Hawkeye: Disney+ Review

Another Disney+ live action series featuring a Marvel character arrives - this time, it's Clint Barton's Hawkeye - and this latest feels like a smaller scale affair.

With 6 days to go before Christmas, a wearied Barton (a forlorn Renner throughout) is trying to do his best for his family. Taking them to Rogers The Musical (based on the Avengers' battle, and with the catchy refrain of "I Can Do this all day"), planning pizza and movie nights and generally catching up with the kids, Barton finds his world shattered when his past comes back to haunt him.

Elsewhere across town, Haille Steinfeld's Kate Bishop, Hawkeye's No 1 fan after one of his stray arrows saved her during the Chitauri invasion, is struggling to find her place in the world. In trouble after destroying a campus bell tower after a bet on her archery prowess, Bishop inadvertently sets herself on a collision course with her idol after finding Hawkeye's old Ronin outfit and dealing to some criminals.

With New York thinking the Ronin avenger has returned and the criminal underworld out to get the mysterious figure that caused them so much grief, Barton steps in - and into a world of trouble.

Hawkeye feels lighter in tone, largely thanks to a relationship between Barton and Bishop that finds its mark in episode two - but it's also fair to say that this latest Disney+ series doesn't seem to set its stall out early on. Is it comedy buddy movie, is it master passing the mantle onto the rookie, is it drama, is it odd couple film, is it a revenge tale - its relative lack of a definitive purpose in the early episodes means it feels less accessible to anyone not familiar with the Avengers' oeuvre.

Certainly Renner excels in selling the post blip world and the more moping edges of the Barton character. From donning a hearing aid to feeling out of place in a New York that lauds the heroes and their fight, this is as close to an exploration of PTSD as the Avengers has really come, and Renner does magnificent work rolling in the doldrums. 

But it's also fair to say he hardly comes alive in the comedic edges of the script either, with most of it feeling like cynical repartee than anything more life like.

If Renner is the dour downbeat heart of the duo, Steinfeld's perky Bishop is the boundless energy puppy that's trying to keep the story upbeat. From her privileged background to her admiration at Barton's more human hero, Steinfeld sells the start of Kate's arc with ease.

However, it's a story that seems to rely a lot on fan knowledge, and certainly the ending of episode 2 leaves the casual viewer more than nonplussed about its weight and importance. While fans are likely to be nodding heads in recognition, the rest will be lost as to exactly what's going on and why it matters.

If Hawkeye excels at anything, it's producing clear and concise action sequences along with producing a heady mix of mistaken identity, mayhem and mythology that some will find intoxicating.

The more intimate level of Hawkeye takes a bit of time to get used to, and while there are only six episodes in this run, it does feel like there's little to no urgency to lay out a overall plot or idea of where it's going.

Whether that's enough to produce a bullseye for Disney+'s Avengers' fraternity is probably not in doubt - but for others, it may be a case that Hawkeye is a cautious step some will be unwilling to take.

Disney+'s Hawkeye begins streaming on Wednesday November 24 with 2 episodes released.