'Luke Cage' Season One Review

​Hello, fellow moviegoers!
   Luke Cage is the latest series to be released on Netflix from Marvel Studios. It stars Mike Colter, Simone Missick, Mahershala Ali, Theo Rossi, and Rosario Dawson. As the title suggests, it follows the story of Luke Cage. He was introduced in Hell’s Kitchen during last year’s Jessica Jones, but now he's doing his own thing up in Harlem. Marvel has been consistently making fantastic shows on Netflix, so is Luke Cage any different?

   Luke Cage, as a character, was one of my favorite parts of the Jessica Jones series. When I heard he was getting his own series, obviously I was ecstatic. I’m glad to say that Luke Cage continues the long streak of great shows from Marvel on Netflix!
  Mike Colter, once again, was fantastic as the titular character. This time around he was given much more to do than he was in Jessica Jones. Colter was able to really show his range as an actor and display the many different layers to this character extremely well in this series. Luke Cage is a corny character, and this series knows that. Through a mix of great writing and acting, lines like “Sweet Christmas” worked extremely well.
  The corniness continued far beyond the character of Luke Cage in this series. However, much like it did with Cage, it works extremely well. The performances given by many of the actors in this show were over-the-top, but that was because they were supposed to be. Theo Rossi’s performance as Shades was a perfect example of that. He said everything in a sort of whisper, and he was constantly wearing sunglasses. It was really cheesy, but it was extremely convincing at the same time.
   There are several villains throughout Luke Cage, but by far the best was Cottonmouth played by Mahershala Ali. There was so much more to the character of Cottonmouth than being the villain. He had his own backstory, and had he been dealt a different hand, he might actually be a good guy. Mahershala Ali’s performance rivaled that given by Mike Colter. Both of these characters were so interesting, and so well portrayed, that when they interacted you couldn’t help but be enthralled. Not just when they’re fighting, but when they’re just sitting around talking. It provides a brilliant look into both characters’ psyche.
   Erik LaRay Harvey also played a villain in the show known as Diamondback. I wasn’t the biggest fan of him. He worked well for the series, but he was nowhere near as interesting as Cottonmouth. They gave him a bit of a backstory, but he became the sort of mustache-twirling villain. They tried defining his motives a little bit, but I still found it hard to believe that he would do all of the things he was doing.
   There is one event that happened about halfway through the series that I don’t believe was the best idea. It’s hard to talk about it without spoilers, but you’ll know it when you see it. The aftermath of this event was interesting, but I can’t help but wonder what might have been had it not.
   Luke Cage was, once again, a home run for both Marvel and Netflix. While Daredevil would still be my favorite Marvel/Netflix show, I would say that Luke Cage was a close second, with Jessica Jones right behind that. The show does have a few minor issues, but overall, I loved this show. I would highly recommend it, especially if you’re a fan of the other Marvel/Netflix shows.
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8.5/10

   So what did you think of Luke Cage? What is your favorite Marvel show on Netflix right now? Let me know by commenting on this post! Also, if you enjoyed this review, share it on Facebook and Twitter, it really helps! Don’t forget, I post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so check back then for more movie reviews and miscellaneous movie thoughts!
 
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