22 February 2018

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is, for me, the best Marvel achievement so far. Since the very beginning, the series has gotten a strong pace, so I thought it would run out of steam quickly and after a couple of seasons go to hell, which is too common with shows that shoot high, but after four seasons this series still doesn't get tired. The story is very complicated, full of surprises and turnarounds, and even when you think they are now really gone too far, they succeed to present the story to the end without getting stuck or messing up. Plots follow one after the other, leaving no time for a break, without major holes and illogicality. Characterization is far above the standard for sci-fi action. All the characters have a deep background, and their personality and mutual relations are evolving from season to season, in a natural and convincing way. There are no classic fairy tale villains who are evil by default, but the boundary between the good guys and the bad guys is dangerously blurred and the same characters are constantly shifting in both roles. All bad guys have strong reasons for their behavior, and although you do not agree with them, you certainly understand their efforts, which makes them the best villains in the Marvel universe. Special effects and direction of the action scenes are great and the series does not fall behind Marvel's most expensive blockbusters.

The fourth season is an awesome combination of "Matrix" and "The Man in the High Castle", that contains the best Marvel's villain to date. I'm eager to see if they can outclass it in the fifth season.

02 October 2020

After seven seasons, the series is over and everything I wrote after the fourth season still stands. The last couple of episodes may have been a bit over the top and accelerated, but the rest of the seventh season is simply awesome. Our heroes travel through time and each episode takes place in a different decade. I liked that each of these stories was shot in the style of the decade in which it takes place, with appropriate credits, music and everything else. I was especially thrilled with the black-and-white narrative episode in the style of film noir.

8/10