...
Weep for the children and suffer ye the indignity that is – a-the Daredevil.
***THE PLOT***
Young Matt Murdoch is a bright kid on the wrong side of the tracks. His dad is a boxer but also provides the muscle in a protection racket, run by the mysterious crime lord, Kingpin. Just ... Read review
Whether or not one likesDaredevilthe movie probably has a lot to do with whether or not ... more
one likesDaredevilthe comic book. To its credit (or, depending upon your perspective, its detriment),Daredevilis one of the most faithful comic-book adaptations to ...
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Whether or not one likesDaredevilthe movie probably has a lot to do with whether or not ... more
one likesDaredevilthe comic book. To its credit (or, depending upon your perspective, its detriment),Daredevilis one of the most faithful comic-book adaptations to ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Ben Affleck is Matt Murdock a.k.a Daredevil. As a young boy he lost his sight in a ... more
chemical accident which left him with his other senses superhumanly enhanced (and some incredible acrobatic skills). Flash forward and Matt is working by day as a pro ...
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Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 1996 - Action/Adventure - Director: Tom Clegg - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Daragh O'Malley, Oliver Cotton, Jason Durr, Sean Bean, Allie Byrne
Action/Adventure - Director: The Wachowski Brothers - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Monica Bellucci, Jada Pinkett
Production Year: 1995 - Action/Adventure - Director: Tom Clegg - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Allie Byrne, Oliver Cotton, Emily Mortimer, Michael Cochrane
Advantages: Some nice moments Disadvantages: So. Many. Bad. Moments.
...by his superhero alter-ago – Daredevil – The Man Without Fear. Swinging through the city on a specially adapted billy-club, he avenges and revenges but is all too human.
His human side leads to fall for the elusive Elektra – who by proxy is wrapped up in the evil machinations of the Kingpin. Can Daredevil find the Kingpin? Can he stop the rogue assassin Bullseye from being naughty? And who is that woman who looks exactly like Elektra ... ...remain. Opening on a bloodied Daredevil draped over a cross on a church spire is a great image – but irrelevant until the last 15 minutes or so of the movie.
The next sticking point that makes me cringe is the “radar-vision”. Director Mark-Steven Johnson employs a CGI device that shows us what Daredevil “sees”. It’s blue and x-ray looking. And a tad over-used. If a better actor (thank jeebers it wasn’t Vin Diesel as was once considered) ... more
Here we are in the place where magic happens. Hollywood hack-hicks Bubba and Earl discuss the possibilities of comic book adaptations:
Bubba: “Say Earl, what do you go think of makin’ a mewvie abouts one of them supy-heroes?”
Earl scratches his hairy ear.
Earl: “Weeeeell, I always liked Marmaduke…”
Bubba (incredulous): “Marmadook ain’t not no supy-hero!”
Earl: “Whats about that blind feller?”
Bubba gazes blankly into the Hollywood hills for a few minutes. A dog barks. This sparks him into action.
Bubba: “Shazam?”
Earl: “Nawww…Darey-Devil!”
Bubba and Earl gaze into each other’s eyes and come to a silent agreement. Then Earl farts and they laugh for three days. They then decide to employ the director of Simon bloody Birch to flesh out the dramatically interesting vision of Marvel Comics honcho Stan Lee into a dull mewvie starring Ben “Vacant Glare” Affleck.
Weep for the children and suffer ye the indignity that is – a-the Daredevil.
***THE PLOT***
Young Matt Murdoch is a bright kid on the wrong side of the tracks. His dad is a boxer but also provides the muscle in a protection racket, run by the mysterious crime lord, Kingpin. Just as he turns his life around, he gets all spilled over with radioactive waste.
This accident robs him of his sight but for some reason sharpens his other senses to (initially) mind-messing-with proportions. He learns to develop this gift and becomes super-agile due to the confidence he has in his “radar-sense”. Sadly, all the powers in the world cannot stop his father being a hothead, and deliberately not throwing a boxer match in order to retain his son’s pride in him. This moment of integrity leads to a murderous conclusion, and young Murdoch is not best pleased.
All growed up, Murdoch has become a criminal lawyer – defending the innocent and the innocent only. Those criminals who escape his lawyery ways are hunted down by his superhero alter-ago – Daredevil – The Man Without Fear. Swinging through the city on a specially adapted billy-club, he avenges and revenges but is all too human.
His human side leads to fall for the elusive Elektra – who by proxy is wrapped up in the evil machinations of the Kingpin. Can Daredevil find the Kingpin? Can he stop the rogue assassin Bullseye from being naughty? And who is that woman who looks exactly like Elektra who is poncing around with pointy weapons?
***THAT’S A LOT OF PLOT***
Well, when you right it out like that, yeah. Somehow though, the movie is shallower than the amount of water you could collect in a hollowed-out ant.
The best thing about the entire movie is the short-ish sequence in which we meet young Matt – hence I harped on about it a lot above. It has emotional drive and a decent set-up. It’s not like you could go wrong with such a tale of morality and a father’s need to provide a positive role model to his child.
The movie actually goes downhill during the introduction sequence. Kudos to the director for trying a different approach to the traditional comic book movie stylings of (a) set up the character (b) introduce powers/origin (c) show them off, but you can only be clever-clever if you clever-clever remain. Opening on a bloodied Daredevil draped over a cross on a church spire is a great image – but irrelevant until the last 15 minutes or so of the movie.
The next sticking point that makes me cringe is the “radar-vision”. Director Mark-Steven Johnson employs a CGI device that shows us what Daredevil “sees”. It’s blue and x-ray looking. And a tad over-used. If a better actor (thank jeebers it wasn’t Vin Diesel as was once considered) had been used, and a more effective script (picky me, eh?) chosen, this could been done a lot better through SIMPLE ACTING. How impressive would it have been if Daredevil, faced with an enemy hiding behind a pillar in a tube station, had remained perfectly still, focusing like a samurai warrior on his surroundings and picking out the guy’s heartbeat through the din? Instead we get a violently loud soundtrack and lots of “arrgh it hurts” face pulling from ver Affleck before he pulls his sh*t together.
The film tries to pack in way too much story into its shortish running time, and as such any emotions that are meant to be felt between the leads seems unlikely and melodramatic. Some nice touches perforate the romance (at one point Murdoch uses the rain falling on Elektra’s face to “see” her – she doesn’t want him to, so raises an umbrella over her head – aw, that sounds crap now but in the movie it’s good – no, honest…). The relationship between these two was far more rich and interesting in the comics, which you should try and check out.
Affleck fails to convince as a hero – he’s a little too pretty-boy. And wasn’t Murdoch blond in the comics? Jennifer Garner does her best as Elektra (a spin-off is in the works) but struggles with crappy dialogue.
***POINTLESS HEADER***
So how bad are the bad guys? Baaaaad. Bullseye (Colin “will act in anything” Farrell) is a great character in the comics and comes across pretty well here. Though for some reason the writers seem completely unable to muster any threatening dialogue. Instead he grunts & growls like someone who forgot their lines. And his payoff lines “The devil is mine!” or “Bullseye, huh?” could have been written by a paperclip.
We then come to the Kingpin. Best known in the comics as being a tall, broad, pinstripe suited bald feller, the role is filled by Michael Clark Duncan. Take my hand boss, and admire how imposing the chap looks. Then realise Mr Jingles (thanx mattygroves!) could have performed better in this role. It’s not his fault! The script is a-rubbish!
Okay, I’d better stop holding the actors at fault and once again address the problem – the writer/director. He apparently loves the source material (or so he says OVER AND OVER in related interviews) – yet in this he has shown very little respect for the original creation. Daredevil using New York as his own thrill ride is sometimes impressive, but at other times a crappy CGI actor fills this role, and makes Shrek look realistic in comparison. There is a fight in a bar, which it edited together in a confusing manner to a loud rock song. The final showdown with Bullseye is almost laughable in its accidental (?) sexual imagery – two grown men in leather outfits ascending a giant organ…um! Worst still is the climatic Kingpin fight – in which Kingpin is defeated by a whack round the legs with a stick. Absolute dross.
There is a certain camp value to the movie, but it certainly doesn’t rank alongside X-Men or Spider-Man as a viable franchise. Even so, this is getting a sequel – proving once and for all that Hollywoodland is indeed under the control of a group of baying morons with the artistic integrity of a mouldy kitchen floor.
Must try harder.
----------------------------
LESSONS LEARNED:
o Mustard in tea emits no apparent aroma, even to those without a preternatural sense of smell o The way to a man’s heart is through beating him up o Being stabbed through the shoulder will only hurt for a bit, and will not impair motor functions in any way o Assassins hate old ladies, flies and olives o Gasoline spillages in exotic shapes are easily missed by trained detectives
Advantages: Garner, Has its moments Disadvantages: its moments come few and far between
...hero herself and goes after Daredevil for revenge. Meanwhile the Kingpin -a hugely influential gangster- watches over the crime and punishment, meddling himself - with disastrous consequences. Daredevil is a brave Hollywood comic-book hero movie; its darker and more adult than many of the others and wrestles with themes that a lot of action movies would shy away from, its fight scenes are gritty and realistic and the eventual outcome is moving in ... ...seem at odds. Daredevil does have its nice moments. Most of them include the vibrant and beautiful Jennifer Garner- but I will come to her later-. Unlike many I quite enjoyed the central romance, it doesn't require too much investment but is still emotional enough to make an impact, both the romantic leads are believable as a couple and the script captures some beautiful moments. The most romantic sequence arises when Elektra takes the blind assassin ...
JayHall1991 18.06.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Daredevil (DVD)
Advantages: Bullseye is a good character Disadvantages: Far too many to list
Daredevil is a further adaptation of a super hero comic that is written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson that was released back in February 2003.
****Story line****
Matt Murdock (Ben Affleck), a schoolboy, loses what most consider to be the most important sense after a run I with some toxic chemicals. With the loss of a sense all his other senses become stronger in order to compensate, with one becoming very strong. Matt develops a sixth ‘radar’ ... ...heroes I don’t think that Daredevil is that good. His ‘super power’ if you can call it that, is poor in comparison and I struggle to see how it can get so powerful, especially since he is ‘self taught’. I appreciate that when you lose one sense the other senses are meant to improve to compensate for it but I don’t think that if you lose one sense all of a sudden you become powerful. The way that Superman got his powers (i.e. being an alien) and Spiderman ...
yackers1 18.03.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Daredevil (DVD)
Advantages: Bullseye (Colin Farrell...rrrrr) Disadvantages: Thin plot, too much romance
...a second X Men movie. Daredevil is far less known in this country than in his native America, where Daredevil comics have been immensely popular since the 1960s. A few years ago, the title was cancelled and relaunched with a new edgier look, under the more mature Marvel Knights banner. It was an incredibly successful change and probably secured the possibility of a feature-length Daredevil film. Whilst I am a long-term fan of many Marvel Comics, ... ...how things should work.
Daredevil has a darker, more violent feel to it than the Spiderman movie. This is reflected in its 15 certificate, but right from the start, the film seems gritty and stark, and lacks any real sense of fun or adventure. Part of the appeal of Spiderman was the excitement and adventure experienced by the young Peter Parker as he gradually became accustomed to his powers. Daredevil is a much more tragic tale, and portrays a ...
LostWitness 25.02.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Daredevil (DVD)
Advantages: Michael Clarke Duncan is superb as always Disadvantages: Probably the casting of Affleck, Im still not convinced and the scripts a bit poor
...I sat down and slung Daredevil into my DVD player. It follows on the trend of turning comic books into feature length films. With the likes of Spiderman, X Men and the League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen also being moved onto the big screen, Hollywood appears to have gone mad over comic book conversions, but how does this one fair. During school Matt had things tough, his dad was a boxer but he wasn’t really in any shape to defend himself, always being ... ...However by night Matt is Daredevil a superhero who wrecks revenge on those he feels have done wrong, bringing them to justice, one day hoping to find the man who killed his father.
He meets Elektra Natchios (Jennifer Garner) the daughter of one of the cities wealthiest men, Nikolas Natchios (Erick Avari). Who just happens to be one of the allies of the new head of the city, the Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan) but he wants out. The Kingpin isn’t ...
Andy.mack 26.10.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Daredevil (DVD)
Advantages: great moments sometimes. great film. Disadvantages: too much romance. bit slow in places
When I first heard Daredevil was to make the transition to the silver screen I was skeptical that a faithful movie could ever be made. When I heard that Ben Affleck was to portray the blind hero, any hope I had for the movie disappeared (apart from Chasing Amy I’ve been unimpressed with just about everything I’ve seen him do). So you can imagine my surprise when I left the cinema thinking ‘that wasn’t half bad’ and on reflection I think the Daredevil ... ...the movie. The New York Daredevil inhabits is a foreboding place, it ain’t called Hells Kitchen for nothing and we soon see Daredevil has no time for criminals, his one concern is justice.
I have only a few gripes about the movie, the main one being that Ben Affleck, while in his Matt Murdock mode, just didn’t cut it. He just looks like he's trying too hard, like the scene had been rehearsed and rehearsed until any spontaneity had been squeezed ...
Tortenmann 29.05.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Daredevil (DVD)
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Advantages: Made me like Ben Affleck, Good Plot and Action Sequences. Disadvantages: None that I can think of.
Daredevil
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Release Date: 2003
Runtime: 133 mins Approx
Certificate: 15
Disk 1: Main Feature.
As the film starts, we see our hero, Daredevil aka, Matt Murdock (Ben Affleck), who is clutching onto a cross at the top of a church. He falls down into the church and is found by the priest. We then hear a voice over by Affleck, who says something about when you die your life flashes before you eyes, and the film then goes back to the very beggining, where we see how he gets into this situation.
We see a young Matt (Scott Terra), looking down at the ground, with a cut on his lip. We then see that the cause of this was a group of bullies who were teasing him about his father who was a ex-boxer. When he got home, he told his father what had happened, to which he replied that he should ...
Advantages: Good plot, excellent special effects Disadvantages: Maybe a bit rushed
Daredevil is a superhero who first appeared in comics way back in 1964. He is the billed as 'The Man without fear' and rightly so. His backstory is that as a boy he was blinded by toxic chemicals (everyday occurrence in comic book world) however the same chemicals also enhanced all of his other senses making him stronger, acrobatic, and with perfect balance. The sense most affected was his hearing which means that not only can he literally hear everything but also 'sees' soundwaves giving him almost 'sonar sight'.
By day Daredevil (Ben Affleck as 'Matt Murdock') is a lawyer, however by night he dispenses the justice the courts cannot. He is also driven by the murder of his father when he was a child and an obsession with stopping 'The King Pin' who is said to control all of the crime in the city (Michael Clarke Duncan). The main story ...
Advantages: Good action, Jennifer Garner in tight leather, cool soundtrack Disadvantages: Jennifer Garner trying to act, Affleck's chin, some of the acting is a little bit cheesy!
Ben Affleck don's the red leather as a stick wielding, blind super-hero (with a huge chin!) in another of Marvel's superhero outings to hit the big screen.
Matthew Murdock is a mild mannered attorney at law...by day. By night, he is the vigilante known only as Daredevil, who prowls the seedy underbelly of Hell's Kitchen, seeking out those who live outside the law but those he is unable to touch in a courtroom.
Matthew Murdoch/Daredevil is no ordinary superhero. He is blind. Blinded as a child, by exploding chemicals getting in his eyes, Daredevil relies on sonar-like reflexes, using movement to target his enemies.
During the film Daredevil meets Elektra (Jennifer Garner) who becomes an ally in his fight against evil, and who helps the Daredevil try to bring down his nemesis, Michael Clarke Duncan's Kingpin (who killed her ...
Matthew Murdoch was blinded in an accident but after being covered in a radioactive substance has the ability to be completely aware of everything that is going on around him. He puts his special powers to good use as a crime fighter...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment; Deluxe Video Service - Fox, 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT, 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Stan Lee, Arnon Milchan, Bernie Williams, Avi Arad
Languages
Main Language
English
Hearing Impaired Language
English
Professional reviews
Review
"...The movie is, in short, your money's worth, better than we expect, more fun than we deserve..." (Chicago Sun-Times, p.29, 14/02/2003)
"...Affleck is a vision in maroon leather....Jennifer Garner looks equally fetching in a stretchy vinyl ensemble..." (Los Angeles Times, p.C1, 14/02/2003)
"...Mr. Farrell finally gets a chance to uncork the charisma that magazines have been proclaiming....Here, he makes a showpiece of a role with almost no dialogue..." (New York Times, p.E1, 14/02/2003)
"...An efficient and entertaining adaptation of Marvel Comics' DAREDEVIL...Well crafted..." (Sight and Sound, p.35, 01/04/2003)
Audio Commentary, Pop Up Text Commentary, Enhanced Viewing Mode, 8 Behind The Scenes Segments, Beyond Hells Kitchen Making Of Daredevil Documentary, The Men Without Fear The Art Of Daredevil Documentary, Shadow World Featurette, Featured Villain The Kingpin Featurette, Daredevil HBO First Look Special, Moving Through Space A Day With Tom Sullivan Featurette, Jennifer Garner Screen Test, Easter Egg Gag Reel, Stills Gallery, Modelling Sheet, Daredevil Theatrical Teaser, 2 Theatrical Trailers, Music Video Fuel Wont Back Down, Music Video The Calling For You, Music Video Evanescence Bring Me To Life, Director's audio commentary
DVD Description
The latest Marvel Comics superhero to hit the big screen is Daredevil (Ben Affleck), a man blinded by a radioactive chemical accident as a young boy but left with superhuman senses and agile acrobatic ability. Like his Marvel compatriot Spider-Man, Daredevil attempts to lead a normal life by day as Matt Murdock, a Hell's Kitchen defense attorney. By night Matt becomes Daredevil, a brooding superhero fighting for justice in the dark and squalid New York streets overrun with vermin and criminal injustice. Wearing a red leather suit and mask, Daredevil leaps from high skyscrapers and tracks his enemies with his radar-like vision, punishing those who are guilty but whom he cannot tackle in the courtroom. At the center of the city's villainous underbelly is Daredevil's nemesis Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan) and his psychotic, knife-wielding deputy-assassin Bullseye (Colin Farrell). Daredevil fights their powerful forces alone, until he meets Elektra Natchios (Jennifer Garner of ALIAS fame), a skilled martial artist and sexy superheroine who is after Bullseye and Kingpin for murdering her father. Sparks fly as the two heroes take on the underlords of crime together in this action-packed adventure fantasy that will surely delight fans of SPIDER-MAN, X-MEN, or BATMAN.
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