Marvel fires back at Inhumans critics
Journalists who watched an early version of Inhumans find its visual effects and characters lacking
Studio executives have hit back at early criticism of the upcoming ABC series, Marvel's Inhumans, on Sunday, describing it less than a month before its premiere as a "work in progress".
Based on an early version of the first episode made available to reviewers, journalists at a Television Critics Association panel in Beverly Hills voiced concerns that the show did not match Marvel's high standards.
Among the complaints was the observation that the abilities of Ken Leung's character Karnak were not clear and that the look of the show did not merit a planned Imax release.
IMAX SCREENINGS
The first two episodes - about a royal family of super-powered aliens from the moon who are exiled to Hawaii - will premiere as a 75-minute movie in Imax theatres on Sept 1 in the United States prior to the Sept 29 television premiere.
The episodes will be screened at Shaw Theatres Imax here from Aug 31 for two weeks.
So if you are asking me whether or not it was done, it’s not.Marvel Television chief Jeph Loeb on how the version of the show critics saw was not the final product
The criticism came after fans voiced disappointment on social media over the lackluster appearance of Medusa's wig, shown in a trailer that was released in June.
In the comics, Medusa's hair moves independently of her body and can be used as extra limbs.
Detractors have complained that the effects used to depict it in the live-action show are not up to the job.
"I can tell you that... the show you have seen is not the finished product," Marvel Television chief Jeph Loeb told the critics at the plush Beverly Hilton hotel.
"So if you are asking me whether or not it was done, it's not."
Based on characters from Marvel Comics, the series was filmed in Hawaii earlier this year and is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The focus is on the relationship between two brothers - Black Bolt, played by Anson Mount, and Maximus, portrayed by Iwan Rheon, who was the sadistic Ramsay Bolton in Game Of Thrones.
More visually ostentatious than the grittier, more mature Marvel shows aired by Netflix - such as Luke Cage and Jessica Jones - Inhumans features a giant computer-generated dog that teleports its masters wherever they need to go.
'THAT' WIG
Serinda Swan, who plays Medusa, revealed that wearing the controversial wig in the heat of Hawaii "felt like a very warm cat settling on my head".
"You put it on and everyone is like, 'You've such good posture, you're so regal.'
"But no, my head is being pulled backwards," she said.
Swan said "trial and tribulations" were inevitable in getting the wig right.
Earlier in the day, ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey also defended the show, referring to the episode screened for critics as "a bit of a work in progress".
"We are still a month away from final air, but I do feel like there is great opportunity there," she said. - AFP
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