Marvel’s Secret Invasion Reviews Are In, See What Critics Are Saying About Samuel L. Jackson’s Disney+ Show
What are people saying about the latest MCU show?
It’s been a little while since the Marvel Cinematic Universe treated Disney+ subscription holders to a TV series. Fans are surely pumped now, though, given that a new show is set to land this month. The highly anticipated Secret Invasion, which we know a few things about, is just around the corner. It serves as a starring vehicle for Samuel L. Jackson, who reprises his role as gruff former S.H.I.E.L.D. director and Avengers wrangler Nick Fury. Franchise devotees seem to have high expectations for this latest small-screen offering, and they now have an inkling of what to expect, thanks to the newly dropped reviews. So what are critics saying after having seen the first two episodes? Well, we’re going to lay things out.
The trailer for Secret Invasion teased an intense and action-packed story that seems to be focusing on the ground-level heroes within the MCU. With that, a number of people have already been comparing it to Captain America: The Winter Soldier. That’s certainly a lot of pressure, considering the 2014 film is considered to be one of the best entries in this franchise. Yet according to Remus Noronha of Collider, the new show mostly succeeds in providing a solid adventure that should entertain those who love espionage-centric fare. Even though there’s still plenty of the story that has yet to be revealed:
That’s certainly a glowing review but, of course, the program – which was created by Kyle Bradstreet – isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. THR’s Daniel Fienberg found some bright spots within the dreary and grounded settings. However, he asserts that the body-swapping extraterrestrial-centric premise wears thin quickly:
Secret Invasion sees the MCU’s greatest spy being summoned to assist his allies Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) face off with a renegade sector of Skrulls. Since Fury apparently reneged on his promise to find them a new home, the aliens have infiltrated different levels of society and are plotting to make Earth their new base of operations. The premise certainly sounds thrilling, but IndieWire critic Ben Travers isn’t all that thrilled so far. While he can see flashes of enjoyment, to him, the show’s concept feels somewhat bland and doesn’t service its cast as well as it could:
Empire Magazine scribe Richard Newby was more positive in his assessment of the six-episode series. While he noted that it possesses some of the sensibilities that present within Marvel’s other spy-centric stories, this one stands apart from the pack. For Newby, that’s due to the gritty atmosphere and grim subject matter present within the project:
There may be room for improvement, though, based on what Charles Pulliam-Moore had to say while reviewing the show for The Verge. Like some of his peers, he questions some of the creative choices that were made, especially when it comes to the Skrulls. And as a result, he’s unsure of what this might mean for the rest of the series’ run:
So it would seem that pundits have mixed thoughts on the currently eye-patchless Nick Fury’s latest adventure. Again though, it’s worth mentioning that only two episodes have been screened, so it’s possible that thoughts (on both sides of the discussion) could change. We’ll have to wait and see about that, but the most important thing to remember, though, is what really matters is what you think.
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Secret Invasion hits Disney+ on June 21 as part of the 2023 TV schedule, and be sure that you’re also keeping up on other upcoming Marvel TV shows.
Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.