DAVID BIANCULLI

Founder / Editor

ERIC GOULD

Associate Editor

LINDA DONOVAN

Assistant Editor

Contributors

ALEX STRACHAN

MIKE HUGHES

KIM AKASS

MONIQUE NAZARETH

ROGER CATLIN

GARY EDGERTON

TOM BRINKMOELLER

GERALD JORDAN

NOEL HOLSTON

 
 
 
 
 
'Inhumans' is Inadequate
September 29, 2017  | By David Hinckley  | 4 comments
 

If you’re having trouble keeping up with the blizzard of Marvel TV shows, Inhumans is one you could skip.

Truth is, the TV premiere of Inhumans at 8 p.m. ET Friday on ABC is a little anticlimactic anyhow since it was released earlier this month as an Imax movie.

If the special effects weren’t spectacular on an Imax screen, which they weren’t, shrinking them down to TV screen size doesn’t improve matters.

The bigger problem with Inhumans, though, is that the story and the characters are less than gripping.

Okay, you could argue that the 900-pound bulldog Lockjaw is pretty compelling, and you’d be right. But Inhumans is a live-action show, so a CGI component like Lockjaw doesn’t get enough screen time to rescue the people around him.

Somewhat frustratingly, Inhumans starts with an interesting, multi-level premise.

The Inhumans are a highly evolved race that inhabits the colony of Attilan. If you can’t find that on your GPS, it might be because it’s on the moon, where humans can’t see it.

If humans knew it was there, the Inhumans reason, humans would try to destroy it, because that’s what humans do.

Hard to argue that point, when you think about it.

As they mature, Inhumans submit to terrigenesis analysis, which tells them their destiny. Some become human butterflies, some become rulers. Others become, well, nothing much, and will spend their lives in the mines, which is as unfulfilling as it sounds.

As we join the story, the king and queen of Attilan are Black Bolt (Anson Mount) and Medusa (Serinda Swan). Black Bolt also has a brother, Maximus (Iwan Rheon), who lost his inhuman gene during terrigenesis and would be down in the mines himself if he weren’t the brother of the king.

Maximus isn’t especially grateful for this. He’s resentful. He wants to know why his brother gets to be king, and he resolves to do something about it, like a fraternal palace revolt.

It’s a classic setup for the good king being forced to defend his throne against the jealous, conniving younger brother, and that’s sort of what seems to be happening.

Except.

 

Except Medusa, while we like her, has a bit of a superiority complex. She looks down on humans as an inferior race.

 

And Maximus, while he is conniving and jealous, does seem to have more empathy for all those mine workers than does his brother.

In that spirit, Maximus tries to rally them to back his plan for attacking and subduing humans on Earth, opening up all the riches of that planet for Inhumans to enjoy.

Liberator or rabble-rouser? A question for our times, eh, mate?

So there are some potentially interesting grey areas here. They just aren’t painted very well. Despite the best efforts of Swan, in particular, Inhumans at times just feels like basic clumsy sci-fi.

Being a Marvel production, it does have humor, particularly from Black Bolt’s cousin Karnak (Ken Leung) and his Royal Guard leader Gorgon (Eme Ikwuakor).

It also has a fair maiden and a lot of scenes where Inhumans travel to distant places and undergo culture shock as they encounter different customs.

Oh yes, and most of the Inhumans have superpowers.

It should add up to something lively and fun, and there are moments when it gets there. But unless you’re a Marvel completist, Inhumans is inessential.

 
 
 
 
 
Leave a Comment: (No HTML, 1000 chars max)
 
 Name (required)
 
 Email (required) (will not be published)
 
WONJU
Type in the verification word shown on the image.
 
 
 Page: 1 of 1  | Go to page: 
4 Comments
 
 
We machining inserts will showcase your brand images and will increase your market. We created these products with the ability to withstand high temperatures during the machining process. We produce a variety of sizes and geometries of these products to fit with existing tool holders. Therefore, no matter where you use it, you can guarantee it perform and work better.
May 31, 2024   |  Reply
 
 
For so many years, We has been the most trusted manufacturer and distributor of machining inserts. Whatever you need, we are to provide all the innovative solutions you need. We can produce various products with your chosen designs and specifications. Our company accepts OEM and ODM., welcome to our website to learn more about carbide inserts:https://www.estoolcarbide.com
Mar 7, 2024   |  Reply
 
 
Estool has a set of standards of carbide inserts and cutting tools in the tooling, milling, and other industries. With part quality, high-tech equipment, and quality test system, and excellent customer service, customers rely on us, both local and international customers., welcome to our website to learn more about carbide inserts:https://www.estoolcarbide.com
Feb 29, 2024   |  Reply
 
 
Estool wins a good reputation in the market for providing the highest-quality cutting tools. When used for threading, milling, turning, boring, or facing, our lathe inserts leave better finishes on metal parts surface, activate high efficiency. We have plenty of options for you to choose from., welcome to our website to learn more about carbide inserts:https://www.estoolcarbide.com
Jan 29, 2024   |  Reply
 
 
 
 Page: 1 of 1  | Go to page: