!
P.S.: Oh yes, a fat plus for the show's musical moments in each episode. I even danced a couple of times.
'Luke Cage' - turned out frankly weak series. Expected more from Netflix, as previous work was at the level, but something went wrong.
The first series seems to be all right, but after it the series does not gain momentum, all at the same pace, as well as the end of the season, which most often in the series made you wait for season 2, but there was no thought to wait for the second season. Here you barely watch the series with the hope of seeing something interesting, so that there was a strong push to watch the series further with interest, and not just watching for a tick. I don’t like to throw in the middle of the series.
The plot is monotonous , in most episodes the same thing happens. As for me, they should have shortened the series by a couple of episodes less, as it is too stretched and annoying by the end of the viewing. They give us the opportunity to watch the whole season, and if we watched one episode, I think immediately after the 4th episode we would have forgotten about this series. Also, the logic of the characters’ actions, here sometimes strikes with its stupidity.
I also want to note the disgusting quality of special effects, I understand that the main character with superpower and that there were high-quality special effects, you need a bigger budget, but there are such blunders that the hand is a face, (especially the series 13, the time 2-11 throws him on the wall, the wall collapses, but immediately becomes new.) You could just do qualitatively, but the feeling that you were in a hurry somewhere.
Another disadvantage, very weak villains, their stupidity and inconsistency, annoying. None of the main villains, I even remember the nickname, so everything is gray.
Of all the actors, I didn’t like the game the most, oddly enough 'Mike Colter', who played as if I was flat and wooden, he seemed to laugh at everything that was happening in his heart.
One of the main advantages of the series is the atmosphere, which is transmitted and felt by Harlem. Great music. The same goes for some actors.
In the end, it turns out, a weak series. Which does not stand out, and cannot catch the viewer with something new. The series, such a feeling simply introduces one of the characters MARVEL, a kind of promo. It was boring and boring. I wouldn’t recommend watching it, but it’s up to you whether to spend 13 hours on it or not.
5 out of 10
Oh, this Netflix and this Marvel... They can do quality projects, they can. It would seem like the easiest to make a candy. Once again I am convinced that it is not for nothing that Netflix gave the opportunity to film comics from Marvel.
So, this time we have 3 projects in the serial universe. Let’s start with the benefits.
Atmosphere. Project Luke Cage carries a special atmosphere of Harlem (one of the criminal districts of New York). Gangsters, eternal showdowns, shootings, the mafia - all this is present here. If you are very close to the theme of the ghetto, then most likely the series will go to you with a bang.
Musical accompaniment. I would even say that is the best thing there is. Music is usually a very important part of storytelling. It is one of the key factors that immerse the viewer in that very atmosphere. Here you will find a lot of compositions of famous artists such as: GangStarr, Wu-Tang Clan, Old Dirty Bastard, in general, all those who would be very popular in those days, and many, I think, even from our generation still listen to these artists. Lovers of old school will go hurried.
Shooting and filing. Well, I don't think mentioning anything here makes sense. If you have watched at least one project from Netflix, such as Daredevil or Jessica Jones, then the questions will disappear.
What about our shortcomings? If you dig deep, you can pick them up in tons. Of all the pronounced disadvantages, I will list only a few that are striking.
1. It's a small budget. You'll know what I mean the first time you see a limp. And this is the biggest drawback, it pretty much cuts the eyes.
2. Plot. It's incredibly simple.
So what do we have? And we have an average project, which for all its presentation, higher than Jessica Jones, because he will not get bored and it is true, but at the same time he is inferior to Daredevil. And despite all the simplicity, all the shortcomings of the project still came out high-quality, not ideal, but high-quality. I recommend watching, if only because it is part of the overall mosaic, which in the coming year will be formed into a common crossover "Defenders".
7 out of 10
I don’t think it’s necessary to talk about the quality of Marvel/Netflix series, since 'product' they produce 'delicious'.
If ' Daredevil' was an action movie with cool fighting scenes and fights with all the gloomy and seriousness, the series ' Jessica Jones' was a psychological thriller with elements of a detective. 'Luke Cage' is also a crime drama with action elements.
Each series of the aforementioned service has its own unique and original style, which does not copy other series.
If you are waiting for 'Luke Cage' drive and action with first-class choreography of battle scenes, as in 'Daredevil', then you will not wait. All three series are different and talk about different issues, hence the different tone of the narrative and presentation of material.
The series takes place in an area where most black people live. Hence the music of hip-hop artists, style and a part of this world, in which you fall in love with the first series.
Strangely enough, the series is full of moral teachings that should be taken from history. The character nicknamed 'Clapping' has repeatedly said that one should only go forward without looking back, that each of us as children is an alleged diamond, that we should become real men.
The villains of history must be said not to exist. There are people who have become hostages of the situation just for nothing. ' Cottonmouth' a man who fell under the pressure of his crime mom, missing the chance to become a great musician. By the way, this is also a message that education in the life of every person plays a big role and this should be given the most attention, ' Cottonmouth' it is not to blame for becoming so, just so there were circumstances that he could not resist. Honestly, ' The Thyroid' aroused my interest and earned me respect and compassion rather than disgust.
In the series there is a second villain 'Diamond snake', whose motive can be understood and shown compassion in the loss of his mother, but everything would be nothing if not for the stupid ala supervillain costume from the last series.
In addition, in addition to the two main antagonists, there are secondary ones, as, for example, ' Shadows', who received such a nickname because of the glasses that he almost does not remove and his cousin ' Cottonmouth'. These secondary villains are more interesting than the Diamond Snake, which is supposedly the main opponent in the first season.
As for the music, it is real in a literal sense, on the stage of the club, which belongs to ' Cottonmouth' perform real musicians with real compositions, which deserves respect, this idea is very interesting. In addition, in the series you can find Method Man', which, in addition to reading a first-class rap, also played a cameo role.
The history of the season is full of references to the cinematic universe and the television universe, like toys on the Christmas tree. References to 'The Avengers', 'Daredevil', Mr. Hammer of Iron Man, poster with Stan Lee, to the Battle of New York, so be careful. What else makes the story more ' black' is all sorts of references to ' black culture' and ' black people' but here the uninitiated viewer will not understand many of them unfortunately.
The plot is interesting, fascinating, but again do not expect adrenaline and crazy action, in the series most of the dialogues that do not interfere with the narrative, but only pave the way, rapidly developing speed to the last series.
The most important thing is that I didn’t tell you about the character 'Luke Cage'. If you’ve seen Jessica Jones & #39, you’ve probably seen him that way and he’s kind and right, strong and bulletproof. The fact that Luke acts by the rules is not annoying, interest in the character does not fade away because the character in itself is such, do not expect this behavior from Jessica Jones.
Luke Cage is a hero, what a real man would like to become.
'I once asked 'Cotton':'Why should we wear these ugly dresses? '
He said, 'These guys need to see men go to work.'' (c)
To begin with, I want to thank Netflix for their new experimental projects with Marvel, which turned out to be very cool and interesting. The highlight of superhero series is that the creators try to make them as realistic as possible and try to explain everything, even the inexplicable, even things like superpowers or magic. And this approach I consider the most correct, because now people are interested not only in fights and beautiful special effects, the viewer is interested in finding out the answers to the questions that constantly arise in their minds when watching films in which the action takes place in the world where they live and they are trying to find out whether all this is possible or not.
The series is good, but like any project, it also has its pros and cons. The series is saturated with good black humor, seasoned with nigger jokes about moms. Humor in this series is so ' black' that when watching the film advertise not online casinos, but try to push you crack dude (and God forbid while watching to say the word nigger or mazafaka, you will immediately be killed by the heroes of the film).During all the series you are waiting for well just an incredible list of soundtracks that are selected with taste and included always in place, you can enjoy both blues music and beautiful jazz, and good turnip, yes, the music of this series is also black. Marvel only had such a well-chosen playlist in Guardians of the Galaxy and the second Iron Man, and this is new to the TV universe since Daredevil and Gessica Jones didn’t have good music. These are the two brightest sides of the series, I would say that the series as a whole is on these two pillars, but as for the minuses. . .
First of all, it's a very boring story, and I know they took it from the pages of the comics, but I think something could have been changed to make it more interesting and more realistic. Almost all the actors in the film overplay, this applies to both the actors of the first plan and the second, as good guys and especially bad guys. Mike Colter, aka Luke Cage, aka Black Jesus Christ of Harlem (by the way, there are a lot of biblical references in the film as pertinent, and a lot of inappropriate and sometimes even stupid) plays weakly, in my opinion, well, it is very stupid to watch a black healthy guy yell or cry in the middle or at the end of almost every episode. In general, everyone yells in the series, it seems that everyone has some problems with self-expression. And especially show just the disgusting acting of the villain of the film, with the exception of Shitomoordnik, who managed to create his recognizable villainous laugh, charisma and this villain who has at least motivation and a good story behind him, well, an exception can also be counted Shades from the Villainous Gang, Theo Russia coped well with the role of six who all the time reaches for the top of the pyramid of the criminal world. The main antagonist took and ruined the series, both with his disgusting game and quoting the Bible wherever he pleases and not at all for the place, this rattling opponent of the black hero has neither motivation nor a good story, he has nothing behind his soul, I consider him a failed villain with an ugly suit with incomprehensible abilities that he stole from Hammer and used against the black brother (by the way, note Hammer even after the events in Iron Man). I don't understand why my father is jealous of my brother if he doesn't care about both of you, why shoot him so as not to kill him, and then spend a lot of money, people and time looking for him. That's the problem with the project. As for the cast that was picked, to put it mildly, not so good, besides that there were characters that were unpleasant even in appearance, understand me correctly, I am not a racist, but the chief of police is a black Chinese woman and it's like.
There were good references and Easter eggs, such as my jaw drooping when Luke said his catchphrase from the comics ' Merry Christmas' and when he put on his canonical outfit from the 70s, a yellow marsh and blue hippie jeans. There was a constant connection with other Marvel projects and the brightest link was the beautiful character Claire Temple performed by the equally beautiful and talented Rosary Dawson, who can no longer imagine her life without avengers from the streets. Also constantly mentioned Goldilocks with a hammer shooting lightning, a billionaire in a suit, and of course the symbol of independence and protector of everyone and the whole Captain ' Steve Rogers' America, mentioned ' incident ' in New York, where these guys protected humanity from an alien attack, by the way, as for the invasion of Chetauri, Marvel again did not have enough imagination and they again explained all the latest technology and weapons, linking it with the fact that the villains found some fragments of alien technologies and created these mega-cool things (bullets ' Judas ' for example).
The fights were also not exciting, I was hoping to see the cool action that was shown in Daredevil again, but to my great regret, this did not happen. There was also hope to see the black Harlem mafia from the inside, with its inherent color and rigid rules, but this was not in the series, instead they showed a parody of organized crime at the level of the GTA San Andreas games ... Oh, and almost forgot that such boring representatives of the criminal world still flashed in the film, well, or simply mentioned as Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Koreans, etc. (I was surprised when I did not show Indonesian mofiosi).
In conclusion, I will say that the series is not bad, sometimes even good, but there are moments where it becomes just funny from the acting game and the method that the director uses, well, you will agree that after a cool street showdown of black guys under a cool black rap, a scientist creating superhumans is not clear how it looks like something wrong, And I think I know the reason for such great differences, this is that different series were shot by different directors, everyone saw the project in their own way and therefore in the end came out a winigre seasoned with different clichés of each director. Well, if you have an extra 13 hours or you are a passionate fan of comic books, I will definitely watch the adventures of old Luke Cage.
But the thing is that the series really had very high expectations, which the directors did not cope.
First, this is no hero - he really does not cause empathy, but irritation with his inhibition oh how causes. He's not even positive, he's just empty, like his namesake from Star Wars. However, here Cage is lucky - around no less useless buratins.
Secondly, it is manic caution. Guys, you're shooting about Harlem, it's got to be full-length. Oh, are you afraid to offend the Ruberoid Man? So why did they even shoot this story? As a result, instead of albeit gloomy, but cheerful jokes (to interrupt a very funeral tone) - there are few people who need pathos a la & #39; Uncle Ben Parker is dying' Seriously, is anyone interested?
Third, dynamics. Such a sluggish approach is good if you have 22 episodes in reserve, not 13, and to somehow kick the plot, then pianos are introduced in the bushes. While flashbacks are of little interest, and turns are predictable.
The main villains. Oh, this place is completely run over. Cottonmouth and Diamond Snake do not look like serious rivals, unlike Fisk and Killgrave. Only Shades looks really alive - the rest even have motivation on both legs limp.
Jessica Jones and especially the second season Daredevil raised the bar of superhero series too high. And this slightly spoiled the life of themselves, because the adventures of Luke Cage almost nothing to surprise. No series is still very high-quality and even interesting, but the feeling of uniqueness is completely lost.
Although if you think a little bit more, you might think that the film is just alien to our perception. And it's not that he's a comic book adaptation, we've become accustomed to them in recent years, just for America, the problems of black neighborhoods are intuitive and important, but for us ... And the constant references to popular black athletes, politicians and musicians mostly miss the goal.
But the story itself really keeps in suspense, and several times in the course of the narrative greatly changes the status quo. At first, I was interested in how to make you worry about a hero who is almost impossible to harm, but the authors perfectly show the changes in the attitude of ordinary people to him, and it becomes clear that his victory must be primarily moral.
A good series suffered from inflated expectations, and of course Netflix the second series manages to completely merge combat scenes, which is very strange with the quality of the production Daredevil.
A set of thoughts after watching the series. A few spoilers.
Ordinary and secondary, but sometimes even good.
I feel like I wasn’t watching Netflix, I was watching some TV series from The CW and that Luke Cage was made by the same people as Arrow. This is never a compliment.
Click everywhere. The antagonist, instead of killing the Hero, will tell something long and tedious, and then shoot in the shoulder and the hero will miraculously fall on soft cozy garbage bags.
Royal in the bushes. The greatest is the appearance of a doctor when he is needed in the story.
Disgusting, boring antagonists. No one remembers anything except his death. The diamond snake is even more depressing, like Maria. Unless Shades was charismatic, and the only one who thought with his head, and not only ate and spoke with his mouth pathetic phrases.
The costume of the Diamond Snake is so terrible that the series itself makes fun of it.
Claire's cute.
Fights with throwing each other are also boring and terrible. Hey, '90s. This is not a compliment again.
The series is uneven and constantly sagging.
Good atmosphere, decent acting. A lot of references, although they could be more significant.
Great music.
Netflix, why do you have trouble with your parents? What Fisk, what Killgrave, what Cottonmouth, what Diamond Snake. They all became like this because of their parents.
The Diamond Snake's motivation is "my daddy didn't love me, but he loved you." I’ve seen it somewhere before...
After Fisk, the Diamond Serpent and the Cottonmouth look like Gopniks who hold the courtyard.
Luke Cage logs. And as a character.
The coffee jokes are good.
The women are hitting Luke aki on Geralt from Rivia. Does he have the hidden ability to secrete pheromones?
Predictability in everything.
That sucks. Movies are just tons.
Too right, too positive characters have always been boring and Luke is no exception. DD and Jessica had their own demons or very carefully restrained them and fought them, then Luke is just a shirt guy, all this on horseback and in shining black armor and everyone loves him just because he is cool!
6.5 out of 10
The series is too boring, secondary and gray. The only thing that saves him is the entourage of Harlem.
I started watching this series after watching the first season of Jessica Jones, in the hope that I would get more exposure to the character in the comics. I’ve never read the comic book and it was almost my first encounter with the character. And so, after the release of all thirteen episodes on Netflix, I included the first episode of the long-awaited series. And this is what I saw.
The pilot series completely lacks at least some smooth acquaintance with the characters, with their background and characters. After watching the first episode, I had the impression that the writers had forgotten about such a small moment. The series will be watched not only by those who sleep with comics in bed, but also by those who just looked at the channel.
Watching this series has been torture for me.
Here are a few arguments that support my view of the series.
One. It's a rough story. There is a lack of interest in the series as to what will happen in the next series. Plus, that Netflix puts all the series at once, it kills interest already in geometric progression.
Two. While this may sound silly, it’s not clear to me why Jessica Jones shows a better character than her own.
Three. The absence of any atmosphere that, in my opinion, would connect the series with each other. Because of this, every time a new character appears in the series, there is a slight dissonance. Plus, the lack of atmosphere generates one factor, the series does not differ from previous works of the company. Sadness.
It seems that recently Netflix paired with Marvel raised the bar of television superheroics to uncharted heights. The second season of Daredevil only once again confirmed the professional status of almost filmmakers from TV and even plugged many multimillion-dollar saviors in tights from the big screen. Unsurprisingly, many (including myself) were eagerly awaiting the premiere of Luke Cage, and in anticipation of another miracle and a portion of aesthetic pleasure, prepared for a couple of sleepless nights. What a disappointment when the new, so long-awaited series did not live up to a single hope, and in its own way buried a win-win series of TV masterpieces. Of course, my opinion is personally mine and I am not going to impose it on anyone, but you cannot argue with the obvious. The series wasn't even passable. It is difficult to find positive moments in it, and more than a dozen pages of typewritten text would be spent on a detailed analysis of miscalculations and unsuccessful decisions in each series.
Let's start with the plot. He not only sags at times, but almost always tramples in one place. “Over-the-top” action completely loses to the militants of category B of the mid-80s. Suspense and drama fly into the same basket, confined to the dull throws of the protagonist and his worthless enemies. Luke does not cause a drop of sympathy and infuriates with his constant brake and stupidity. The Cottonmouth is no better than his opponent in a hoodie and instead of fear and forbidden admiration causes only sullen pity and irritation. The actions of the main characters are largely illogical and devoid of motivation. Acting at zero and similar to the exhibition of dummies in the same Harlem only in the 90s. I was pleased only Faison who played his episodes lightly and, apparently, did not even “leave” from Banshee and changed only a bottle of whiskey to scissors and banal philosophy. Do not forget, of course, about the explosion of Woodard, somewhere in the second half of this dubious thriller. The breakdown of the enraged Maria (or Mariah, as many translators called her for some reason) was one of the few advantages of the series. Unfortunately, towards the end of the story, she too seriously deflated and kept afloat only thanks to the writers, who also have much to praise here. Most of the dialogues and situations are simply striking with their banality and mediocrity, which is so often and out of place reminds the heroine of Dawson. A separate “praise” deserves an enchanting climax. Viewers have not seen such a battle since the early 90s. If the film were positioned as a comedy or parody, the final thrash could be attributed to achievement. But alas and ah, in front of us is a serious thriller, as if created only on the wave of all-consuming tolerance (which is nothing wrong, if not the quality of the product) especially for the residents of Harlem and fans of a long-gone era of cheap film industry and thrash action without a gram of meaning.
Luke Cage is a waiting series. You stubbornly wait for a miracle, watching episode after episode, believing in the reliability of Netflix and refusing to admit the first failure in their history. And as a result, breaking through all this boring and inadequate confusion, you get a control in the head in the form of a “battle of the titans” at the level of the Super-brothers Mario.
1 in 10
And one for this belief in miracle, which helped digest 13 hours of boredom and irritation.
A completely different side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Part 3.
After watching Jessica Jones, where Luke Cage appears for the first time on the screen, I was waiting for his solo series, more than any other Marvel project, and finally it happened.
The series of the Marvel/Netflix line, this is almost the exact opposite of the films from the MCU series and Luke Cage was no exception. Spurred towards greater brutality and realism, the series is similar to the first season of Daredevil, but with its own distinctive style and tone of storytelling.
The plot is based on the adventures of the protagonist, showing us his present and past, along the way telling about his philosophical views on life. Unlike the previous Marvel/Netflix series, which took place in the area of New York – Hell’s Kitchen, the action of “Luke Cage” will show us Harlem – an area of gangsters, criminal gangs, drugs, weapons and other crime.
The work of directors and writers I would estimate by 8 points out of 10. The action took place evenly and slowly, not much sagging in the plot in the second half of the season, however, the series came out quite atmospheric in the spirit of its predecessors. Harlem is presented to us from the modern side, shown with the brutality of people who are tired of the oppression of African Americans, the impunity of bandits and the inaction of the corrupt police. As for special effects and action, it is almost absent, with very few exceptions. The series is similar to its predecessors in that the superheroes here fade into the background. But differs in that the element of the thriller here is not the main genre here is the criminal Harlem drama. Separately, I want to highlight the musical component, which is perfectly matched to the spirit of the series. I found some good songs for myself.
The cast . Luke Cage, embodied by Mike Colter, well conveyed the image of a healthy bulletproof, but kind and honest strongman who tries to live according to his conscience and end his unsuccessful past. Mahershala Ali, played the role of a criminal authority and one of the main villains, Cornell Stokes, nicknamed Cottonmouth. He ardently hates the main character and by all means tries to expel him from Harlem. Elfrey Woodard played Cornell’s corrupt politician and cousin, Mariah Dillard. Theo Rossi became one of the main discoveries of the series, in my opinion, he is the most interesting and colorful villain who knows how to influence people and turn the situation in his favor. Also, Rosario Dawson returned to her usual image of nurse Claire Temple from the Marvel/Netflix series, which received more screen time compared to previous films.
As always, the creators pay attention to the details that mention the belonging of the series to the MCU. These are events such as the Battle of New York, or characters such as the Avengers, Daredevil, Jessica Jones or Justin Hammer (Iron Man 2).
Summing up final, I want to say that the series was not much weaker than the previous Marvel/Netflix products, however, the series is recommended for viewing not only superheroics, but also for everyone who loves all sorts of criminal dramas and thrillers. We've got the Iron Fist series. Well, my assessment.
8 out of 10
Here is the third series from Netflix, telling about the superhero, there was only Iron Fist for a full acquaintance with the team for the crossover “Defenders”. Luke Cage and I have met before, watching the story of Jessica Jones, but now we are given the opportunity to get acquainted with the armored giant Luke closer.
Acquaintance with Luke takes place very slowly, and so it happens with the lines of future opponents of Luke, and when watching the first episode it may seem that we see only talk, which is generally true. But with each series, the degree of action increases, and more and more problems hang over our hero. The story of Luke’s emergence is not very unique, and his subsequent behavior, including denial and regret for gaining power, is very typical of comic books. But for me, the series has not only entertainment value, it also has a message to the audience that tries to bring a very important issue to our attention. Much of this is happening in Harlem, where there are still youth issues that have long been entrenched in stereotypes that make you think that once you were born there, you were branded a lawbreaker. Luke Cage is trying to show the viewer that the path of a criminal is not worth spending your life on him, no matter where you were born and grew up, it all depends on your decision. The viewer is constantly reminded of outstanding people such as Malcolm X, Crispus Attux, Madam C.J. Walker, setting them as an example to the characters and making us think.
The style of the image is very similar to “Jessica Jones” and “Daredevil” love for dark environments and attempts to bring everything closer to reality. One of the problems is the part responsible for the action: after all, if the hero is not afraid of bullets and knives, the viewer should get a magnificent spectacle with mind-blowing techniques of hand-to-hand combat, but in most we see the usual waving fists, no different from the clash of hooligans on the street. Of course, there are exceptions that dilute the monotony of the situation, but exceptions are called that because they are rare. The musical accompaniment is at a high level, although from the first series I did not like the introduction, I must note that after a closer acquaintance with the character of Luke, I still entered the rhythm of the music on the screensaver.
Breaking through the walls of storytelling and visualization, we come to an important component – the actors. Michael Colter perfectly portrayed a large child with superpower, as well as a complex of a doubting hero, thanks to his game, you can better understand what people think who received an unexpected “gift” and do not know what to do with it. Theo Rossi was a great discovery for me, playing such a snake-tempter, directing characters wherever he wanted, he constantly stood out from the rest of his ingenuity and independence. Mahershala Ali, playing Cornell Stokes - the criminal boss, turned out to be an excellent performer of the role of a man losing power, but with all his might trying to hold the reins. Elfrey Wooddard, Cornell’s cousin, involved in politics, coped with the role simply magnificently, watching her play, you feel yourself in the center of dirty political and criminal intrigues.
The quote above means to me that if you don’t look back on previous Netflix shows on this topic, the show looks quite decent. As I said, there is also an important message to the audience, an example of how order begins with each person, regardless of whether they have superpowers or not. So I think we end up with another good superhero series that is not only entertaining, but also food for thought.
