When it comes to movies, TV shows and plays writing is everything.
And that is what makes Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. a bona-fide winner. Even though the pilot was co-written with his brother and sister-in-law, it has Joss Whedon's fingerprints all over it. Whedon is responsible for some classics, but my personal favorite is his run on Astonishing X-Men.
It's a fine line to make dialogue clever (but not too clever); to add surprising twists (but not so surprising as to be implausible); and to keep things moving quickly (but not too quickly). This first episode handled that balancing act perfectly. There was one twist in particular that was a bit of a shock, but spoke volumes about the character who initiated it.
I have one complaint, albeit a small one: during the big climax, the 'bonding moment' between the team members, the camera paused on each individual for a reaction shot. It felt a little heavy-handed, but it's a small quibble.
Really great start!
Jeffrey Dale Starr is a tequila enthusiast, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.
I concur! I think I'm going to enjoy this, especially with Joss Whedon at the helm. I'm stewing a bit about how the network and news completely disregard Firefly and Serenity, preferring instead to mention Buffy, Angel, and the Avengers movie . Talk about not knowing your fan base!
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, Whedon's trademark humor is there ("It means that somebody really wanted to spell SHIELD") along with the sudden shock after an emotional moment. The only faults I saw were some puzzling editing choices that muddied up one character's relationship with SHIELD, and a lack of establishing a change at the end that might have confused viewers with what seemed like a goof. Overall though, this series looks promising!