IMO the weakest of the four seasons from the Marvel Netflix shows so far. I still enjoyed it because there are still great parts to it. Like the music or the acting but after a certain characters death in episode 7 it just got kinda boring mainly because it lacked a interesting villain.
in short the pacing of each episode and the season as a whole is all wrong.
wasting too much time to getting to the point, next to no fight scenes comparing to other shows like this in the season.
all fights and action filled scenes are over all too quickly.
a character and actor that was lovable in Jessica Jones is now in need of a bitch slap most of the season.
its sad really, you have a powerful character that can slap everyone out in this show. yet he uses most of his time (the little we see of him sometimes) feeling sad for those around him and himself instead of take action.
while the comic characters history has alot to do with the subject of race and color.
bringing all of this into a series in a ham-fisted way isnt the way to go.
most of the time me and my friend was watching this we where wanting more action, more of the main character and more of a villan that we care about.
when i can say with good heart that daredevil and any comic show out now beats this by miles and miles.
when the pacing is so off that you think you are watching a double episode but its really just a 40min one then its something wrong.
when you feel like this episode takes forever to be done then its something wrong.
i watch all the comic shows out and i love them all (except this and agents of shield)
its sad really, as i LOVED his character in Jessica Jones.
I was waiting with anticipation for this latest Netflix contribution to the Marvel universe, and SO wanted it to be good. Daredevil was superb (9), Jessica Jones started slow then pulled up to great (8), But Luke Cage never got out of the gate. It spent far too much time in narrative and scrimped on creating tension, suspense, and building relationships and producing action. It had all elements of success - the Marvel world to build on, a great black cast (with some serious potential sizzle), the identifiable microcosm of Harlem, even the availability of good jazz (which was used to epic failure as they imposed it on the scenes rather than weaving it into the story telling). Disappointed, I give the series a 5 (meh) out of 10, and I faithfully watched every episode, and re watched the ones through which I fell asleep.
Quite a dull show. Wasn't too entertained.
This show could have been so much. It could have made a statement. I'm so disappointed, not gonna watch it again. The main protagonist is very brawny, timid perhaps. Common sense is totally missing. The philosophy is low brow. Doesn't inspire neither does it provide entertainment. 5/10.
"Daredevil" and "Jessica Jones" are both shows I love, so another acclaimed series off of Marvel & Netflix's run of shows was meant to be right up my alley. Unfortunately, "Luke Cage" left me rather lukewarm (sry for the pun). I meant to drop it after the first season, but reading some opinions online convinced to continue with the second one and finish it, and truth be told, I did enjoy the second season more, but it still had plenty of issues for me.
Pacing is the biggest enemy of LC. The 13-episode seasons never really bothered me in "Daredevil" and were not a big issue in "Jessica Jones" as I can watch Krysten Ritter be a sassy asshole all day. It's a major problem in Luke Cage though. While there aren't many flaws otherwise to speak of, the show is so slow that it's hard to watch a lot of the time. There are great moments that make this worth it, particularly in the second season, but there's a whole lot of nothing happening most of the time. If each season was half as long, I honestly think this would have been a great series, on par with the previously mentioned Marvel/Netflix series.
Luke Cage's roster of villains is a mixed bag. Cottonmouth didn't do a lot for me, but he got quite interesting towards the end. And then he got immediately killed off... Diamondback was not good. His backstory was somewhat interesting and the general concept of his character provided potential, but what we got was an unbelievable cartoony whacko. Black Mariah manages to have some of the worst and best moments in the series. Shades is someone I liked, though I wasn't enjoying his presence for a good half of Season 2. But then there is one antagonist that throws every other villain, no, every other character, Luke Cage included, out the window - Bushmaster. A bloodthirsty, eccentric Jamaican man with a thirst for vengeance, his motives and development made him the most captivating presence on screen. Of course, Mustafa Shakir's performance cannot be understated.
More positive characters would include the titular character, portrayed by Mike Colter, who carries the role with a great deal of charisma. I have no gripes with Luke and like a lot of what the show has done to solidify him as his own superhero. Misty Knight is someone else with a very prominent role. I liked her, but do think that I was intended to be more involved in her story. Simone Missick acted well, but her performance was just too repetitive to me. Other notable characters would include recurring MCU Netflix nurse Claire Temple, whose arc in Season 2 I actively dislike and is one of my biggest dislikes of that season. Relationship drama that comes out of nowhere and spirals out of control like that is a superhero cliche I absolutely loathe. Bobby Fish was a charming fellow. D.W. is great comic relief, but he brings a lot of heart to the story as well. Pop is a captivating person. Have to say that Luke's father contributed a lot, and that Reg E. Cathey did great at bringing the complexities of this character to life.
The action is solid, though not exceptional like in "Daredevil". Nonetheless, I never got sick of seeing some ignorant soul shoot Luke, only for the bullets to bounce off him. Then he went and dealt with thugs like they were nothing. He's quite powerful, but that never stops suspense from factoring in, whether it's a weakness he has or something that he cares about being threatened. While battling, hip hop is the most common choice of music. A lot of Wu-Tang in particular (Method Man even makes an appearance). A big theme of Luke Cage is celebrating blackness, and while hip-hop is the dominant form of music, even in the main theme, plenty of other genres come in and out as well. Funk, blues, jazz. In fact, reggae is quite big in Season 2.
On the topic of blackness, it's only fair for the series to dive into its characters' more socially conscious roots and explore topics such as racism, gang violence, corruption and more. It takes unashamed inspiration from "The Wire", which would be clear to any fan of the drama as three actors from it appear in the first few episodes. I have to say "Luke Cage" never comes even close to the greatness of "The Wire", but I do enjoy its more laid-back approach to some of the serious topics it covers. The tone in general is quite campy, but there are times when it will get more serious and it somehow works. Focusing more on its characters is perhaps the truly progressive move, using those blaxploitation roots as a backdrop to build its world more than anything.
I grew attached to "Luke Cage", but those two 13-episode seasons were a slog to push through. I was waiting for most episodes to end, though I was glad whenever something more interesting occured. I wouldn't recommend it as a must-watch, but if you want a longer show and don't mind the slow pace, it might be worth giving a shot.
Luke Cage's Season 2 is one of the worst ever, even if the Defenders franchise is very weak an pathetic in itself. Plot is totally inconsistent, full of script holes, cast is really weak and caricatural. Reducting a superhero story to a ghetto brawl with some (lot, TOO MUCH!) limp, slack introspective moments is very sad.
Bushman and his jamaican mobsters are racial caricatures, sorta of minstrel. Totally no sense when an old gangster lady can juggle with an invincible man, forcing him to follow every whim she had. And if I was a policeman I would feel very insulted by the idiotic representation of the justice. And let's talk about Judas bullets: in first season they were a real problem for Cage (even if it was just only to cover anoter lack of plot), but now in season 2 they're worrisome like mosquitos. WTF?!?
EVERY MINUTE OF THIS SHOW IS WASTED TIME, there is no action, no drama, no humor, no substance. Just a very strong ghetto man sometimes brawling with another strong man, while is not doing stupid things or complaining about the stupid things he had done. Marvel, cut out this crap.
This is one of the most BORING show I've ever seen, I'm only watching it to keep up with the entire marvelverse but jeez, this is the sleep fest
Started out pretty well. After about 8-9 episodes, it went downhill fast. I felt like it watching a soap opera instead of a superhero show.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Luke Cage’:
Luke Cage is one helluva boring superhero. And this show admits this by placing all the supporting characters at the forefront of each episode. Luke is always an afterthought.
The first season showed some promise. The second/final season is a complete mess. The ending is a joke — and transitions the hero from boring to simply unlikable.
The women of this show were its strengths. Misty was the strongest character, woefully underutilized. Rosario and Alfre have proven acting chops that were stunted by the show’s writing.
First season was good cause it was something different. Second season? meh... There is no great story or great scenario or shocking development. Only interesting thing is when Luke uses his powers. And you can see once or twice that super power. And that power is not so super, just a strong guy. This fashion of stupid hero shows started with legends of tomorrow i guess. or Arrow i don't know. I miss superman. Or neo, neo from matrix can be superhero, why not? do something about it.
Season 2 so far is pure garbage unfortunately. Season 1 was passable
Marvel's The Defenders is out on Netflix now. I have watched Jessica Jones, Dare Devil, and Iron First. I thought I had to watch Luke Cage before watching The Defenders, but I was wrong. If you watch Jessica Jones then you pretty much know Luke Cage's story. That being said, I watched the first episode and it was okay, but not drawing me in as a viewer and just wasn't very appealing. It's very in the roots and about Harlem, and that's it. There's nothing super-hero'y about it. So, I decided to skip this. Maybe will pull in for a season 2 if there is one.
Slow show. Acting is at best passable
dull and long, poor writing, poor acting.
Everything I hoped it would be.
Just as good as Jessica Jones!
Really looking forward to seeing this show.
I still can't believe how shitty this show is. Luke Cage was actually a promising character in Jessica Jones, his show though ... ugh.
How I despise this product is best summed up by the character Misty Knight. When Luke & her meet the very first time it once again seems very promising ... just to fall apart beyond recognition for the rest of the season.
Follow the story and imagine what stupid / unprofessional / emotional reaction the character could make in the worst case and the most idiotic reasoning she might give to explain it ... and she will surpass your nightmares regularly!
I don't know if I should credit Simone Missick for great or terrible acting, because she tremendously adds to the painful experience. If that was intentional: Amazing job!
You might think now that I have specific problem with her and her character, but far from it. She just is my "highlight". Besides Rosario Dawson and some other minor characters, nobody achieves a C rating.
And the story, in every single detail, can only be considered a travesty.
Great atmosphere, okay performance from the good guys of the show (Misty is pretty awesome the whole time), good managing of relevant-to-our-times themes and hell of a superb soundtrack (especially in the first half of the season, kind of disappeared in the second half), but it's also so damn slow, lacks suspense, going always in a turtle pace with a damaged storytelling, corny dialogues and horrible, just horrible villains (actors as well as characters). Still better than the quite awful Jessica Jones. I'm devastated by the realization that the more edgy a marvel series strives to be the worst it is in reality while the somewhat conservative christian white man superhero is the better one of them all. Shame.
I don't know what is best here, Luke, the show or the music. The mood of this show is really impressive. I really enjoyed this season and I am looking forward for a lot more.
A big beautiful bullet-proof Black man in a hoodie is an inspiring thing to watch. Although the storyline takes some paying attention to for its "Falcon Crest-like" twists and turns, this production was well made. Dawson and Colter are what makes the second half of the season 'pop', and the kiss at the end... oh yeah. #coffee. Simone Missick is channeling Angela Basset like a clairvoyant with her facial antics, but other than that this was a solid season. Oh, a word on Theo Rossi and Alfre Woodard's villany: #weirdshade ya'll. #weirdshade
All in all: I am keen to see what happens in Season 2. I am ready for another season. I just finished 13 episodes, and I'm ready for another 13.
Kudos to Marvel/Netflix for, again, making me watch a show I didn´t particulary enjoy to the end by tying it all loosely together and calling it a Universe. It´s the fear to miss something and not the quality of the show.
The whole setup doesn´t work for me. All that black gangsta hip hop style isn´t hitting home. The villian makes the hero and that Cottonmouth is just a smalltime wannabe. I mean, he just doesn´t have it. All those gangster types are so cliched that it hurts. And at the bottom of the story is a bad guy with daddy issues. That´s thin
Luke Cage, while he seemed to be interesting as a secondary in Jessica Jones he doesn´t carry a show. He just don´t, he´s boring after a short while. That indestructible thing kills all the drama. A character like Daredevil f.e. he can be hit, he bleeds, he can die - with Cage you know he enters a scene, get´s shot over and over then hits some guys and that´s it. When there finaly was the means of him getting hurt it became slightly better but there I lost interest already. And I am sure (up to now I haven´t finished the season) they will find a way to make him invincible again. What´s the point? Even Superman has his Kryptonite.
Yay, they did it again! If not for a couple of questionable moments ("police are beating black kids, so let's give them more guns"), it could've been as perfect as Jessica Jones. But still better than anything other comics-inspired. Use of music is especially masterful and memorable.
The best series of Marvel so far. The acting, the writing, the direction, the music, the photography, all on point. I in love with this series.
All episodes are named after Gang Starr's song. Because of this, you need to see this show <3
Call me crazy, but "Black Lightning" is BETTER than "Luke Cage" or as I like to call it, "Standing Around and Quietly Talking For Extended Periods of Time".
Don't cry because it happened,
Smile because it is over.
I really liked Luke Cage when he first showed up on Jessica Jones. I was excited to see this show, and see how he developed. The first season went okay, a little long, but still on point with where it was intending to go. Over the course of the Defenders I still liked him despite the changes in character he was starting to show. Season 2 of this show though, even if it was the same length as the first, it felt like it took three times longer to watch it. They really dragged this character out too much, and it's a shame, but I'm grateful it got cancelled before they had a chance to further it even more. I'll give it a 6 in the end, but it's really more of a high 5. The first season can easily clock in at a 7, but damn that 2nd season truly sucks.
The first season was fantastic! Great music, great actors, good villain. Christmas!
The second season however lost me after episode 3. I just couldn’t get through it. Maybe I’ll finish it sometime but I was very disappointed by the first 3 episodes which just dragged on and on.. boring and uninteresting.
Sad this show went down the drain and was canceled. Could have been SO much better.
Shades is the most interesting character I've seen so far. And Claire.
I really wanted to like this series. Maybe I didn't give it a full chance. It started GREAT! Our hero started off as a good role model to the younger kids, he even admonished them not to cuss. Now THAT is a hero I can believe in and root for! Then a few scenes later he jumps into bed with a woman and screws her. Huh? Stopped watching at that point.
The excellent atmosphere and the rich African American feel of the show that flow through much of the show is excellent and the first half of it's 1st season is phenomenal. Then, it all falls apart and never really recovers as the show end up being more about the bad guys than the hero who end up as his own supporting character. The middle of 2nd season also drags before it reedems itself at the end even if it ends on a cliffhanger that will never be resolved.
The excellent atmosphere and the rich African American feel of the show that flow through much of the show is excellent and the first half of it's 1st season is phenomenal. Then, it all falls apart and never really recovers as the show end up being more about the bad guys than the hero who end up as his own lost supporting character. The middle of 2nd season also drags but it reedems itself at the end. The action sequences are pretty "off" though.
Still upset & disgusted about the cancellation!!! I LOVED the series.
BOOOOOOOOO!!
Holy shit, Luke Cage went from so-so to a really great TV Series. The first season was nice, but it was kind of a mess. It still felt like a Netflix/Marvel TV Series but it lack more structure and a better pace. Season two didn't fix that too much, but it did make it up by developing some characters even more and presenting with a new villain with power. There much to say about season 2, but the main thing that really did like was how it depicted a real relationship (the closest I have seen from TV) how fights can happen, how can one see things differently from different points of view, and how one can lose their temper when your loved one can't understand your point of view (I'm with Clair on this one). Another thing that I loved was how it depicted Luke's fall from grace by trying to make him mad with power.
Anyone else feel that season 2 was not originally meant to be 13 episodes? And what was with Luke feeling SO disenfranchised? I was glad to see Danny to lighten things up a bit. As of late I've been REALLY missing the quality of Daredevil.
Such a disappointment. The first season was uninspiring - a 5 (meh) out of 10 - the Luke Cage contribution to THE DEFENDERS was redemptive and raised my expectations but this second season didn't seem to have picked up any good habits from the collaboration. The second season was even worse. Lazy writing. Lame and silly banter. Shallow but pretensious monologues. Stolen, overused cliches passing for profound thought. Lots of internal struggles but no resolve, change or redemption. Self-indulgent direction. In an effort to establish the jazz context of the story there are long, excruciating musical montages that go on forever, do little to advance the story and finally kill any love for jazz the viewer might have had (and I like jazz). It needed a good editor. Better writing, tighter stories or less episodes. Every time a season comes out I am hopeful - I want to like this series, I root for it, but it never rises above a 6 (fair) and by the time the second season was over I was bored, and my rating had sunk to a 4 (poor) out of 10. [Harlem Hero with Powers]
Very disappointed in the ending. After going through 13 hours of a TV show, I expect the Hero to be in a better position than when he started out. Luke ends up much worse, and all the key villains get off happy and free. I don't mind bad guys winning in a 2 hour movie, but a 13 hour season? It feels like a giant waste of time. At least wait to season three or four to pull that stunt on the audience.
Give poor Mr. Cage and the viewers some kind of resolution, with maybe one teaser of what is to come. This ending opened the flood gates and completely nullified Cage's brief victory.
Alfred Hitchcock once said a movie is as good as its villain. I might be wrong on the phrasing but you get the point. Looking at Daredevil, even Jessica Jones, I think the biggest problem with Luke Cage is the lack of quality villain. An original one even. Newsflash: bible-quoting, joy-killing, gun-loving villains are of the past and they should stay in the past. Also this marks the first time I'm seeing a fake antagonist (I don't even know if that's a thing). And I have to say, I did not like it. Still it was an intriguing watch. I liked flashbacks to the protagonist's past, if not more than the original story. Definitely not as boring as I thought it would be.
The thing starts slowly, for now, we will continue to see
Is it too late to recast the actor who plays Luke Cage? Maybe this will save the character and the upcoming seasons of the show, if there are any. It seems he is the weakest link of many weak links. Don't think it's a show I'd watch twice, quite struggled to finish it even. But Misty Knight and Claire Temple made it worth my time.
Second half seems a bit stretched out to reach the 13 episode mark. Not bad but could be better.
The show is OK. I think this is better than Jessica Jones, until now. The soundtrack saves a alot and the plot is good enough to keep you interested. I gave an eight because of the music, I loved that beat and expect nicer sounds on next season :P
Awesome series, can't wait for season 2 it's that good!
I just don't really like Mike Colter's acting. He's such a stiff unemotional guy. I'd probably really enjoy it if Shades got his own show. That guy... great job. Mahershala Ali, Alfre Woodard were great, Frank Whaley is a lot of fun to watch, the character Claire Temple is becoming a bit boring, and yeah there you have it.
C'était vraiment gênant
surprisingly good, interesting characters, great acting and effects. Love the Harlem feel too!
I love this show sooooo much
my top 3 :
1- daredevil (10/10)
2- jessica jones (10/10)
3- luke cage (10/10)
:D can't wait for iron fist . the puneshir and tge defenders
This show is Great... A must see...
BUT WHAT ABOUT JESS AND LUKE???? Anyways, this was probably the weakest of the shows put out by Netflix so far. TBH the villains weren't really up to scratch to face off with Luke and wtf was up with Diamondback? He was more crazy than a legit villain. I loved Shades. It kind of seems like they're setting things up for a season 2 with that ending. One can only hope that Iron Fist and Defenders turn out good.
The soundtrack is so good!
Awesome show. Great story line, lots of action. I'M HOOKED. Can't wait for the next season.
Spoiler below by user: hwlr
loving it. dark and gritty. another smash for marvel and netflix
Shout by Alexsrt10BlockedParent2016-10-02T04:42:42Z
I don't understand why everyone likes this show so much, it was really bad I just wanted each episode to end. Their was no suspense at all yet rotten tomatoes gave it a 95% really, it was trash just garbage the acting the fight all lame. So can some one explain to me why everyone likes it so much?