The Marvel shows on Netflix are some of the best shows that television has to offer. They offer a darker look at the Marvel cinematic universe while also providing great superhero action and drama. Luke Cage continues Netflix’s winning streak in the superhero department.
Plot
Luke Cage takes place in Harlem in New York City and follows Cage (Mike Colter), a man with bulletproof skin and super strength, who attempts to clean up the streets of Harlem from gang violence. As he does this, he brings upon himself the wrath of gangsters such as Cottonmouth (Mahershala Ali) and the police led by detective Misty Knight (Simone Missick).
Heroes
Colter is great as Luke Cage. He is someone who wants to do good and uses his powers to his advantage to save his city. He is a very likable character and it is very entertaining to watch him beat up thugs with such ease. I also thought Missick was really good as the detective who thinks Cage is doing good but should be doing it in a different way.
Rosario Dawson also is in the show as the love interest Luke Cage and her character is a lot more intriguing in this show than she was in the other two Marvel shows.
Show Elements
One quality of Luke Cage that I loved was the way the show paid tribute to the spirit of Harlem. The show references many civil rights leaders who lived in Harlem and features a fantastic soundtrack that is composed of songs from hip-hop, rap, and R&B. The soundtrack is addictive to listen to.
The songs are also used during the action scenes which adds energy to the action scenes and makes them even more awesome. I also liked how the show referenced other characters in the Marvel cinematic universe. The show also does a good job at developing each character and giving each one a complex personal arc.
The story of the show is pretty well-paced. However, there are a couple of episodes that are very slow, and not much happens. There is one subplot that takes a little bit of time to develop when the audience can predict exactly what is going to happen.
Villains
The main problem I had with Luke Cage is the villain. The show starts out with Cottonmouth as the main villain and he is fantastic. He has a great backstory and his character is unpredictable in what he will do or say. However, halfway through the show, the show just switches villains. Diamondback (Erik Laray) is the second villain in the show and he is a very standard villain.
He is more dangerous than Cottonmouth, but he’s not an interesting character. Every action he did is very predictable. If he has a problem with someone, he just shoots them and that’s it. There is also very little that is known about this character for why he does what he does.
To be honest, the character who scared me the most was Mariah Dillard (Alfre Woodard), a corrupt politician who did whatever it took to maintain her power. She is very manipulative and she does something in the show that shows just how dangerous she is. I also liked Theo Rossi as Shades who is one of the henchman for the villains. He is very charismatic and a cool character.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Luke Cage is a very good introduction for this character. Those who do not know who Luke Cage is will definitely come to like him. Even though the show is not as good as Daredevil or Jessica Jones, it still provides a great 13 episode season. It is definitely worth binge-watching.
Rating: 8/10
The Review
Luke Cage Season 1
'Luke Cage' does an awesome job at bringing the streets of Harlem to life while remaining a cool, superhero show. The midseason villain switch does weigh the story down a bit as Cottonmouth should've been more than just a device for a plot twist. Luke, the supporting cast, and an awesome cast still make this first season a good time.
Review Breakdown
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Luke Cage Season 1
