Hawkeye Episode 5 Review: Focus On The Characters And The Series Hits The Mark | Filmyhype

Director: Rhys Thomas

Cast: Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Vera Farmiga, Alaqua Cox, Tony Dalton

Streaming Platform: Disney+ (watch from here)

Filmyhype Ratings: 4/5 (four star) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

With our review of the fifth episode of Hawkeye we enter the final phase of the miniseries on Disney+ dedicated to Clint Barton. This is an atypical episode compared to the previous four, both in terms of structure and content. Almost as if to prepare the ground for a final showdown, Hawkeye slows down the narrative and chooses to focus on the characters, limiting the action (the real weakness of the product) to the last few minutes. If in the four previous episodes the series created by Jonathan Igla showed its side precisely because of an excessively dilated narrative, this fifth episode entitled Ronin instead, it proves to hit the mark. Whether it is due to a more accurate writing or to some sequences in which two actresses duet with a talent capable of elevating the moment, whether it is for the themes addressed on the role of a superhero or for the growing feeling of witnessing once again a perfectly connected to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this penultimate episode of Hawkeye proves to be one of the best of the lot.

Hawkeye Episode 5 Review: The Story

There are small changes that make this fifth episode of Hawkeye atypical compared to the others. It begins with a prologue set in the past, precisely in 2008, starring a character that we found last week, which in turn works as a short sequel to one of the Marvel Studios Phase 4 films. With a winning aesthetic choice, in a few minutes we are told all the tragic weight that this character is forced to carry on his shoulders. It’s only at that point that the episode really begins, with the beloved Marvel fanfare and the recap of the previous installments. The series logo, this time, is not hit by an arrow. Choice that presupposes a stasis in the narrative, a more introspective episode than usual, relegating the action to a few short moments.is an episode that chooses to give strength to the characters, forced, through the dialogues, to face the most important themes of the series: what it means to be a hero, to trust someone, to choose your own path, wondering if it is right to follow your idols and their models of life. Because, after all, every superhero is also a human being. In this way the story takes small (but important) steps forward, without however giving the sensation of unnecessary stretch.

Hawkeye Episode 5 Review and analysis

All the characters in the series are on a path that will lead them to change. It’s the classic hero’s journey that acquires more values ​​in Hawkeye. He finds himself in the conflict of Clint Barton, between the hero of the Avengers and the lone avenger; in the conflict of Kate Bishop, a girl who dreams of following her idol and at the same time clashes with his decisions; also in that of Yelena, the Black Widow who is at the same time a lethal killer and a younger sister still unable to mourn. All the protagonists of the story have in front of them a path that seems to be delineated and that, in some way, encompasses them. It is a way to go almost with your eyes closed, but it is precisely in these forty minutes that, in one way or another, each of them will be forced to change perspective and point of view, to make a choice above all. Focusing on the dilemma of the characters, the series gives up that too insistent humor of the past and chooses another type of entertainment, more consistent with the themes addressed.

There is only one episode left for Hawkeye’s conclusion and, thanks to the ending of this one, the wait will seem very long. Similar to what happened with other products under their brand, Marvel Studios never ceases to surprise and the final revelation of Roninit will make more than a few spectators jump. However, it would be unfair to consider the series successful only for the return of this or that character present in other works. Although it may seem the weaker and less focused series of those released in 2021, Hawkeye manages to find its own identity within the narrative universe that is expanding more and more, satisfying the audience of fans who will applaud for the various internal connections. . Because it is incredible to note how a simple scene between Hailee Steinfeld and Florence Pugh (truly exceptional) manages to build a very strong emotional bond with the viewer who cannot help but take to heart the characters who want to appear cold and lethal. In an omnipresent Christmas atmosphere, the Marvel family is celebrated, in a Christmas lunch where all the spectators are invited to the table, to sit next to their favorites. If this is not the magic of cinema.

The Final Words

Here is the end of Filmyhype review of the fifth episode of Hawkeye by applauding the choice to slow down the story (which however takes great strides in preparation for the finale) by focusing on the characters. In one of the best episodes, the series dedicated to Hawkeye, also thanks to a truly talented cast, manages to build a bond with the viewer emotionally very strong and forcefully insert itself into the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The action scenes remain the weak point of the series, but the final reveal will make viewers gasp, leaving the doors open for a grand finale.