Marvel's Inhumans

Ok, I sat down and watched the first two episodes. It wasn't as bad as critics thought but it wasn't good either. Mediocre storytelling, acting was decent but the writing....well let's say that the writer of the episode Scott Buck did a lousy job. It did touch on plot points from the comic book but the production design did look cheap. The CGI was Ok but not completely convincing either. I don't recall Medusa ever getting her hair shaved. Was it a move to save money on CGI?

Anyhow, I live in hope the writing will improve.

 

Pity in regards to your observations.
Great comic.

 

The preview I saw looked really awful. Like cringing awful.

 

I double checked to see if indeed it was on ABC and not the CW. Boy, it was baddddddddddddddd!

 

It wasn’t as bad as the critics made it out to be. I’m interested in seeing where it goes.

 

I missed recording the first half hour so I'm waiting til I can watch that On Demand to see the whole episode(s). I might enjoy it, I really enjoyed the original comics.

 

I read some of the '60s-'70s comics and was trying to remember or relate characters mostly to what was in the two hour premiere. I really dislike Medusa and Crystal and all the other aristocrats who think the non-super humans should be underground mining by hand and stuff... I don't remember this story from the comics but I'd be with Maximus pretty much. The woman sent to kill Medusa gave her a chance but Medusa killed her (or did she know that she wasn't dead permanently)? These are the heroes? Black Bolt was mostly humorous more than arrogant. Is he the good guy because he's taller and clean shaven? I find this story a real mess and wonder if they know where they're going? Who can back the side of fascist hereditary super-powered rule sneering over non-powered humans while living in luxury? Even if they change their ways on Earth and start to see us lesser humans as not despicable (Gorgon being saved by human Hawaiians) the way they are at the start of this series makes it pretty hard to care about them. Crystal went against her own parents who were killed by Black Bolt and Maximus'? Hard to relate. Maybe half when they get their powers lose part of the brains/consciences?

 

Doesn't sound anything like the FF comics I read as a ten year old or the later half-a-magazine series. Sigh.

 

my wife just posed a question: You like Marvel right? Yes...then why don't you want to watch The Inhumans? Why? because it's on ABC and I'm not a fan of that network...and I do not like broadcast commercial TV! She'll be solo on this one.: )

 

DVR is a good friend.

 

are you replying to my post?

 

Comics, particularly about groups of people probably go through a few changes before deemed "ready for primetime" (see: Clermont's X-Men), but only appropriate for that particular era, from what I can see.
"Howabout if we can make him be at odds with the humans because it's a metaphor on the raging polarization of the Vietnam Conflict?"
"Hmmmm, no, wait - howabout we just make her a hot babe...?"
"He wants to communicate verbally, but people today are finding that skill is no longer fitting into their family dynamic."
"Yeah, yeah, a hot babe, that oughta work...OH! And give her a cool car...!"

Studio heads may have the same 8th-grade grasp of funnybook narrative we shared in, um, the 8th grade; but, they're finding it hard to keep the respect for that Junior-High intellectual dynamic. So, in order to dumb the books down to translate over to video, they have to dumb themselves down as well. And, while they're at it, let's dump a little bathwater on that baby to keep him warm in the wastebasket. If you can't dramatize a dated chiche plot point, and you've got no reverence for it because you expect the audience to be starting fresh anyway, none of this "Superman-Red/Superman-Blue" crap, there really doesn't make a lot of sense to start with anything more than a hot babe and a cool car; we won't know if the audience wants to see that until the third eposide or so, so let's hold off on cerebral dramatic hooks, we can add them in later. Meanwhile - Hey! - we got a giant CGI dog...!

S.H.I.E.L.D. was a great start, as for as a new era in Marvel on TV goes; maybe they got lucky there. But it sure fits in with Netfliz' Daredevil, as far as "getting it right". But, that's three seasons so far; look how long it took to get The Baxter Building and Alicia Masters established, before they had the confidence to slap a Silver Surfer and a family of royal mutants (and their dog!) in their laps. Sometimes things just take the time that television isn't known to have the patience for. And with that impatience comes...the hot babe and the cool car. (NOTE: don't start frothing, I KNOW there's no hot babe and cool car, these are just metaphors). Sometimes the production team just has to tell some stories and sell the characters to the audience before swearing fealty to the original book, and goose-stepping lockstep into the Merry Marvel Marching Society. They'll probably get plenty of time to tell the stories already been told; let 'em fumble first on some Hollywood tropes first, to build their confidence up.

 

Since it was right after yours yes I was. I'm in your boat but the DVR keeps the water out from sinking.

 

gotcha...I'd rather skip it.

 

I agree with you. Some of the actors certainly pull off their roles well, some not so much. The actress that played Crystal was attractive but not that of an great actress IMHO.

 

You also bring up an interesting idea....(at least I think you are) maybe "Fantastic Four" would work better as a series on Netflix or Amazon with a bigger budget. The first two films weren't great nor very good even but entertaining to a degree (especially how they established the relationship between Ben and Johnny in the first two films from Fox) and the Silver Surfer improved the second Fox film (although I think that Dr. Doom was kind of a lame villain in the two films...not at all as threatening as he was in the comic book). The third (or fourth depending on if you count the New Line film) had a LOT of potential wasted. It felt like a four hour film cut down to two.

Since Marvel Theatrical doesn't really talk to Marvel TV (or maybe we can say that their relationship is "frosty") and are run independently (with Marvel Theatrical reporting directly to Disney). The rivalry between the two isn't doing the two studios any favors or at least the TV division. "Agents of SHIELD" has been pretty good over its three seasons and Daredevil has been very good as well. "Iron Fist" was a bore while "The Defenders" seemed to not have enough material for its eight episodes and then, as it rushed to its conclusion, didn't seem to have enough.

I'm going to give "Inhumans" a chance--there's a good chance that it will get better (or at least I hope so) but, given that the eight episodes were already shot and finished before airing, they can't retool the first season (or mini-series if you like) but, if there IS a second season, there is a chance to fire Buck, bring in the team that did the first season of "Daredevil" and improve the series.

As far as the quality goes for the series...if this was released in the 1970's or even 1980's on TV it would have worked better but, given the sophistication of the audience now and the high bar set by the Marvel movies and the first two seasons of "Daredevil" and the first season of "Jessica Jones", there's a chance that expectations were set too high along with a tight budget, weak writing and some questionable casting decisions for some roles undermine it.

For the record, I loved "The Inhumans" comic books (along with "Doctor Strange"--they were my two favs along with "Fantastic Four") .

Going back to F4--Fox needs to do what Sony did--work WITH Marvel Studios.

 

I had heard the bad buzz for the past few months on Inhumans but decided to watch the pilot anyway. I was pleasantly surprised, it's not anywhere nearly as bad as has been made out on social media. If you've read the comics, it's a passable TV adaptation. The budget cuts are noticeable, affecting a few key story elements.

Lockjaw actually looks pretty good for television special effects.

I would rather watch a season of these characters than another season of SHIELD. Apparently ABC had wanted to cancel SHIELD and someone at Disney forced ABC to renew it.

 

I was surprised also but in another way.

 

If Wayne feels that way, then I'm gonna stay away. I am going to try the other Marvel Mutant show, The Gifted, which looks interesting to me.



I think it's a good idea for a show, but I don't know how long they can sustain this. To me, this is just a 10-episode mini-series, not a show that could run for years and years.

 

Lockjaw looked really good to me too. I'm not criticizing the story, just I don't remember The Inhumans being (at least a bunch of them) so very unlikable. Especially Medusa... I'd think she was a baddie! Then again, I remember seeing First Blood and thinking there was nothing wrong with the movie, until people made it clear they thought Rambo was a hero and started selling camo PJs and making Saturday morning cartoons of him, very surreal moment and when i realized I was totally alienated from mainstream North American culture. I'm really hoping this isn't another occurance, that The Inhumans, at least most of them in the pilot, are not meant to be accepted as good guys, you know, that it's just that early stage where Spider-Man decided to make some bucks as a performer and didn't bother to slow down that crook. X-Men started off in 1963 feared and hunted by humans, these Inhumans are kind of like a flip on that as mutants whom humans (at least the moon ones) have to live in fear of.

Off the top of my head I know I read Fantastic Four 44 and 45 (their first appearances) and sporadic later issues from the '60s, the first few Amazing Adventures split comic with Black Widow in it, and the first issue at least of their own comic title. A mixed bag and there's no doubt a lot I missed. And it's totally fine with me that this tv version is it's own thing.

 

I didn't know this was going to be Marvel. Looking forward to it. I was nuts about the old Tomorrow People concept 'back in the day' even before finding X-Men comics (circa 1979-80), so was hoping it might be a bit like that (or at least either of the two reboots).

 

Wayne, I didn't really go there, but yes that's a great idea. Watching The CW bust their abs on their DC properties, it gives me hope to think they might do better with the FF on the smaller screen. My point is, you don't really have to re-tread decades of (not-always-meshing) Marvel continuity, to get a Marvel property that feels real. Take the dynamics you saw with the early issues, re-interpret them for television (as opposed to adapting comics for a different medium), and hit the emotional hot spots the fans would recognize; but build every character's involvment slowly, so everybody can learn who they are. Ease up on the ("He's Jimmy Olson - only, he's black - and, he's in the wrong city") stunt-characters, and give a teleplay space to breathe. That's what the Fantastic Four need to get rolling. Not "Clobberin' Time", or Willy the Mailman, go ahead a write for adults (guaranteed most of the Marvel Zombies that would care, ARE adults now).

Remember how clunky Jack Kirby's characters seemed (particularly at DC), with dopey names and over-inked battle stances, even when just pouring a glass of juice from the fridge? That just can't work on TV 30 years after King Kirby's demise. The agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. were great supporting players on the page, kind of like Gen. Fury's Minions. The show has brought them out of the background, and given them names and faces. That's why that worked. Characters grow, they explore, and they don't spend hours talking about their feelings because it's easier to shoot. Their personalities propel the plots, not just guest-cast in an all-star battle team-up. But they do give them a job to do, and we don't just see them having gotten it done.

And, TV can do something Jack Kirby never could: make Sue Storm look like a cute woman. I'd rather back off the Jessica Alba zazz, and cast somebody we can discover and fall in love with all in good time.

 

I've always thought the Inhumans work better as role players in a larger story with other heroes. They need something to play off, which the Fantastic Four usually provided.

I thought the pilot was sloppy explaining Black Bolt's powers. If I didn't know them beforehand, I would be very confused. Most of the power reveals were similarly underexplained with the possible exception of Medusa.

 

I finally watched this. Being a Game of Thrones follower I expected Maximus to call in his hounds at any point! His was the strongest performance, which is in a way too bad. Anson Mount is really wasted as he doesn't speak. . . Black Bolt's silence worked a lot better in the comics than on the small screen. I'm a Hell on Wheels fan so I want more from him here.

I'm on the fence. . . I'll watch a few more episodes. It has some promise. . .but. . . we'll see.