comic books – Rogueslayer0's Blog

The film has been out for a little over two years and I finally got around to watching it. I don’t know what kept me from watching it sooner. Originally, I wanted to see it in theaters, but I moved to LA the weekend it came out and didn’t really know anyone to see it with. Then I bought it on blu ray when I was in San Diego in July of last year, and just never was in the mood to watch it.

I’d heard nothing but great things about it and I can’t say I was disappointed. It was a fantastic film. I loved the humor and though some critics felt it was formulaic, I felt it was a refreshing take on the superhero genre.

The thing that made me want to watch the film the most was a Tumblr post praising the film for having Deadpool’s love interest be a sex worker who wasn’t a damsel in distress. Though I’d have to argue the damsel in distress bit, as though she attempts to fend for herself, Deadpool still needs to save her, I wish it were more implied that she remained an escort upon starting her relationship with Deadpool, as I thought that was a really cool aspect of Vanessa. Also, the moment I saw her with long hair, I instantly thought of Inara from Firefly/Serenity and it was the same actress, which made me very happy. One reason being that Inara was a companion, which is a fancy term for sex worker, and it was considered a very high status line of work.

Ryan Reynolds is perfect as Deadpool. I can’t even try to think of someone else I could see playing the character and he’s such a beautiful man. I think I’ve had a crush on him since Blade Trinity, in fact, I don’t think, I know (I also developed a crush on Jessica Biel in that film, they were fucking ripped!) Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are the perfect couple in my eyes, I envy them both.

Normally, I’m not a fan of breaking the fourth wall, but I’m aware Deadpool is known for this and I found it hilarious that the writers poked fun at the X-Men universe, and even Reynolds himself.

I watched Deadpool and Logan this evening, keeping with the Marvel theme. In hindsight, I wish I’d stopped after Deadpool as Logan had a more somber tone and I don’t think I appreciated it as much after the lightheartedness of Deadpool. I did appreciate that both films included young mutant female characters who weren’t sexualized and I’m very excited to see Deadpool 2 and am hoping for a X-23 spinoff.

I powered through Iron Fist so I could watch Defenders and have it make sense. I’m glad I did, as a lot of what happened in Defenders picked up where Iron Fist left off. Again, I’ll try to avoid spoilers, but this is all stream of conscious, so, there may be some.

First of all, I commend the writers, as I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to blend these four different heroes, all with their own shows that had their own styles. I thought it was done really well.

Second, ELEKTRA!!!! I was very excited for her return. Those who know me know she is my favorite Daredevil character, favorite Marvel character, favorite comic book character, hell, she is one of my favorite fictional characters. I loved the homage to her original costume. I also really enjoyed the Jill Valentine tease (Resident Evil 5) they did with her… and I’m already searching for a black trenchcoat with red lining.

It was interesting to see the characters interact with one another. Up until this point, Claire was the only one (I believe) that knew them all. It felt a little exposition-y at times, them explaining powers and all, (and maybe I just felt a certain way as I had just watched Iron Fist and did not need/want to hear him tell his damn story again) but I was able to live with it.

This is likely my bias, but I felt Elektra stole the show. I couldn’t help but compare her to Harld Meachum. Had she lost part of her soul upon resurrection as he had? I also felt a bit of Illyria tease with her as well. She was a vessel, a weapon. Black Sky was now inhabiting Elektra’s body, much like Illyria infected and took over Fred’s in Angel. I felt so bad for Matt when he realizes she was brought back to life and his efforts to get her to remember him were endearing.

I also really enjoyed her kicking Iron Fist’s ass multiple times.

Some people had issues with the pacing, but I felt it moved well, especially considering it was only eight episodes. It brought the characters together and got them fighting (something I wish Iron Fist had done more efficiently).

I was a bit confused by The Hand. Their goal didn’t make sense, the more I think about it, and reminded me too much of Buffy, which Dawn being the Key Glory needed to get back home. I wanted to see them do more, as a majority of the time, they just stood around while Elektra kicked ass.

Defenders ending with me wanting more. It’s a catch 22, I enjoyed the series and binged it quickly, but now I have to wait for the next entry, be it Daredevil, Punisher, etc. I’m also excited to see if there will be any other shows, perhaps Daughters of Dragon? I read somewhere that Defenders is looking to big Netflix’s biggest premier, so only time will tell.