Marvel's Iron Fist is met with a lot of negative criticism which is very unwarranted. First of all Iron Fist is an adaptation of an existing Marvel comic. If you have problems with what that comic is about you should take it up with the original creators.
But even then people should not take that much offense to it. This whole idea that the lead should be played by an Asian actor doesn't make sense to me even if I understand what the thoughts are behind it. In the original story Danny Rand is white. So why does this need to be changed? Yes, I am aware that many characters who originally were ethnic are portrayed by predominantly white actors. This is a very wrong thing to do let there be no mistake about that. All kinds of excuse are given for this practice and I have yet to find one that isn't racially motivated. Point is that I would prefer to see the original character portrayed as written or that it follows one of those alternative universes that have been established over the years. Now sometimes that is a tall order since people in the film or TV industry can't always translate stories that well to the screen. Because of certain limitations. That is why I don't mind changes as long as they stay true to the spirit of the original character and story. And as far as I can tell Marvel's Iron Fist does exactly that so whoever is bringing in arguments that have nothing to do with the show at all should be ignored and disregarded.
This latest Marvel outing on Netflix fits right in and is very much on par with the previous Marvel shows. Like it or not Iron Fist has a lot in common with Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. Each of them are at the beginning of superherodom and while close have yet to figure out what they are about. I liked Danny Rand since he is the first one to be under the impression already to be a fully fledged champion and hero while it simply is a mask he is wearing to hide his innocence and fear. Deep down Danny Rand still is the child who is the lone survivor of a devastating plane crash where in one blow he lost his whole family. He is taken in by very mysterious monks who trained and prepared him to be a warrior in their battle against The Hand. Funny thing is that I had expected this series to show us more about he became the Iron Fist. But for some reason Marvel avoided this. By doing this a lot of mystery surrounds Danny Rand and this place Eternal K'un-Lun, City of the Immortals and it works in favor of the show. Since I for one wanted to find out more about it and it kept me interested until all kinds of other story lines came into effect. Most of the characters in this show are compelling and very wisely they did not overwhelm you with newer or older characters which allows the show to focus on Danny Rand and the Meachum family. Their dynamics are almost Shakespearean and very tragic. Of course there is some comic relief here and there but for the most part Iron Fist is very serious. Another thing Iron Fist excels in is the action. Now it is obvious that most of the actors aren't martial artists which is a little curious but not uncommon. However they do manage to look like they are martial arts masters and most action scenes are choreographed in a way that it's exciting and a total feast for the eyes. People who love this type of action will get what they want and then some. Isn't that what matters the most? I believed all of the characters and Finn Jones was a very likable and charming lead. His partner in crime Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing was very convincing and she basically kicked ass all the time. So very looking forward to see both Finn and Jessica doing their thing in upcoming The Defenders and later seasons. Again Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson) gets involved into events she can't seem to escape from. But she connects all the Netflix Marvel shows in a way that strangely enough feels very natural. Every time you see her you can't help but feel the heroes from other shows might pop up.
Please don't listen to naysayers and all the supposed controversy. There is no valid reason for people to be upset or angry. Marvel's Iron Fist is mostly an action packed show with enough substance to make you care for the characters and events. The show delivers on what it is supposed to do. In case you were wondering, yes this is very much a show worth binge watching. Although do keep in mind that like the previous shows it's slow at first but will pick up speed once certain events are set in motion.
Most important to realize that the show is a lot of fun and that to me it never felt like it was dragging.
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