I’ve become a bit perversely fascinated by Marvel’s Inhumans. When something this epically bad happens, it emits a hypnotic allure.

And the blame game is beginning to start. According to Variety, people at ABC already had voiced “concerns”:

ABC sources tell Variety that concerns over quality of “Inhumans” episodes — both the special effects of early cuts and the underpinning scripts — were a source of contention between ABC and Marvel. The IMAX box-office numbers will do little to reverse that narrative, and could dissuade future such hybrids strategies.

And as THR reported yesterday, insiders say that Medusa’s hair had to be reshot because it looked so bad.  And Lockjaw’s participation was cut down because the CGI required for the character was too costly.

BUT! As you can see from this clip, a way has been found to economize on Medusa’s expen$ive CGI hair as well: just have someone (probably a villain) cut it off! Brilliant.

 

As I was waching this, however, another idea came to me, unbidden: What is going on with Medusa’s bra?

This is not a ding on lovely Syrinda Swan, who plays Medusa, or slut shaming the character. I’m just wondering what is wrong with her costume.

There’s a big bust dart on the costume that should have been….smaller. And the fabric of the costume is so thin that things are seen that normally one simply does not see in a high budget film or on TV. This is most apparent in the HighDef trailer:

 

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That dart!

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So unflattering. And yet the seams are seemingly (haha!) part of the design. You can see her new costume in the second clip still has the same unflattering dart and cut! While raised seams break up the fabric and give the eye slimming lines, the dart doesn’t do anything but look awkward and draw attention in a non-attractive way.

And so, to the annals of comics costumes, besides boob armor and boob socks (NSFW), we now add the boob dart.

Granted, Jack Kirby’s original costume design for Medusa was not one of his more inspired moments: a purple bodysuit, the purple in question being a function of the limited color palettes of 60s comics and not really an esthetic choice.
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Although it could also have been worse. Boob socks ahoy!

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As a reminder, even the director,  Roel Reiné, admitted Inhumans was meant to  be filmed fast and cheap, even though IMAX cameras were used, which would magnify all the flaws:

Describing his schedule as “super tight,” Reiné said he had “TV schedule time to shoot it with IMAX cameras, 20 days to shoot two episodes.” While the director expressed how nerve wracking it was in some ways, he also noted that it was a luxury compared to the low-budget films he’s shot over the years. Reiné also noted that a Marvel executive was always hanging around him on set, ensuring things would connect properly to the other parts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe while staying true to the characters’ comic book roots. “These people are very passionate about their product and about characters and about doing the best version of everything.” Still, he wasn’t put off by the stories he’d heard about the company and its reported micromanagement style. In fact, he said Marvel liked what he pitched most of the time, “even the radical things.”

That leaves poor Medusa standing in the cold, no hair, bad costume, and making a desperate phone call to someone who can’t talk.

Sad.

11 COMMENTS

  1. Not the best $35 I ever spent. There were a total of 5 people, beside me at the TLC Chinese Theater in Hollywood on a early Friday evening watching this travesty unravel.

    ~

    Coat

  2. Medusa rocking the Sinéad O’Connor look! ;)

    And I though keeping Jennifer Lawrence out of blue makeup for the majority of X-MEN: APOCALYPSE reeked of cheapness/laziness.

  3. Medusa’s original costume was simple for a reason — her distinctive power is her hair, which provides striking color, design and silhouette all by itself. Her costume simply shouldn’t detract from letting her hair define the visual.

    Some costumes need to say something, like Batman’s or Superman’s. Some just need to get out of the way, like Iceman’s or the Human Torch’s.

  4. The blame game is starting, but we can’t blame Jeph Loeb, right? Even though he was the person in charge and got paid for this mess?

  5. Yes odd fitting dress. This show is such a cheap money grab. It’s going to fail badly.
    The trailer reminded me of the Planet of the Apes tv show. Probably the same budget.

  6. I’m in the minority, I enjoyed it. I didn’t expect a movie, I expected a TV pilot and found more good than bad. Some really good, (the guy playing Black Bolt does more with a look than some actors do with a 5 minute monologue) and Lockjaw made me happy every time he was on screen. That said I really didn’t see the Imax thing as necessary, had it just premiered on TV I think there would have been less criticism or at least less sniping. It’s almost like people wanted it to fail because of the Imax experiment. And yeah I agree, the fate of Medusa’s hair looks like a cost cutting method, but a brilliant one. It’s so obvious. Seriously, in 40 something years no one every thought to do that before. How is that possible? And give credit to the actress, she really sold it.

  7. Darren J Hudak… Maximus cut Medusa’s hair off in the BRILLIANT Paul Jenkins/Jae Lee miniseries… but yeah, nonetheless… brilliant move for the tv show for a cost cutting capacity

  8. Might have to give this show a try! In all seriousness, bad press is good press for this series. I’m waiting for the TV premiere though.

  9. Short of having the director walk on in mid-scene and say “Look folks, we’re sorry, but we TRIED…”, you couldn’t have a plainer admission of failure than cutting off Medusa’s hair.

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