Okay, I watched the series premier of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. My take is…was it okay? Yes. Could it have been better? Yes.
It was the first episode of the series and while it didn’t exactly pull me in and keep me on the edge of my seat, I liked it and I’ll give it a few more weeks to solidify and establish these new characters. For what it’s worth, it is not going to have the big-budget appeal and glitz of a summer blockbuster, but it is exactly what it is supposed to be- like watching a graphic novel serial each week instead of reading one. Smallville had good and bad years, thrilling and cheesy episodes, but in the end was arguably the best damn superhero television series of all time. I’ll debate anyone on that.
Joss Weadon understands and honors the comic scene better than anyone in Hollywood and I loved the overt references to the movie story lines and the little nuggets/references from sci-fi and comic book greatness that were laced within the dialogue that I’m sure some people missed.
It wouldn’t hurt to tease the appearance of the big guys from the movies, but people who are looking for Robert Downey, Jr. and Chris Hemsworth to be regular cast members are going to be disappointed.
True fans of the Marvel Universe and all of its subtle subplots will enjoy it for what it is- entertainment that keeps the franchise firmly within the public consciousness.
My final rating would be 3 out of 5 stars with a positive outlook for improvement.