Yes, today I will
review a miniseries. I considered that this post might better fit
moviesmartinwolt.blogspot.com, but I believe I’ll see enough blockbusters over
the next few weekends to keep that blog preoccupied.
Marvel never
ceases to amaze me with how many of their movies (based on their decades of
comic books) sound terrible yet result in terrific movies.
A billionaire
builds a flying suit of armor and fights terrorists.
Wimpy guy betas up the German army via steroid abuse.
Wimpy guy beats up the American army via gamma ray abuse.
Blind lawyer
fights ninjas.
I speak, in this
final case, of Daredevil, a
miniseries that Marvel recently released, in full, on Netflix (not the movie that
came out years ago—we must never again speak of that train wreck).
Daredevil works beautifully despite how
much nonsense it unapologetically requires its audience to swallow. Marvel’s
wizards of movie-craft manage this the same way they managed it since they
began their cinematic universe. Excellent characters.
Give me an intriguing
enough character, and I’ll put up with almost unlimited nonsense.
When I can’t
decide whom I want to win, the protagonist or the antagonist, I know I found a
great story (think Breaking Bad). I liked
Daredevil’s villain. I sympathized
with him.
Daredevil’s villain offers human faults,
a painful backstory, a believable path that led him to develop his goals, and an
honest belief in the ultimate goodness of those goals.
We first meet this
“bad guy” while he stutters out an awkward request for a date with a woman. He
appears terrified, unsure how to court her, despite his powerful, physical
build, millions of dollars, and status as a mob boss.
Our bad guy and
hero both wrestle with ethical dilemmas while they question the righteousness and
consequences of their actions.
I could discuss at
lengths the “Rabbit in a Snowstorm” painting or the fact that our blind
lawyer’s clueless partner calls himself “Foggy.” However, I wish to hold back on the spoilers.
Let’s also discuss
Gotham.
I, a long while back, reviewed
Gotham’s first episode. I didn’t say anything
too flattering. The television series seemed off to a rocky start.
It squandered its
first few episodes with promises that events would soon rise to a boil—only to
repeatedly return its characters to square one.
Ever date someone
who hinted that she or he would soon take the relationship to the next level,
only to discover that the two of you ran in circles, in the illusion of motion?
Gotham, for its first few episodes, resembled that relationship.
Then, the show
broke free from its treadmill and moved with purpose and at light speed. Its
writers more than compensated for lost time.
The cast provided excellent.
I can’t decide which character I like most (Fish? Alfred?).
I can understand
why its creators named it Gotham. The
city itself serves as the antagonist. Our hero, James Gordon, wants to serve as
an honest cop, clean up a corrupt police force, and prove that he can
accomplish progress honestly. The city stands determined to prove otherwise.
Thanks for reading.
Daughters of Darkwana received a sweet, succinct
review, which you can read here, http://www.thebookeaters.co.uk/daughters-of-darkwana-by-martin-wolt-jr/
Also,
the third book in my series, Diaries of
Darkwana, recently arrived on Kindle. You can find the entire series at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Darkwana&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3ADarkwana
An
inside look at my novels (such as Daughters of Darkwana, which you can now find on Kindle) at Darkwana.blogspot.com
