Marvel's Luke Cage series review

By Nadia Ranaputri

Mike Colter as Luke Cage (source: thewrap.com)

Sweet Christmas! Luke Cage is here. With Daredevil and Jessica Jones confirmed to have a new season in the near future, and Iron Fist around the corner, Luke Cage is the latest Defender to have his own series. While Daredevil and Jessica Jones have received rave reviews, does Luke Cage live up to the hype?

Taking place somewhere after the events of Marvel's Jessica Jones, Luke Cage lays low in the city of Harlem and blends in with the locals. While in hiding, corrupt forces appear in the shadows of Harlem and plan to take over. Amidst the dangers of the upcoming threat. Luke must choose if he should stay in hiding or come out to protect the city of Harlem from danger.

Mike Colter returns as Luke Cage, and he is killing it. Colter's performance shows depth and humanity to what is an unstoppable force that is Luke Cage. Simone Missick's Misty Knight brings a lot of girl power and is interesting enough to have a story of her own throughout the series. Mahersala Ali brings a lot to the table for his role as Cornell (aka Cottonmouth) Stokes. Marvel/Netflix shows have brought great and compelling villains on screen, and Cottonmouth was no exception. Like Daredevil's Wilson Fisk, Cottonmouth is a villain that you eventually start to side with, and will solely root for. The most interesting character for me, though, was Alfre Woodard's Mariah Dillard. She starts out as a grey character for the start of the series, but as her true motivations and secrets come to light, she becomes the character to truly watch out for.

Mahershala Ali as the show's main antagonist Cottonmouth (source: fortressofsolitude.com)

 Marvel's Luke Cage feels like a superhero show that is also a love letter for Harlem, displaying its culture and citizens. The cinematography makes Harlem look spectacular, showing beauty even in its darkest corners. The characters are a spectacle to watch. They can be nice, alluring, cunning, or even just pure evil. Whether you're on the good side or the bad side, you can't help but actually root for one side while you're in the other, and you can thank the script and storyline, because they gave so much development to these characters.

From left to right: Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple and Mike Colter as Luke Cage (source: metro.co.uk)

One flaw that I had with this show though, is very much a spoiler, but to keep it spoiler-free, that flaw comes in sometime during the second half of the season, where the presence of another baddie becomes the show's downfall. As the first half of the season starts out strong, the third act in the second half of the season caused the show to fall downwards, almost on the edge of a cliff, but not quite there yet.

All in all, Marvel's Luke Cage is a great new addition to the Marvel/Netflix universe. Its characters are compelling spectacles, the storyline has great development, but the show's third act becomes its sudden downfall. For me, Luke Cage can stand mighty well on its own, but it is the weakest of the Netflix Defenders series.

Stars: 4/5