I watched the series premiere of Marvel's Agents of Shield last night and I have to say I liked it despite the budget limitations that can be clearly seen in some of the CGI effects as well as the obvious TV look to the show. It does not remotely have the feel of a feature film with a look that seemed almost two slick at times to gel with the Marvel Cinematic Universe feature films.
What ultimately won me over was the writing by Joss Whedon. He knows how to cast and sprinkle in a bit of humor into the action though the episode is nowhere near as witty as Buffy The Vampire Slayer's dialogue was. Yet this is the pilot and it was very good for a pilot. I was happy to Ron Glass (Firefly/Barney Miller) as a member of the cast and enjoyed the opening storyline that connects Iron Man III to the pilot while referencing The Avengers and giving a nod to the Spider-Man films. The series is basically something that combines elements of Torchwood, but with a far lighter tone. One can imagine SHIELD as being something akin to UNIT in the Doctor Who universe. The series is nowhere near as dark as Torchwood and after series like Fringe, Torchwood and even The X-Files all following a darker path through their respective mythologies, Marvel's Agents of Shield is refreshingly light and one can sense that the greater story arc for the series will tie into the ever expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe nicely.
I have my DVR set to record the season and I hope the series goes above and beyond the promise set up in the pilot, which really was saved by the writing and casting one expects from anything Joss Whedon is involved with.
(C) Copyright 2013 By Mark Rivera
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