EXCLUSIVE: After making all five episodes available on Tuesday, Marvel Studios’ Echo has premiered at No. 1 on both the Disney+ and Hulu platforms. The series marked several firsts for a Marv…
Finished watching last night, and in the end, I really liked it!
The first episode: "I already know this stuff"
Second: "That was fun! This could be interesting."
Third: "That sort of took a turn."
Fourth: "Wow, they're keeping it complex!"
Fifth: "Huh, kind of a short landing, but that was fun!"
Overall, left me interested and wanting more.
I'm not sure they succeeded in making it a standalone film--too interconnected. It was only standalone in that they recapped everything from previous stories that might be considered background for Echo.
Not sure what was accomplished with the MA content. I guess it felt "grittier" than other D+ Marvel outings, but other than one scene in episode 4, the additional little bit of "gore" didn't serve much purpose.
As a character, I think they really develop Maya from IDK, vague? Aloof? Generically stoic? To someone that seems like a complicated anti-hero.
Supporting cast was solid, but the JV-level villains seemed too dumb/cartoony for me.
Seems like they're setting up Kingpin to be a big bad beyond just Echo. Not sure how that supports the standalone claim of this series. I like D'Onofrio's take, though I wish they'd show him more ragey (we get a TINY glimpse of that in the final face-off, when he clasps his hands over his head like he's about to Hulk smash on her.
After all that, I'm still not sure what Maya's powers are, other than visits from her ancestors and glowing hands/fingers. I know in the comics, she can learn/master new skills super fast, and she did seem to pick up assassining pretty quickly. But they also made her create a gun out of a drill and roller skates, and maybe have super-fast reflexes or something? IDK.
Finished watching last night, and in the end, I really liked it!
The first episode: "I already know this stuff"
Second: "That was fun! This could be interesting."
Third: "That sort of took a turn."
Fourth: "Wow, they're keeping it complex!"
Fifth: "Huh, kind of a short landing, but that was fun!"
Overall, left me interested and wanting more.
I'm not sure they succeeded in making it a standalone film--too interconnected. It was only standalone in that they recapped everything from previous stories that might be considered background for Echo.
Not sure what was accomplished with the MA content. I guess it felt "grittier" than other D+ Marvel outings, but other than one scene in episode 4, the additional little bit of "gore" didn't serve much purpose.
As a character, I think they really develop Maya from IDK, vague? Aloof? Generically stoic? To someone that seems like a complicated anti-hero.
Supporting cast was solid, but the JV-level villains seemed too dumb/cartoony for me.
Seems like they're setting up Kingpin to be a big bad beyond just Echo. Not sure how that supports the standalone claim of this series. I like D'Onofrio's take, though I wish they'd show him more ragey (we get a TINY glimpse of that in the final face-off, when he clasps his hands over his head like he's about to Hulk smash on her.
After all that, I'm still not sure what Maya's powers are, other than visits from her ancestors and glowing hands/fingers. I know in the comics, she can learn/master new skills super fast, and she did seem to pick up assassining pretty quickly. But they also made her create a gun out of a drill and roller skates, and maybe have super-fast reflexes or something? IDK.
Like I said, there was one scene, I'm sure you know what one I mean, where it sort of served a purpose in the story. It showed how the main villain responded to injustice with violence and directed fear and pain into rage. Maya identified with that rage, and learned to use violence as an outlet for her own pain.
This scene really helped me come to appreciate and understand both characters. Like most of Marvel's heroes and villains, they don't fall neatly into categories of good or evil. Some of Marvel's most interesting characters are anti-heroes, who are flawed and may blur the lines between right and wrong. Some of the best Marvel villains (looking at Thanos and Kang here) are really twisted in their thinking but they also kind of have a point.
I'll be interested in seeing more of Echo and more things like this from Marvel.
Like I said, there was one scene, I'm sure you know what one I mean, where it sort of served a purpose in the story. It showed how the main villain responded to injustice with violence and directed fear and pain into rage. Maya identified with that rage, and learned to use violence as an outlet for her own pain.
This scene really helped me come to appreciate and understand both characters. Like most of Marvel's heroes and villains, they don't fall neatly into categories of good or evil. Some of Marvel's most interesting characters are anti-heroes , who are flawed and may blur the lines between right and wrong. Some of the best Marvel villains (looking at Thanos and Kang here) are really twisted in their thinking but they also kind of have a point.
I'll be interested in seeing more of Echo and more things like this from Marvel.
I'd give it a "Meh" for a rating, which may not sound like much. But the shows have been so bad on D+, that a "Meh" gives it the second spot on my list. Only behind Hawkeye, which I mostly enjoyed.
I feel like Echo wasn't necessary for a show and who they cast bared no resemblance to the comic version. Also casting an amputee, severely hindered the fight scenes.
I still haven’t watched it yet as it is the least intrigued I have been for an MCU offering. But I’ll probably plan to do so at night after the kids are in bed and judge it for myself.
I enjoyed it. Wish they had kept to a weekly release as it's frustrating trying to avoid spoilers that come out almost instantly and I had a major one slip through. What Marvel does so well and why I feel it's a good fit for Disney is that each project feels different and that is very much in part due to an effort to delve into different cultures and people... the woke-ness of it all makes for an engaging, endearing, enlightening, and heartening experience beyond simple beat-em-ups and sky beams.
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