Luke Cage & the Appeal of Old-School Gravitas

We already have our calendars marked to binge watch the latest Marvel installment Luke Cage when it premieres next weekend. Luckily, Netflix knew we were having trouble waiting and released a new featurette with cast and crew interviews. 

In a market saturated with CGI battles, intergalactic foes, or criminally insane madmen, Luke Cage appears to be more understated, giving us a street-level view of the good, the bad and the ugly. And, it has Mike Colter in the title role, an actor with enough screen presence to carry an even halfway decent show, and Luke Cage, if the early reviews are any indication, is a whole lot better than that.

The trailers look like a New York crime drama with a sprinkle of superhero. The first season’s bad guy is set to be gun runner Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes (Mahershala Ali.) While Cage shows off his bullet proof super strength, much of the action centers on good old fashioned fist fights, Cage's understated approach, his not insignificant amount of sex appeal, and a tone that speaks to the show's mostly Harlem locations. We've already written about why you need to be excited about the show's score.

We’re so excited to see Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple. Dawson teases the show saying, “If you see a need and you decide it’s your responsibility to address it, that’s the hero’s journey.” Sign us up.

You can watch season one on Netflix starting Friday, September 30.