Review : Iron Heart - Not as Bad as We Thought (NO SPOILERS)

Iron Heart_{Not as Bad as We Thought (NO SPOILER)}

Hi movie loverz! Welcome back to my blog 🤗

Honestly, after watching first three episodes, my feelings were mixed, but more inclined towards the positive. It's like watching Tom Holland's early Spider-Man movies in the MCU. The vibes feel more street-level, more grounded, but with a slew of advanced technology that reminds us of Tony Stark's legacy.

The character of Riri Williams, played by Dominique Thorne, is really the life of this series. From the first three episodes, we are immediately presented with how genius he is, but not a genius who is rigid and can't socialize. Riri is smart, a bit clumsy, and has an explosive spirit.

We can see how his brain works a thousand times faster than an ordinary person, but at the same time, we also see his fragile side as a young man living in Chicago, a harsh and challenging environment.

The depiction of Chicago here is also worthy of a thumbs up. This city is not only the background, but it feels alive and part of the story. We can feel his pulse, starting from his campus environment at MIT to the environment where he lives. This is very important, because it makes the problems Riri faces feel more real and personal.

Well, now we talk about the "main sale" which is Ironheart armor. In these first three episodes, don't expect you to immediately see super advanced armor like Tony Stark's Mark L. Marvel seems to learn from experience. They built everything slowly.

We are invited to see Riri's process from scratch, collecting components from used items, trial and error that sometimes makes you laugh and laugh at the same time, until finally her first armor that still looks rough and raw is formed. This process makes us as spectators have an emotional bond. We are witnesses to the struggle, not just the spectators.

Compared to other Marvel series on Disney+, Ironheart feels like it has a clearer focus at the beginning. Unlike some previous series that sometimes felt too busy setting up for other movies or series, the first three episodes of Ironheart really focused on building the world of Riri Williams. Who he is, what his motivations are, and what are the first challenges he has to face.

Are there any drawbacks?

Of course there is. The name is also a spectacle, there must be a plus and minuses. If I'm being honest, the pacing or storyline in some parts feels a bit slow. The first and second episodes are heavily spent on character introductions and world building. For those of you who are not familiar with the game and want to see the game unfold, you may be a little bored. But for me personally, it's a good investment for the next episodes.

In addition, there is one big challenge carried out by this series, namely the shadow of Tony Stark. Like it or not, every scene that involves Riri assembling something in her garage will definitely be compared to Tony.

So far, this series has quite succeeded in giving a different touch, more of a low budget and genius-style trickery, not with unlimited resources like a billionaire. However, this series must continue to work hard to make Ironheart stand on his own feet and not just be the "successor to the girl version of Iron Man".

So, after these three episodes, is Ironheart good or bad?

I would say this is a very promising start. This is not the type of series that immediately steps on the gas with explosions everywhere. This is a series that invites us to get acquainted first, have coffee first with the character, and then run away.

The foundation is strong, the characters are interesting, and the conflicts feel personal. There's great potential here to become one of Marvel's best street-level series, on par with the early seasons of Daredevil (albeit with a much lighter tone, of course).

If you like stories about the struggles of an underdog, like grounded science fiction elements, and miss the story about "geniuses building super armor in a garage", you'll most likely like these first three episodes. I'm really looking forward to episode four and beyond. Hopefully the tension will rise and Riri can really shine as a new hero in the MCU.

Best Regards,
Nur Satrio