ऐको

The trailers made this seem like the first step into more gritty, adult content ala Netflix's Daredevil and Punisher series, but apart from 1 or 2 overally choreographed scenes it felt more like the worst episode of Iron Fist stretched into 5 episodes.

The concept itself isn't bad, but the writing was atrocious, with no real sense of character development or depth whatsoever. The only real standout being Vincent D'Onofrio's excellent portrayal of Kingpin, but even that is tarnished by the writing and a limp wiltering flower of an ending.

Echo also suffered from bad editing with the pacing and storyline feeling like they were all over the place.

The show had so much promise and I did appreciate the efforts made to honour the native American and deaf communities, but it didn't have to be at the expense of a coherent and gripping story.

I now fear what they're going to do with Daredevil, but hopefully with Dario Scardapane in the driver's seat there may be at least a small glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe...

Marvel's trajectory in the realm of superhero entertainment has been on a discernible decline, and "Echo" serves as the final nail in the coffin for my interest in their offerings. The show, which attempts to inject vitality into a waning narrative landscape, falls remarkably short of the mark. The utilization of a character like Kingpin, portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio, is a prime example of this shortfall. Instead of enhancing the show, this move undermines D'Onofrio's previously lauded performances and diminishes the character's legacy.

The overarching narrative of "Echo" is emblematic of the issues plaguing recent Marvel productions. There's a palpable lack of originality and depth, which results in a viewing experience that is both uninspiring and tedious. The show's reliance on established, well-regarded characters to salvage its storyline only highlights its inherent weaknesses. This strategy, rather than adding substance, feels like a desperate attempt to draw in viewers through nostalgia and familiarity.

Furthermore, "Echo" struggles significantly with narrative coherence and character development. These fundamental aspects, which are crucial for engaging storytelling, are noticeably absent, leading to a disjointed and unsatisfactory viewing experience. The show's failure to effectively leverage its source material, combined with a lack of innovative storytelling, exemplifies the creative rut that Marvel seems to be stuck in.

In summary, "Echo" not only fails to live up to the standards set by earlier Marvel productions but also exacerbates the growing sense of disillusionment with their recent endeavors. The show's inability to stand independently, relying instead on the reputation of established characters, is a clear indicator of Marvel's current creative stagnation. For me, this represents a turning point, solidifying my decision to disengage from Marvel's future superhero projects.

The series feels like it was supposed to be 10 episodes but they edited it for 5. Character development is minimal to none. Kingpin supposedly adopts Echo when she was very young and her parents died, but this is not really shown. Would have been a great place to start and to build up their relationship. Instead we are just told they are close and deal with it. It was jarring.

Native American spirituality and mysticism are often shown in flashbacks, not always for obvious reasons. There is some connection between the flashbacks and the nature of Echos healing power,but it is not clearly illustratred and not sold properly. Again, the scenes are jarring. By he way the comic book power she has is the ability to copy anyones fighting style. We never see this in the show.

The comic book character is deaf, and so is the actress. This was interesting and was great to see. Good to see actress play a major part. And she gives it all she has. However, the lack of hearing is used as a gimmick when fighting, as often sound is totally turned off. To show she is deaf. The problem though is that it makes the scenes boring. Sound is really important for immersion, They missed the boat somewhere here.

Echo, the star, as a character, is not likeable. Redeeming qualities are few and far between. She takes to killing like flies to dog poop. No remorse at all. Is selfish, does not care who pays for her actions. Wants to replace KingPin.

Hawkeye is shown briefly fighting her, probably to help market the show. So is Daredevil. They both fight her to a standstill, with Hawkeye coming closer to killing her. The encounters do nothing to develop her character though. They are used as simple plot devices to get to the next act. Feels empty.

She is supposed to be an anti hero? Vigilante? No. Just another criminal who is talented at killing and stealing. Her ambitions overcome any feelings of love for her sister and friends.

If you want to watch as required viewing to prepare for future marvel movies, all you need is episode 1 and 5. All else is filler.

Well, there's not much to say for Echo, so I'll keep this short.

Echo in a word is... well boring! It's not terrible as the show starts interesting enough, but like Secret Invasion, it falls apart in the end.

The show had some good cinematography and I guess good cgi when compared to recent Marvel projects. Maya is well written and is played fantastically by Alaqua Cox. Seeing Daredevil was great in his like two minute cameo, and Kingpin is great too.

But where this show falls apart is in its storytelling and writing. Nothing really happens in this show, and it leads to nothing. With an ending that just left me thinking, "ok."

My expectations were never high to begin with, but d*mn this could have been far better. I honestly didn't even know this show was released this week until I saw an advertisement for it on my TV.

One last thing who the hell told Disney this was TV-MA material there were like maybe two or three things max that made me think TV-MA and even then that was just pushing TV-14. If this is what Disney thinks passes for MA, then d*mn I'm scared for Deadpools 3 R rating.

Oh well, until the next Marvel flop.

IMDb: 5/10 Letterboxd: 3/5

Watched on Disney+ in 4k Dolby Vision.

What we have here is Secret Invasion 2.0 as many feared but the end product is less incompetent. Echo herself continues to be rather bland, her shamanic (?) powers feel shoehorned in so that marketing can pretend that they care about Native American culture and all other characters can barely be called as such. Material was cut but not enough if you ask me. The cringy cousin, the bad CGI train, etc. The show´s editing sucks in general.

Iron Fist S1 is better than this 3-hour "film", Arrow has better fight scenes and more on top of that. Daredevil´s one scene is a random half-fight in a flashback that just stops. A delete bit from Hawkeye or a studio mandate to create a trailer shot, unlike his fun use in She-Hulk. The TV-Ma is lastly an unearned marketing gimmick. Watch Reservation Dogs or rewatch Daredevil and Arrow S2. This ain´t it and will be the last time I finish an MCU show for the sake of it. No matter how short! Marvel Spotlight (what does this even mean?) is thus a bust.

PS: The post-Netflix Kingpin continues to suck but D'Onofrio tries his best and has more good scenes here than in Hawkeye. A deleted scene was sadly the only good one there. Why am I praising She-Hulk and Hawkey...?