I have been following the Marvel Netflix series since the first season of Daredevil. Much like the first Avengers movie, The Defenders was built up as the culmination of all four series so far. While the end result was satisfying up to a point in that respect, it didn't come close to having near as much of an impact.
One of many things that I liked about the individual shows was that they were never afraid to let you know you're not watching a show for kids. The exception to the rule so far was Iron Fist. Although IF was still enjoyable, they definitely lightened the tone. This trend continues with The Defenders. There is some adult content here and there but still quite tame compared to Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage's first seasons.
The action and fight scenes, while not boring, were at times quite short and didn't quite have the wow factor that we saw in the characters' individual tales. The hallway fight scene in Daredevil season 1 still reigns supreme as the most memorable out of the whole franchise so far.
Also, I know this has more to do with rights, conflicting story lines and what not but are we really supposed to believe that such a huge threat to the entire city of New York goes unnoticed by anyone in the MCU? Not even by Tony Stark, Steve Rogers or Peter Parker, who are all natives? They have all but stopped referring to the "incident" in the Avengers. The only reference I caught was a newspaper article that was framed on the wall in the background. Look, we get it, OK? The movies and shows will never cross over, it's too difficult and blah blah blah but don't insult our intelligence by using a villain organization that threatens on such a large scale, if you can't have a cameo or even a mention of anyone else.
This is not a surprise, as anyone who's seen the trailers or the casting list or read any articles leading up to the series knows, Elektra is back. While I did enjoy her turn in Daredevil, her arc in this series was largely disappointing and it ended on and even more disappointing note. Also, the weak link in the Defenders lineup is the same as the weak link in the solo shows, Iron Fist. However, it's still worth it, due to the other 3, particularly Jones and Cage.
I don't want to spend the entire review criticizing the show, because as I said, it was still enjoyable. Seeing the group unite and fight together is cool in and of itself. They should have spent more time with them all together. There is too much discord going on once they all meet and it distracts from the real strong points of the show.
In the end, I would recommend to anyone who watched the individual shows to watch this one. I just wouldn't expect to be blown away.
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