Why “The Gifted” is Better Than Any Marvel Movie
When I accepted this assignment, I was somewhat apprehensive, but I am always willing to look at things from different perspectives than my own. I am a huge Marvel Fan, so anything that challenges my Marvel Universe is viewed as an aggressive encroachment into my space. Once I found out that there was a connection between the gifted and the mutants of X-Men, I let my guard down and dove into to discover why people are saying that this is a better production than any Marvel Movie so far, which is saying a lot, since Black Panther and Infinity War broke the box office.
Going beyond ticket sales and viewership, Gifted goes about delivering a familiar story in a different way. There are several ways that Gifted outperforms previous Marvel installments. The thing that stands out to me the most is that the movie does such a great job introducing the mutants to the viewers. The primary focus of this entire theme is to address the hatred, misconceptions, and indifference associated with how we view others that are not like us.
While Heroes presented a storyline that opted for story over style, Gifted has found a way to include both. Marvel is absolutely exceptional at providing the colorful, action-packed content that keeps you on the edge of your seat, but they have consistently balked when it comes to presenting the characters in full form. Additionally, there has been far too many opportunities missed to take the viewers deeper into each character. Gifted does both. The movie is both, entertaining and informative.
The movie explores, at a much greater depth, the discrimination that these mutants experience on a regular basis. Additionally, it offers a more lucid insight into how the world would actually view and receive something so different, despite the value added by their presence. It looks into the proclivity of humans to shun and destroy anything that we don’t readily identify with. There are species on this planet that have been here for thousands of years and now they are going extinct on an annual basis. We tend to fear what we don’t understand, and Gifted visits this with brilliance and depth.
While the show has painted the mutants as being illegal, there have been instances in which they have been detained.
Another area where Gifted stands out is in the exploration of the idea of family. The sense of origin is better explained, and it is easier to have a sense of respect and concern for the mutants, at least for some. Even the title forces you to look at the mutants differently. Being referred to as a mutant simply highlights the fact that you are different, but to refer to these differences as gifts forces one to see more than what is on the surface.
With so much focus on undocumented immigrants in the United States and parts of Europe, this show places the entire argument under the microscope in a way that changes the discussion no matter what side you find yourself sitting or standing on.
The show also does a great job of connecting the X-men to the Gifted, ensuring that the older members of the viewing audience would not get lost through the introduction of new characters. Simply put, the creators and writers did an exceptional job taking a powerful storyline and concept and expanding on it in a way that gave the story more depth and the characters more value. Even with the interception of the old and new being so vivid, that is not the most compelling elements of this show. The two kids that are at the center of the show’s plot. Again, the introduction of typical family drama adds warmth to the show, making it so much more than an action drama. Parents and children alike will be able to relate to the constant internal conflict within these families.
Where Marvel movies fell short, Gifted did not disappoint. Now, there are fans that this will not matter to, but others enjoy depth and complexity, and this show presents that. In all fairness, the movie producers, writers, and directors have to try to get the story told in two hours, while a television series has an entire season to allow things to unfold.
