Critical Condition: The Defenders

THE DEFENDERS| Netflix, from today

➢ “Marvel’s pocket universe of super-powered pulp heroes on Netflix has been trending less marvelous since the first seasons of Daredevil (starring Charlie Cox) and Jessica Jones (starring Krysten Ritter). Luke Cage had muscular performances, led by the commanding Mike Colter, but a thin plot, while Iron Fist, led by the miscast Finn Jones, was plain and wimpy. But The Defenders — a team-up saga that assembles the leads and supporting casts of all four shows and resolves some ongoing intrigues — is a lively genre entertainment that recharges your interest in Marvel pop. It presents as a big event, yet values consolidation.” — Entertainment Weekly.

➢ “The Defenders is a workmanlike series that gets the job done with a reasonable amount of energy and a few bursts of flair. It may not offer the highest highs of Jessica Jones, which proved itself the star performer of the Marvel-Netflix universe during its debut season. And while The Defenders is occasionally a bit blander than an endeavour featuring deadly ninjas and elaborate costumes should be, the eight-part drama has notable selling points, chief among them an elegant and fierce performance from Sigourney Weaver.” — Variety.

➢ “There’s nothing terribly wrong with Marvel’s The Defenders, but there may not be enough right about it to make it worth the time of anyone but the completist. By the end of the year, there are set to be 11 live-action Marvel shows spread across five TV networks and streaming services. You can afford to be choosy.” — New York Times.

➢ “Full of martial arts mysticism, mayhem, sharp one-liners, comic relief and fight scenes that deliver exactly the punch you expect, the August 18 launching of Marvel’s The Defenders is a very watchable and bingeable superhero team-up from the comic giant and Netflix that will transport you to a besieged NYC for the weekend.” — Deadline Hollywood.

➢ “The Defenders makes it clear that the reason Marvel’s movies get more attention than its TV show isn’t just the supervillain money they make at the box office. Those movies are constrained, in a necessary way, by format and running time. But the sprawl of television allows a familiar story — the protracted rivalries between differing superheroes giving way to hard-won if tentative cooperation — to bloat beyond recognition and become too reliant on darkness.” — Time.