moderngeekdom

[moderngeekdom]

ECHO: Was it all that bad?

OK, so it's time we talked about the latest Disney+ show for the MCU: Echo.

I wish I could say I binged the series in it's entirety, but alas, life got in the way and I had to split up viewing between two days. Not that that was difficult, seeing as how it clocked in at a mere five episodes. Still, I was able to watch the first two episodes then had to let a couple days pass before I could make time to watch the remaining three.

I'm not sure that break was all that advisable to be honest.

See, the first two episodes, while being filled with call-backs to other series, were the most well executed and it really felt like the producers and writers knew what they were doing.

Episode 1 especially had some excellent fight choreography, pacing, and story building. Episode 2 followed suit by pushing further into Maya's family and past.

But then episode 3 happened, and while I appreciate the overall story being told, the inconsistencies and poor plotting and pacing started to creep in. If I had hope that this was going to be an overall well excecuted series at the end of episode 2, those hopes were dashed by the end of episode 3.

Despite the train sequence in episode 3, and the roller rink sequence in episode 4, there wasn't much dynamic storytelling to fill out the last 3 episodes. I guess when you have to truncate six episodes down to five some things need to get rearranged and squeezed together. Let alone a good portion of the story probably got left on the editing room floor.

But here's the thing: realistically, I get it. This series was shot during the pandemic and had to deal with all sorts of mandates and limitations. THEN their budget got slashed and they had to make do. So I get it, all of my qualms with the show make sense within that context.

So lets talk about the series knowing that it's issues are completely understandable:

Overall, I liked it!

It's a nice, street-level anti-hero story. Alaqua Cox is great, she has an excellent screen presence and can be incredibly intimidating when she wants to be.

Personally I felt that Chaske Spencer's Henry worked, despite being a bit over-the-top.

Cody Lightning's Biscuits was a nice addition; a well-meaning cousin just happy to see his family after so many years. Always good for levity and a bit of comic relief.

Tantoo Cardinal was top notch as Chula, and I can't remember a single thing I haven't loved Graham Greene (Skully) in. Presumably when Echo lives on in other series, hopefully Skully will at least make an appearance!

Rounding out the main cast we have Devery Jacobs as Bonnie, Zahn McClarnon as Echos's dad, and Andrew Howard as the smarmy henchman Zane.

Of course, we can't not talk about Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin. He was spot on, per usual, and a great relief that Marvel made sure to bring him over from the Netflix series. Kingpin chews every scene he's in, even when it feels like he got shoehorned. D'Onofrio does such a great job adding gravitas to the character that you get a sense he genuinely enjoys playing him. Which is only further proven by the fact that he's publicly stated how he hopes to continue to portray Kingpin for as long as Marvel and Disney will let him.

All the better for us fans.

All-in-all I have to say the cast was excellent, especially when you consider many of the main members weren't as heavily experienced as the veterans. But those veterans helped bring everything together, and they all seemed to play along nicely with one another.

The story itself was also, I feel, a good one worth telling. It was a great way to bring Echo out of someone else's' series and into their own. Most of the elements made sense, although the obvious reworking of episode 4 kinda made some beats a bit confusing. The sit-down between Maya and Kingpin in Maya's old house for example...necessary, but forced. Still, despite it's awkwardness and what the scene did to the overall pacing, I'd say all the main beats were accomplished, and the show only got muddied due to the small details, or lack thereof, and some of the timing.

If this show hadn't been produced during a pandemic. If it had a decent budget and the proper amount of time to tell a full and complete story. If it had been taken seriously by the Disney Execs. If it hadn't had to deal with all of it's internal problems...it'd probably have been great. As it is, however, it's just adequate bordering good. Totally watchable, and I'm grateful it exists, but it's issues overshadow its quality.

Hopefully we'll get to see more Maya Lopez in future street-level MCU projects. Till then, I'd recommend watching Echo, but be sure to temper your expectations.

3/5 Stars

[moderngeekdom]

Is Marvel Fatigue a thing?

Since I keep seeing "Marvel Fatigue" or "MCU Fatigue" or more commonly "Superhero Fatigue" popping up on social media, YouTube, and in other such discussions, I want to call back to a podcast we did in 2018 about the same subject, just for Star Wars instead. Enjoy!

Modern Geekdom Episode #0065 - Star Wars Fatigue?

[moderngeekdom]

First official post here on our new blog!

And what are we discussing today? ...

Yup, that's right. A potential Harry Potter TV series...on Max (you know, HBO's streaming service?).

This begs many questions, the first of which is 'why?' But I guess that's obvious: money.

The next question then becomes, 'why now?' Seriously, it's only been ~23 years since The Sorcerer's Stone released. Not even 13 years since Deathly Hallows Part 2. So why now?

Most TV and film remakes happen 30+ years after the original, or sometimes the previous version in the case of multiple remakes. This is because older audiences will clearly remember the old version but might appreciate the updated storytelling, visual effects, new directors & actors, etc. There's enough time for clear separation. And that's before even drawing in a whole new audience of younger viewers! Though, here's the rub, today's younger audiences have been inundated with Harry Potter for the last 20 years too. DVD, then BluRay, now streaming has kept the franchise accessible. Not to mention the video games, stage plays, and amusement parks.

Now, I'm not downplaying the idea of remaking the franchise, far from it. It's an inevitability by all accounts. My concern is merely, given the timing, what's the motivation behind doing so?

While it could be argued the first few movies are beginning to look dated, the last few certainly don't. And while many geeks argue the merits of the adapted screenplays compared to the source books, none deviate so far in a way that a remake is entirely necessary. So unless the point is to spread the stories out over lengthy seasons, the way Game of Thrones did, and be as accurate to the source as possible, I can only really see one reason why Warner Bros would decide to remake Harry Potter now:

They don't want to lose the rights.

Let's just hope if they're serious about this project they do it right. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see what develops.

Keep an eye out for news, Geeks, and let us know if you spot anything!

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