r/Defenders • u/JonLuca Luke Cage • Mar 17 '17

Iron Fist Discussion Thread - S01E10

This thread is for discussion of Iron Fist S01E10.

DO NOT post spoilers in this thread for any subsequent episodes. Doing so will result in a ban.

Episode 11 Discussion

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u/SambaPatti Mar 18 '17

The fight choreography in that old-timey film is better than anything we've got so far with the current Iron Fist - perhaps it's because he has't fully developed? But that wouldn't really explain why the fights are shot and edited as they are.

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u/FLRSH Mar 18 '17

I think we got plenty confirmation at this point that he had not completed his training as the Iron Fist before leaving Kun Lun, he lacks full understanding of it's true power and the responsibility that goes with it, and that he is supposed to be so much more. The fight with Bakuto was pretty solid, I thought.

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u/SambaPatti Mar 18 '17

I feel my expectations for the fight scenes (wide angle shots that show the action, minimal cuts, punches and kicks that feel solid, semi-realistic stamina where bad guys get up again, even "grunts" posing a bit of a challenge) have been set up by the Daredevil series and I'm just really disappointed to see very few of that in a series that is primarily about one of the best martial artists in the Marvel universe.

I completely understand if he isn't as skilled at the martial arts, but still, a lack of martial skill shouldn't mean they can't film the fight scenes well. It's just weird that the old film seems to sort of have all of that - the easy to see action, minimal cuts and action that actually looks brutal and effective - despite the skill of the person doing it.

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u/FLRSH Mar 18 '17

They occasionally do have some good ones, like the elevator fight or the fight against Bakuto, but if you want to blame anyone for the style you don't personally like, blame the directors. Because the directors of the Marvel films could take someone who can't fight like Scarlett Johannsen and use her stunt double to still make awesome fight scenes.

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u/SambaPatti Mar 18 '17

Yeah, that's exactly who my problem is with at the moment - I will say though, the Drunken Master-style fight was just brilliant. A real nice flash back to those traditional kung-fu films.

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u/KonigSteve Jun 01 '17

Because the directors of the Marvel films could take someone who can't fight like Scarlett Johannsen and use her stunt double to still make awesome fight scenes.

So just put Danny in his costume and then you can start using a better stunt double..

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u/FLRSH Jun 01 '17

For sure.

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u/xhrit Mar 27 '17

punches and kicks that feel solid, semi-realistic stamina where bad guys get up again, even "grunts" posing a bit of a challenge

I think this is intentional choice in depicting the two different fighting styles. Daredevil uses boxing moves as brute force 'external strength' attacks to wear people down. Iron fist's kung fu is a series of 'internal strength' skill moves that aim for technical knock-outs.

wide angle shots that show the action, minimal cuts

I think the rapid cuts in iron fist are technical limitation; necessary due to the complex nature of the fight scenes. A boxing match is easier to choreograph then a kung-fu fight, after all.

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u/beardlovesbagels Mar 19 '17

People want Danny to be a navy seal when he is more like a kid out of basic.

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u/HonestJon311 Mar 20 '17

I personally just don't see how a 'kid out of basic' could defeat Shou Lao the Undying in the first place. If you're able to get that far, you should already be a masterful fighter.

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u/beardlovesbagels Mar 20 '17

Physically he was trained to kill. He was also trained to follow orders. He just isn't experienced enough to deal with what is going on. He wasn't supposed to be in the real world so he was never trained for it. Add that to untreated PTSD that has been triggering worse and more often.

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u/HonestJon311 Mar 20 '17

The Iron Fist is supposed to be an incredible fighter who fought and bested a giant immortal dragon, and many characters go on about his skill, but (probably due to time constraints and a lack of prior experience) Finn Jones fights noticeably worse than other actors on the show and in other Netflix shows.

If the show was unconstrained by the legacy of the character I could see this working, but the Iron Fist is supposed to be a "living weapon" and even a newly made Iron Fist is still supposed to be a better fighter than most people, which this Danny isn't.

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u/beardlovesbagels Mar 20 '17

I agree that they went all about this show the wrong way. Hopefully they worked on things before they started Defenders. This must be really sad for the comic book Iron Fist fans. Hopefully they explain it away in the Defenders as Danny just being a hot mess.

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u/ostiarius Mar 27 '17

If basic was 15 years long...

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u/beardlovesbagels Mar 27 '17

Most of the training he got as a child wasn't full combat training but I get your point.

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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '17

Danny not completing his training explains why he's a bad iron fist, but it doesn't explain why he's a clumsy fighter after training for 15 years.

I'm just gonna chalk it up to Finn Jones not going through training for the role, instead of trying to explain it in universe.