When Marvel released a long list of their upcoming films a couple of years ago, among this list was the potential film “Inhumans”. It was an unusual choice for a film considering how relatively unknown this comic book was. Like “Guardians of the Galaxy”, it was almost unheard of in popular culture. However, the more As I read and discovered about the series, I found that the Inhumans have been a staple in the world of comic books for several decades. As I started to collect comics, I fell in love with the dysfunctional group of heroes. Black Bolt was imposing, Medusa was resilient, and I found that there was enough drama to go around.
But, instead of a movie, fans are being treated to a television series instead. It is a bold move considering that they already produce a whole lineup of different shows, but even more odd is the fact that is the first slated film to be scrapped for a series instead, but with the first two episodes being shown in IMAX theaters before premiering the following fall television season
“Agents of SHIELD” has already introduced the concept of Inhumans, specifically in the second season. While an unusual move considering the line-up had already been announced, it was most welcome. I have said it time and time again that Marvel suffers from the lack inclusivity. With a show addressing these types of characters, the film was bound to make some reference to the ABC show.
Can television be a good venue for the Royal Attilan family? That is a very hard question to ask because Marvel has produced some great pieces of entertainment on the small screen, but they have also fallen short of going where they should to give us solid television. “Marvel’s Daredevil” is consistently the best of the Marvel television shows, but its home is on Netflix, where there is little restriction on the subject matter.
First, the budget is inherently going to be smaller than a large-scale film. There is so much about the Inhumans that will be harder to recreate via practical effects, but it would be even more noticeable if the lower budget CGI effects are used in their place. This means that we could potentially have no Lockjaw to look forward to, seeing as this character is basically an over-sized, teleporting English Bulldog and is heavily featured in the comics. This also brings into question the length of Medusa’s hair. As someone with enhanced hair, there must be some type of effect used to recreate her mass of red hair that she can control. Practical effects would be burdensome, not to mention potentially messy.
Secondly, the production time for the show seems to be very short with a release date of September 8th, a date that seems to be very close considering the announcement of casting, can we hope for much? So far, the cast is decent. That alone gives me some type of hope that these characters will be done justice.
While I am not a fan of Maximus the Mad in the comic book, I am a fan of the actor who will be playing him. People know his as Ramsey Bolton on "Game of Thrones." Iwan Rheon has made a name for himself playing the demented bastard son of Roose Bolton. His name was announced first, no doubt because of his popular role in Game of Thrones. Joining him are Serinda Swan as Medusa and Anson Mount, famosu for his starring role in "Hell on Wheels".
But perhaps the burning question everyone has is: where is Lockjaw?
