Netflix: Marco Polo

[YRBB]

NETFLIX's new show, MARCO POLO, premieres today.

I was looking forward to it but a lot of the reviews I've seen agree that it's less Netflix's answer to GAME OF THRONES (even though they want it to be) and more of a mess. I'll be watching, of course, hoping they're all wrong!

Is anyone else checking it out?

[Juliajms]

I'll watch, but I can't start it today.

[DramatistDreamer]

Has anyone seen an episode yet? I'm debating on whether I should spend time and bandwidth on this show. Supposedly there's no data cap but the last time I went on Netflix, streaming seeming slightly slow and it was annoying.

Maybe I'll wait a few weeks...

[Juliajms]

I've watched two episodes and I find it lacking, although beautifully filmed.

I found this article article on Marco Polo/Netflix interesting.

http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/marco-polo-netflix-hbo-review/

[YRBB]

I've watched the first four episodes. It is very plot driven and action oriented, which I would categorize more as a bad thing, but has a few great moments so far (even it's very own GAME OF THRONES-like violent scene here and there) and is very, very beautifully produced and filmed, like Juliajms said. It is stunning to look at. And, at the least, it is entertaining most of the time, despite some obvious writing and clunky dialogue (all criticisms I find very legitimate).

[Vee]

I've heard so-so reviews - people saying it's fun fluff but not GOT-caliber by a long shot. Which is fine. I might watch it over the winter if I get bored, I love some of the actors (Benedict Wong, Joan Chen) and the guy playing Marco is hot.

[DRW50]

I saw a review saying this show is for GoT fans who quit after the first season because GoT got too supernatural and stopped being "gritty."

I actually LOLed at that, because if they think a few CGI dragons, Melisandre flaming on, Bran's psychic friend calls, and scary snow creatures is too supernatural, they have lived very precious lives.

[Vee]

GOT made a mistake when it moved away from its gritty, meth-dealing roots in the urban jungle.

[Juliajms]

Some people really hate anything involving fantasy. I love fantasy, but I know several people who have no tolerance for it. As a GoT fan, I have to say it would never have crossed my mind to compare this show to that one. Sure, there are violent scenes and gratuitous nudity and sex, but beyond that it's not similar, imo. I feel that the media is making the comparison because of the amount of money spent on the production.

I can only imagine what Asian American advocacy groups think of this production. I cannot see them having a positive view of it.

[Vee]

The scores of Asians in the show don't seem to have an issue.

[Juliajms]

So then whenever a minority group participates in a production it's beyond reproach? I don't think so because money talks, but there has been a long standing criticism that the media portrays Asian women as sex toys and this show does that big time.

[DramatistDreamer]

Thanks for your thoughts everybody. And thanks Juliajms for the article.

I did read that NYTimes article that Grantland referred to-- which brought up why Netflix feels obligated to make a big push to produce more of their own shows but also to get more entrenched in the international market.

This Grantland article makes a good point about the perils of worrying too much about the demands of catering to the global market (or any market) over simply creating a really good show. I remember reading in the NYT that the producers hired cultural advisors, which is great but then I wondered how authentic is a show where everyone speaks English in the 1400s anyway? Better to not take yourself too seriously, at this point.

Since Netflix is courting a Chinese audience, I'm very curious as to how they will perceive this show.

I may just do what Vee plans on doing and watch it sometime after Christmas/New Years before the next season of House of Cards starts.

And I will definitely take it for what it is. No expectations at this point.

[Vee]

Yes, you're talking about a long-standing criticism of other media, not this show that debuted like a week ago. I think it has less to do with the subject matter and more to do with the cookie-cutter formula. This is a historical fictional drama modeled after shows like GOT or The Borgias or whatever else that, like those shows, is chock-full of sex and violence - it would have those elements no matter whether it was set in China or Renaissance Italy, or France, or wherever. That it's naked Asians instead of naked French, Italian, etc. men and women (and Italian Marco sure appears to be naked a lot) is incidental.

I don't expect Marco Polo to be anything other than silly overpriced costume fluff, but I know two of the key actors - Wong and Chen (especially Chen, who suffered through roles like that in Hollywood films for years before going her own way) - wouldn't have anything to do at this stage in their career with a production where they were made out to be minstrels or exotic cliches. I think it can be a dumb, possibly fun/possibly boring show without being racist.

And yes, there is something to be said about the global marketing strategies these days. The last Transformers, among many other recent blockbusters, very deliberately shot in China and utilized Mainland Chinese stars. The Avatar sequels are said to be filming there (the original's Chinese success was allegedly a cause of some concern for the Mainland government, which found its message subversive). Iron Man 3's Asian release was forced to clumsily shoehorn in scenes with two Chinese stars, adding a random, disconnected subplot to the film's running time to try and make them appear to be relevant to the narrative - it came off like the old American version of Godzilla in the '50s, where they shoddily inserted scenes with Raymond Burr. Point being, the emerging new China, and Asia at large, is now a market with which Hollywood is regularly trying to reckon with and accommodate, sometimes in smart ways, sometimes in ways that are deeply forced. I'm on a gig right now that is more of the former, and it's interesting to see all the delicate interconnections.

[Juliajms]

And since I've actually see the show, I feel justified in speaking about it in terms of that long standing criticism. This show does nothing to turn any of it on it's head, that's for damn sure. Nothing in The Borgias compares to this as far as I can see.

As far as objectifying women goes, this show is far worse than GoT, imo. I was pretty disgusted. Not shocked, because I'm not a prude and nothing sexual can shock me. Simply disgusted to see large groups of women treated as sex toys again. Does it matter that they are Asian women? Well, it stood out to me because I know there is a long past there. Maybe other people will think it's ok because it's just one more fluff piece. However, with the exception of the raped Dothraki women, most of the naked women (Dany, Shae) on GoT actually had some sort of personality or point of view. Good luck finding that here.

Now that I've watch most of it, I can say I think they failed miserably at making a good show. Generally, I'm easier to please than critics (hell, I watch and enjoy B&B ), so I don't take what they have to say to heart. This time, the consensus is right. Leave aside and issues of race or misogyny and this show just isn't very compelling, imo. I'll be interested in what you and Vee think of the show generally once you've had to a chance to watch. Maybe it's what YRBB says and this is an action oriented show and that just doesn't appeal to me without strong characters, which are few and far between here, imo.

[ThePrinceOfSunspear]

It can't be that much worse than of Game of Thrones.....I'm interested in how beautiful the world itself it looks. The main actor is hot but that's not enough of a reason to sign up for Netflix. Especially when all the movies I want are not available for streaming.