RONHEART: Episodes 1.1 and 1.2

Name: RONHEART: Episodes 1.1 and 1.2
Item: RONHEART: Episodes 1.1 and 1.2
Author: Review

"“A Heartless Series”"

Family Content: -3 Excessive sex, violence, immorality, and/or worldview problems. (Sometimes excessive content such as violence is in otherwise redemptive movies.)

Entertainment Quality:

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

Credits →

What You Need To Know:

IRONHEART is a Marvel miniseries on Disney Plus about a teenage prodigy building her own Iron Man suit. In the first two episodes, MIT expels engineering student Riri Williams for helping other students cheat. Eager to prove her engineering genius, Riri steals her prototype for a new Iron Man suit but crashes in Chicago. Strapped for cash and parts, Riri joins a band of thieves performing heists against Chicago’s most corrupt officials. However, the thieves are plotting something dangerous behind her back. Not only that, but the head thief is in cahoots with an actual demon. In addition, traumatic memories from Riri’s childhood begin to haunt her.

The first two episodes of IRONHEART are plagued by obnoxiously bad writing, foul language and a strong Romantic worldview with Marxist, politically correct attitudes. For example, both the protagonist and the villains are minorities who discuss “being kept down by the system.” Furthermore, the heroine is outwardly selfish, steals property from other people, and knowingly lies to her friends. The only saving grace in IRONHEART is the genuine “warmth” between the heroine and her old childhood friends.

Content:

(RoRoRo, CoCoCo, PCPCPC, Ho, B, C, LL, VV, S, N, D, MM):
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:
Strong Romantic, Marxist, politically correct worldview where the heroine and the villains discuss alleged racial injustice, “being kept down by the system” and “not being recognized for their efforts,” the heroine is a narcissistic individual who lies and steals and cheats from people to further her goals, she joins a band of thieves to steal from Chicago’s corrupt aristocratic class, the heroine is ungrateful and openly hostile to her mother, and a “black people are oppressed and need to rise up” theme is strongly referenced, and a black male villain dresses up as a “nonbinary” drag queen, but there is some light moral, biblical and Christian content such as heroine is cordial with her Chicago neighbors and her old friends, a song references Judgment Day, there’s a reference to a church, a character says, “Get behind me, Satan,” quoting the New Testament, and a villain turns out to be in cahoots with an actual demon;
Foul Language:
17 obscenities in Episodes 1 and 2 (including nine “s” words, three “h” words, one “d” word, two “b” words, and two “a” words), and four light profanities, plus a dog defecates onscreen and a man steps on it onscreen;
Violence:
Strong action violence includes thieves use Kung Fu and other martial art techniques to beat up security guards, a woman crash lands into the ground with her Iron Man suit, the heroine bumps and scratches against an underground highway system, a woman is trapped in an elevator with only three minutes to escape, several human guards are knocked out cold and spit blood, and a police officer is shot in the shoulder (the villain allows the officer to live);
Sex:
No sex scenes, but a female thief comments on the villain’s “hot body,” a minor villain cross dresses, and the heroine goes on a date with a boy at a Chicago club;
Nudity:
The male villain is shirtless for two extended scenes, and the heroine wears a crop top that exposes her midriff in Episode One;
Alcohol Use:
No alcohol use;
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:
A character smokes in Episode 1 but no illicit drugs, though a villain is implied to take pills for a rare skin condition on his back; and,
Miscellaneous Immorality:
The heroine helps several MIT students cheat with her expertise and gadgets in exchange for money, she steals school property without prior notice, a band of art thieves trap a Chicago mayor and force her to pay a hefty ransom, the gang of thieves use internet apps to sell stolen goods on the black market, heroine coerces a black arms dealer to sell her illegal Iron Man parts, and the main character lies to her mother.

More Detail:

IRONHEART is a Marvel miniseries on Disney+ about a teenage prodigy building her own Iron Man suit. MOVIEGUIDE® screened the first two episodes. Following her expulsion from MIT, Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) is eager to prove her engineering genius to the world. Riri returns to Chicago and joins a group of thieves in exchange for money for her research. However, the thieves are plotting something dangerous behind her back. Moreover, traumatic memories from Riri’s childhood begin to haunt her. Will Riri overcome her pride?

IRONHEART is set after the events of the movie BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER. In the first two episodes, Riri Williams pleads guilty to helping her classmates cheat in class. The college expels Riri and strips her research grant from Tony Stark Industries. Desperate, Riri steals her Iron Man-like prototype suit from MIT and crash lands into her hometown of Chicago. Strapped for cash and parts, Riri joins a band of thieves led by the enigmatic gang leader Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos). Together, they perform heists against Chicago’s most corrupt officials.

Meanwhile, Riri struggles to reconnect with her estranged neighbors. When she has an unlikely reunion with an old friend, traumatic visions from Riri’s past begin to flood her mind. Moreover, Parker Robbins holds a dark secret that will determine the fate of Chicago. Will Riri be able to reconcile with her past mistakes?

In terms of production quality, IRONHEART is a decent looking series. The cinematography, lighting, and action scenes are on par with other MCU projects. The special effects, especially during the underground highway robbery in Episode Two, are well executed. The biggest downside is the wonky blending with Riri wearing her Ironheart suit of armor. Riri’s head looks like it was slapped on top of a CGI model, which is as awkward as it looks. Yet, it is the least of this show’s worries.

The downfall of IRONHEART starts with its lack of moral clarity. The show favors a strong politically correct moral framework. Riri has no qualms about lying to her friends, cheating on tests and joining a gang of thieves if it serves her interests. She is reprimanded by her widowed mother and neighbors, but she is rewarded handsomely for her illegal efforts. The show tries to counteract this selfishness over her survivor’s guilt in the past (which will not be spoiled here). As a whole, Riri’s callousness makes it impossible for viewers to root for her. Even so, this is not the most egregious part.

IRONHEART is stacked with Marxist, politically correct, woke undertones. Riri and the villains (made up of Latin and African American men and women) discuss “not being recognized for their efforts” and “being kept down by the system.” One scene has Riri bully an effeminate white man for his black-market wares. A minor villain, a man who wears drag queen make-up, goes by “they/them” pronouns in the story.

The only moral reprieve is when Riri reunites (and showcases strong empathy) with an old childhood friend. The first two episodes also contain some light Christian references. For example, there’s a reference to church and a reference to Judgement Day in a song lyric. Finally, it turns out that the lead thief is in cahoots with a demon. Later, it turns out the demon is called Mephisto, one of several demonic villains in Marvel’s comic books, and is equated with Satan. In the comics, the demon working with the thief was another demonic villain, but, apparently, the name of that demon was too weird to use for Disney+.

The first two episodes of IRONHEART also feature strong and light action violence. For example, the villains use over-the-top martial arts to fight bodyguards. Also, the heroine uses an Iron Man power suit to fly around a city. The thieves extort money and steal priceless artifacts from high-ranking Chicago officials. In both episodes, the main villain’s upper torso is fully shown. Lastly, the villain’s lackey calls him “hot.”

The last blow to IRONHEART is its abysmal creative choices. The dialogue is stilted, each scene has out-of-place pop culture music, and the acting is subpar. The only saving grace is the genuine “warmth” between Riri and her old childhood friends. Without getting into spoilers, Riri’s old companions are more enjoyable to watch than the entire cast. If it were not for this aspect and the cinematography, MOVIEGUIDE® would label the first two episodes of IRONHEART abhorrent and give them only one star rather than just excessive, with two stars.