Written by: Kevin Berge
A reminder this series supposedly live in the same universe as the happy-go-lucky Thor Ragnarok. (Image Courtesy of: youtube.com)
Quick Take: The Punisher Season 1 starts slow but ramps up steadily with no hesitation in showcasing brutality while also being tactful in building to its action. Multiple star performances and a level of intelligent foresight makes this a great story about the various effects war can have on a soldier once he has returned home.
Marvel-Netflix Seasons: Daredevil S1 | Jessica Jones S1 | Luke Cage S1 | Iron Fist S1 | The Defenders S1
***This is a review of the latest Marvel series just a week after its release with the focus on The Punisher's merits as a standalone series. There will not be spoilers included for events of this series beyond the basic set-up, but there will be spoilers for Daredevil Season 2. Read ahead at your own risk if you have not seen that season yet.***
The Punisher has always been a fascinating Marvel character. While most comic book heroes struggled to find opportunities on the big screen, The Punisher has been the name of three failed film franchises dating back to 1989. The character is dark and enticing in a way that needs little explanation.
Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) is a former Marine who returned home only for his family to be gunned down. When the authorities failed to bring the killers to justice, he took justice into his own hands and began taking out everyone involved. His initial violent destruction of the gangs involved in the shooting brought him into the spotlight.
In Daredevil Season 2, he was quickly established as a good guy with a dangerous sense of morality, and his battle over the role of a hero with Daredevil was the best part of a mixed season. Bernthal's portrayal especially was the best part of the season, carrying the weight of his family's deaths in his every move.
It was inevitable he would get his own series. Hollywood has tried so hard to make The Punisher work. Why would they stop now when they finally seem to have found the right recipe for success? However, this opening season had every chance to fail especially with the mixed success lately of the Marvel-Netflix series.
I was skeptical at first when I started The Punisher. It is a slow build from the start that takes a few episodes to get going even with some immediately brutal moments. However, it does not take long to see it is all worth it as this might just be the smartest and most intense season Marvel has produced.
It cannot quite reach the emotional heights of Jessica Jones, but it follows that series' lead by keeping the themes narrow and grounded. This is not as much a superhero story as a steady focus on military veterans and the scars they carry on their return home. PTSD is showcased in various forms while gun control is a central discussion.
Castle here is the target of Agent Orange (Paul Schulze) who is at the center of an operation he was involved with back in Afghanistan, and the only help he can find is an isolated hacker named Micro (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). That same operation is being investigated by Homeland Security led by Dinah Madani (Amber Rose Revah)
At the same time, Frank must constantly face his former Marine brothers Billy Russo (Ben Barnes) and Curtis Hoyle (Jason R. Moore) who walk different paths now. Curtis in particular is focused on helping troubled vets readjust including young Lewis Wilson (Daniel Webber) who may be too much to handle.
***This is a review of the latest Marvel series just a week after its release with the focus on The Punisher's merits as a standalone series. There will not be spoilers included for events of this series beyond the basic set-up, but there will be spoilers for Daredevil Season 2. Read ahead at your own risk if you have not seen that season yet.***
The Punisher has always been a fascinating Marvel character. While most comic book heroes struggled to find opportunities on the big screen, The Punisher has been the name of three failed film franchises dating back to 1989. The character is dark and enticing in a way that needs little explanation.
Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) is a former Marine who returned home only for his family to be gunned down. When the authorities failed to bring the killers to justice, he took justice into his own hands and began taking out everyone involved. His initial violent destruction of the gangs involved in the shooting brought him into the spotlight.
In Daredevil Season 2, he was quickly established as a good guy with a dangerous sense of morality, and his battle over the role of a hero with Daredevil was the best part of a mixed season. Bernthal's portrayal especially was the best part of the season, carrying the weight of his family's deaths in his every move.
It was inevitable he would get his own series. Hollywood has tried so hard to make The Punisher work. Why would they stop now when they finally seem to have found the right recipe for success? However, this opening season had every chance to fail especially with the mixed success lately of the Marvel-Netflix series.
I was skeptical at first when I started The Punisher. It is a slow build from the start that takes a few episodes to get going even with some immediately brutal moments. However, it does not take long to see it is all worth it as this might just be the smartest and most intense season Marvel has produced.
It cannot quite reach the emotional heights of Jessica Jones, but it follows that series' lead by keeping the themes narrow and grounded. This is not as much a superhero story as a steady focus on military veterans and the scars they carry on their return home. PTSD is showcased in various forms while gun control is a central discussion.
Castle here is the target of Agent Orange (Paul Schulze) who is at the center of an operation he was involved with back in Afghanistan, and the only help he can find is an isolated hacker named Micro (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). That same operation is being investigated by Homeland Security led by Dinah Madani (Amber Rose Revah)
At the same time, Frank must constantly face his former Marine brothers Billy Russo (Ben Barnes) and Curtis Hoyle (Jason R. Moore) who walk different paths now. Curtis in particular is focused on helping troubled vets readjust including young Lewis Wilson (Daniel Webber) who may be too much to handle.
He just wants to turn all bad guys in fountains of blood. What's so wrong with that? (Image Courtesy of: nerdreactor.com)
Where this show quickly shines is its ability to balance all these characters out while keeping a steady focus. Every character has their own role to play, and no one fits into an easy stereotype box. Unlike its predecessors, there is no need for wild swerves or attempts to replace one story with a bigger one down the line.
The Punisher is a superhero, but he is a grounded one. He lends himself to wild violence which is impressively measured in this show. Most episodes keep the action scenes for the climax which makes them all the more memorable, and the action scenes are certainly memorable, fully embracing the gore and brutality of The Punisher.
Before this role, I never thought much of Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead), but it's become obvious just how talented he is. He's got a quiet charisma that allows him to foster chemistry with everyone he's on screen with. He sells the physicality of Frank Castle nicely, but it is his ability to show Castle's vulnerability that drives the season.
The dynamic of this season is driven by Bernthal's chemistry with Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and the two are electric together. Their banter is consistently a highlight, and Moss-Bachrach (Girls) is easily the series' most purely likable presence. This season only works as well as it does because of these two playing off each other.
Other strong performances this season include Ben Barnes (The Chronicles of Narnia) who adds a degree of depth to a role that could have come off quite one note, Amber Rose Revah (From Paris With Love) who has to work with dialogue that at times makes her unlikable to get to an affecting home stretch of great work, and Jason R. Moore (The Sorceror's Apprentice) who has a limited role but is powerful throughout.
This series has a fairly nuanced approach to its storytelling with a great deal of care taken to build to some serious moments. In particular, "Gunner", "The Judas Goat", "Virtue of the Vicious", and "Home" are electric chapters of the series though the series had no bad episodes and never loses steam.
My one main issue with this season is its occasional struggles to balance its messages with its story. The drive to speak politically with a balance of voices on war, veterans, and gun control is welcome, but the various writers get bogged down in it especially without nuance.
I did not expect The Punisher to be as good as it is, and it does so in a way that feels largely divorced from the Marvel world it inhabits. This is as grounded and direct a season as this Marvel-Netflix pairing has created, and it is absolutely one of the best even if it may end up being more divisive due to its political focus, gory nature, and early slow-building pace.
The Punisher is a superhero, but he is a grounded one. He lends himself to wild violence which is impressively measured in this show. Most episodes keep the action scenes for the climax which makes them all the more memorable, and the action scenes are certainly memorable, fully embracing the gore and brutality of The Punisher.
Before this role, I never thought much of Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead), but it's become obvious just how talented he is. He's got a quiet charisma that allows him to foster chemistry with everyone he's on screen with. He sells the physicality of Frank Castle nicely, but it is his ability to show Castle's vulnerability that drives the season.
The dynamic of this season is driven by Bernthal's chemistry with Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and the two are electric together. Their banter is consistently a highlight, and Moss-Bachrach (Girls) is easily the series' most purely likable presence. This season only works as well as it does because of these two playing off each other.
Other strong performances this season include Ben Barnes (The Chronicles of Narnia) who adds a degree of depth to a role that could have come off quite one note, Amber Rose Revah (From Paris With Love) who has to work with dialogue that at times makes her unlikable to get to an affecting home stretch of great work, and Jason R. Moore (The Sorceror's Apprentice) who has a limited role but is powerful throughout.
This series has a fairly nuanced approach to its storytelling with a great deal of care taken to build to some serious moments. In particular, "Gunner", "The Judas Goat", "Virtue of the Vicious", and "Home" are electric chapters of the series though the series had no bad episodes and never loses steam.
My one main issue with this season is its occasional struggles to balance its messages with its story. The drive to speak politically with a balance of voices on war, veterans, and gun control is welcome, but the various writers get bogged down in it especially without nuance.
I did not expect The Punisher to be as good as it is, and it does so in a way that feels largely divorced from the Marvel world it inhabits. This is as grounded and direct a season as this Marvel-Netflix pairing has created, and it is absolutely one of the best even if it may end up being more divisive due to its political focus, gory nature, and early slow-building pace.