‘The Defenders’ Review: Is Netflix’s Latest Marvel Show Worth Binge-Watching?

“Marvel’s The Defenders” is finally available for streaming today, and people who love superheroes will definitely have strong opinions. The Netflix drama features Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist teaming up to take down a powerful villain. Marvel and Netflix came up with a smart way to bring them together, but not everything about the series is perfect.

What Audiences Will Love

The Past: The show isn’t ditching characters’ important individual storylines from their own shows. Characters pick up right where they left off with supporting characters and references to what happened in their previous seasons. Luke (Mike Colter) is in jail, Jessica (Krysten Ritter) is still avoiding her phone (which has been ringing nonstop since Kilgrave’s death), Matt (Charlie Cox) is trying not to be a hero and Danny (Finn Jones) is searching for answers about K’un Lun.

The Villain: The big bad that unites all of New York’s street heroes has to be pretty fearsome. Sigourney Weaver can obviously do anything, and she gives Alexandra a certain amount of gravitas. She also makes her empathetic. You just might feel bad for her when she’s introduced.

The Friends: The Marvel/Netflix shows have some great supporting characters, and they all get a moment to shine in the first episodes of “The Defenders.” Whether they are a best friend, a lover or something in between, the miniseries seems to acknowledge every important relationship.

The Humor: Many Marvel lovers have wondered just how these four extremely different characters will react to each other, and it’s often just funny. “The Defenders” writers embrace the characters’ differences and use them to create enjoyable banter.

The Look: As costume designer Stephanie Maslansky told International Business Times in the spring, the color palettes still play an important role. When we’re in Harlem with Luke, we see yellows and oranges. When Jessica graces the screen, it’s all blue and purple. The effect makes it feel more like a continuation of each individual show rather than a separate project. Director S.J. Clarkson also makes sure each world sounds the same. Expect plenty of hip-hop in Luke’s scenes.

What Audiences Won’t Love

The Waiting: The action is always great on a Netflix show, but “The Defenders” takes a while setting up what’s about to happen. While there are fights in the first few episodes, they are mostly short and unmemorable until the Defenders come together. Getting all the heroes just to meet takes a few episodes.

It isn’t just the action that you’re waiting for during the first few episodes of “The Defenders.” There’s a lot of explaining about what’s happening. Parts of it are necessary, but some of it is just to introduce viewers to the worlds of each Defender, just in case they skipped one of the four series. The rich world of the Defenders is worth exploring, but it takes just a bit too long to set up what’s happening to unite our heroes. Luckily, most viewers are already invested in the characters, so it’s not a huge problem.

Ultimately, the good outweighs the bad in the first four episodes of “The Defenders.” It’s a fun addition to the growing lineup of Marvel shows. All eight episodes are out now on Netflix.