Marvel’s superhero series took a breather almost a year after the premiere of ‘She-Hulk’ before resuming their journey with ‘Secret Invasion’. After its lighthearted tone, the MCU is back in serious mode A spy and sci-fi thriller, it was marketed as the coming-of-age of the television universe The reality of the company is that, while there are some welcome dark elements, the pilot released by Disney+ shows is still 100% MCU product.
Indeed, the tone is not dissimilar to that of ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’, and to some extent its plot is “post-Thanos terror”. They are more similar than first impressions make them out to be. With the Skrulls present, there seems to be a lot more at stake, but the truth is that the idea of ​​a Marvel-style ‘invasion of the ultra-corpses’ was quickly dismissed. Apocalyptic or pre-dystopian, but never suffocating or disturbing. It could be considered a hybrid between ‘V’ and ‘BrainDead’, but the notes are too big for that.
It was also touted as Marvel’s ‘Andor’. For its intense tone within the same universe, but here the rebels are a revolutionary faction, so the view is different. The series takes place in the present, and it starts off pretty simple. Abandoned by the humans and without Nick Fury to help them, an agent tells former CIA agent Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) about an impending and massive Skrull plot to take over the world.
Depression by Nick Fury
Soon they’re playing with the ‘Secret Invasion’ based premise: because they’re shapeshifters, Neither the characters nor the viewer can decide who is an alien or not, especially if we are not shown. A renegade faction of Skrulls, led by a man named Kravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir), have decided that since humans want to destroy themselves, they will help speed up the process. A planned terrorist attack by the Skrulls pits the United States against Russia, and a world war seems brewing.
There’s a surprise death at the end of the episode that speeds things up for Fury, who returns from SABER with a listless depression, not much emotion, mediocre direction and improvisable editing. Even Olivia Colman’s appearance is nothing short of remarkable, beyond the usual prestige conferred by its mere existence. Kravik is a menacing and ruthless villain, rather generic and devoid of any characteristics that leave a particularly memorable mark.
probably, The only thing truly powerful is its atmospheric animated credits sequence, they are like moving parables. It can be said that it is very complicated, because this section is surprising to some people Created with artificial intelligenceSo if you have an animation production company for the credits, you will gradually lose Marvel as a potential client, so expect this to be an unfortunate trend with other studios from now on.
Dark, but playing it safe
Ben Mendelsohn is a tragic Talos and his relationship with his daughter Gia seems to be the focal point of the series, along with the welcoming Emilia Clarke, torn between the love of his family and his race. But we are given nothing beyond the essential points for building a plot. It’s not really exciting, and it’s not as dense or strategic as it might seem, although this may change after the episode is over, it gets boring at times. But given what’s out there, it’s not comfortable to have too many illusions about what’s to come if a pilot show is an appetite for what others have to offer.
Although the comparison with ‘Andor’ is not incorrect, being deeper Both are appendages of the same market diversification process of the same brand, like the Skrulls, blends in with Marvel series that aren’t usually presented as mature or dark, but for what they are, no one congratulates themselves for it. That is, from ‘The X-Files’ to ‘The Bodyguard’, we see the latest sci-fi production of HBO or Apple TV, which offer more or less the same thing, but with higher cinematography quality and real space surprises.
Because compared to the ‘Star Wars’ series, ‘Secret Invasion’ may seem like more than what Disney has been doing with its superheroes, but the truth is that the factory’s toolbox is limited. Anyone who has spent time on his products knows exactly how far he can go. And not just in terms of some uncensored red lines, but in terms of maturity well-connected to the guidelines of mise-en-scene, tone and dramatic risk, it offers the feeling of wearing a seat belt that doesn’t always work and allow a dangerous curve.
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