The review embargo for Hawkeye has lifted, and that means we finally have a better idea of what critics are saying about the latest Marvel Studios TV series. Eternals wasn't met with the usual warm reception, but still managed to do great numbers at the worldwide box office (all while setting up some exciting new stories for the future).
As for the studio's final show of the year, it's fair to say that the combination of Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton and Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop has been a hit thus far. As always, more reviews will continue to roll in over the coming weeks, both for the individual episodes and the series as a whole. It's also important to note that all the critics below have only seen the first two instalments.
As per usual, we'll start with the trades. The Hollywood Reporter expresses concerns that Hawkeye will ultimately follow the path of other MCU stories by ending with a big battle (we guess they missed Loki's finale), but praise the first two episodes by saying, "Hawkeye stands as a rare treat - a Marvel story worth saving not in spite of its humbleness, but because of it." Variety isn't quite so positive and was disappointed with a little too much exposition in the opening efforts. "Kate and Clint barely get enough time together onscreen to fully develop the affectionately snarky back and forth that made them such a compelling pair in the comics," the site explains.
Empire awards the Disney+ series 4* and concludes with, "Hawkeye is modest in terms of threats and mythos compared to its MCU Disney+ predecessors, but it is nonetheless charming and full of heart. Hailee Steinfeld shines as Kate Bishop and will have many looking forward to her future at Marvel." IGN goes with 7/10 and shares high praise for the show's lead. "Hawkeye is off to a good start, almost entirely due to Hailee Steinfeld’s fun and energetic Kate Bishop," the review concludes. "In a universe full of likeable characters, she instantly soars to the upper echelon, and helps make a show about the most boring Avenger genuinely joyful."
Polygon was impressed. "[This] adaptation of Aja and Fraction’s Hawkeye is smart, silly, wonderfully shot, and manages to reframe the worst Avenger in a way that works. Plus, it promises us a new generation of heroes who might just be able to be better than the ones who came before, and isn’t that just what the world needs?" ScreenRant was, too, praising the "holiday hijinks" and acknowledging that "Those hoping for a purely Clint Barton story may be frustrated by the amount of time given to Kate Bishop, but like Black Widow earlier this year, the Hawkeye series was clearly tasked with both giving Clint a solo story and introducing his replacement." ComicBook.com, meanwhile, go for 5* and calls the show "a dynamite conclusion to Marvel's first year on Disney+."
IndieWire, never a fan of superhero content, gives Hawkeye a lowly C- and wrap up with a scathing, "There are better ways to make the most of this holiday season, even if it’s just begging Marvel to stop using such lavish boxes for the dinkiest of gifts. It doesn’t take much shaking to tell what’s inside isn’t what we’re hoping for." Ouch. On the plus side, Mama's Geeky loved the show and says, "The first two episodes of Hawkeye are perfect."
In our reviews published earlier today, we gave the show 5* and said, "Marvel Studios is once again sleigh-in' it with Hawkeye, an unmissable Christmastime team-up bringing holiday cheer to the MCU with top tier storytelling delivered in the Mighty Marvel Manner and a bold, brilliant new hero in Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop." CBM's Rohan Patel has also weighed in, writing that the series is another "phenomenal entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe."
The first two episodes of Hawkeye arrive on Disney+ tomorrow, November 24.