I think Marvel fans will like the first series of the fifth phase of the cinematic universe.
On June 21, Disney+ released the first episode of the series ” Secret Invasion.” The showrunner of the project is Kyle Bradstreet, screenwriter of “Mr. Robot”. All episodes were directed by Ali Selim (“Criminal Minds,” “The Calling”). Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Emilia Clarke, Kingsley Ben-Adir.
The alien race of Skrulls is trying to provoke a military conflict between the United States and Russia in order to take over the Earth. Nick Fury and Talos team up to stop their plans.
Bland plot
Ideologically, “Secret Invasion” is reminiscent of “Loki” – the writers take a minor character from the cinematic universe and reveal him anew. They coped with the main task, but the overall background is disappointing. The very first episode hints that you shouldn’t expect an unusual plot.
Considering the number of superhero films that have been released in recent years, this is not a surprise. Again a global threat, again references to past projects, again secret organizations. Of course, a lot can change over the next five episodes, but the first episode pretty clearly outlines the main conflict of the series.
The amazing Samuel L. Jackson
Nick Fury is hardly among Samuel L's best performances .Jackson. The series is trying to correct this by adding new colors and shades to the character.
Now this is not just a guardian of the Earth, collecting all kinds of heroes. More like an aging detective in film noir. He loses his grip and control over the situation, constantly replays the events of the past in his head and realizes that his time has passed.
Not to say that the character becomes too complex, but, fortunately, he is played by Jackson. He adds not only tragedy to the hero, but also self-irony. In the end, it doesn't matter how boring Fury is, simply because Samuel L. Jackson's character can't be boring by default.
Still from Secret Invasion
Jackson is a real gift for the show's writers, and they're making the most of it. They force you to speak Russian, throw you into strange locations, give you the opportunity to play with your voice (it’s hard to understand how you can love Jackson in voice acting).
And in one of the scenes there is a reference to the legendary episode from “Pulp Fiction” – except that Travolta and the quoting of holy scripture are missing.
Stylish visuals
Stylistically, Secret Invasion is more reminiscent of a spy thriller than a superhero. There is a gray flower bed, dark alleys, and a hand-held camera with a constant feeling of surveillance – in general, the standard set. “Secret Invasion” pleases with resourceful camera work with panoramas and interesting angles. The visuals dictate a paranoid atmosphere, the dialogues do not spoil it.
Sometimes it seems that “Secret Invasion” is “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” combined with “The Avengers”. Surprisingly, it works.
However, some things look strange. For example, “Moscow” was filmed in London and Liverpool, which are neither like Soviet Moscow nor modern. As a result, only the Cyrillic alphabet on the signs indicates that the actions are taking place in Russia. And earflap hats – they are not in every frame, but they still appear.
But the license plates are misleading: for some reason, the authors of the series believe that there are letters in the middle, so you can see the number 8A2. Despite the mistakes, Moscow still looks good – the shortcomings are too minor.
Not an independent project
Some Marvel projects can be safely watched in isolation from the general context of the universe. Such are, for example, the movie “Deadpool” or the TV series “Daredevil”.
“Secret Invasion” is a case when you need to know the backstory well. The writers are not going to spoil the details for newcomers. Moreover, they constantly refer to characters and events from past films.
Still from Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion is a cute series that Marvel fans will enjoy. The casual viewer, however, may enjoy the visuals and Samuel L. Jackson's performance, but become confused by the characters and backstory. In general, not “She-Hulk” and thank you for that.
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