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Warning: Spoilers ahead for Marvel’s Inhumans!
It’s safe to say that Marvel has had quite a successful run when it comes to their television properties. With the exception of a misstep here and there (I’m looking at you Danny Rand). However, with Marvel’s ability to successfully deliver on quality of content in both movies and TV, I was feeling optimistic about Inhumans.
When it was announced that Inhumans was removed from Marvel’s MCU movie lineup and instead would be brought to life on TV, I was a bit worried but trusted that Marvel knew what they were doing.
The first two episodes of this new series are available to watch in IMAX theaters all over the country. And now that I have finally had the opportunity to watch them, I can safely say that Inhumans is the absolute worst thing that Marvel has put out. I walked into the theater wanting so badly to enjoy these 2 episodes, but as much as I wanted to like it, the writing, acting, effects, and costumes made it very difficult for me to find any redeeming factor at all.
The show follows the story of the Inhumans, which are a race of superhuman beings with special abilities that are revealed after exposure to the Terrigen Mist in a process called Terrigenisis. The Inhumans have lived quietly in their own society on the moon in a city called Attilan. They are led by their king and the show’s protagonist Black Bolt along with his royal family consisting of his brother Maximus, Queen Medusa, Princess Crystal and her canine companion Lockjaw.
When Maximus decides the Inhumans would be better off under his leadership rather than his brother Black Bolt’s, he betrays the crown and the royal family is forced to flee to earth. That’s about as deep as the story gets in these first two episodes.
As I sat through the run time of these first two episodes I noticed this show had a bit of a cheap feeling to it. The CGI in this show wasn’t completely horrible but it definitely wasn’t believable. It really took me out of the story. For example, Medusa has very long hair that she can move and use almost like an extra set of hands. It’s a very cool concept but very poorly executed in this show. But, I suppose it wasn’t much of a problem since Medusa’s hair was shaved off by Maximus within the first episode anyway. I guess the cost of animating her hair every episode was a little too high? The costumes of this show also contributed to the cheap feel this show had. They were definitely not impressive and felt more like cosplay than a big budget Marvel costume. Especially Black Bolt’s all leather costume that bares almost no resemblance to his comic book counterpart. Some may argue that the costumes need to be more grounded when being brought to live action but as we’ve seen with other heroes such as Daredevil, Spider-Man, and Captain America, it is completely possible to keep the classic look of these characters while at the same time maintaining a sense of reality.
I could’ve forgiven the cheap feeling of the effects and CGI if the acting and dialogue were strong and well delivered. Sadly, that is not the case here. There were scenes throughout Inhumans that were so poorly acted and written that audience members and I couldn’t help but laugh. When the audience laughs at a scene that is supposed to be serious and dramatic, that’s a red flag. Although the acting is pretty bad all around, Isabelle Cornish (Princess Crystal) was definitely the weakest link. The delivery in her lines, especially in the more dramatic scenes, were so lacking in emotion and fell so flat that it was almost cringe worthy.
It’s safe to say that I walked out of the theater very disappointed. However, I do think there were a couple of redeeming factors. Two, to be exact. Black Bolt and Lockjaw. Anson Mount did a fantastic job as Black Bolt and it was when the story was focused on him that I felt hope for this show. It’s a difficult task to be able to portray emotion through a character that cannot speak but he did it fabulously and it was awesome to see. Lockjaw was also great because well, hes a giant bulldog come on, how cute is that?? Lockjaw played a brief role in these first two episodes so let’s hope we see more of the teleporting canine in future episodes.
In conclusion, Inhumans was not good. It was a total and complete misfire that was so bad that after I walked out of the theater I saw a few people go up to the customer service table and actually ask for their money back. Perhaps the show can redeem itself in later episodes. I sure hope so. The only thing I have left to say about Marvel’s Inhumans is: Scott Buck, stay away from any more Marvel properties!
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