Back after a very long absence! Cant believe I've only written one review in nearly 2 years! Anyway ...
Back after a very long absence! Cant believe I've only written one review in nearly 2 years! Anyway back now and hope to be reading, rating and writing lots!
Member since:16.09.2001
Reviews:160
Members who trust:49
' A classic' 'Beats the pants of Spiderman and Superman' 'What Spiderman wanted to be'
Well I don't know what film those critics were watching but it certainly wasn't the one I did! But lets leave the rant for later - who or what is Daredevil?
Daredevil follows hot on the heels of X-Men and Spiderman in Hollywood's race to grab as many comic book heroes and put them onto the small screen as they can.
Daredevil was born Matt Murdoch, a young boy growing up in Hells Kitchen in New York, being raised by his boxer father. After seeing his dad rough someone up he dashes away, a fork lift truck swerves to avoid him and crashes into hazardous waster, covering the young Murdoch and burning away his sight. When he wakes he finds that the rest of his senses have become 'superhuman'. Over the years he hones these to perfection, becoming a lawyer to protect the innocent and a vigilante be night, punishing the guilty. He is also looking to avenge the death of his father, beaten to death after he refuses to throw a fight, the only clue is a red rose left on the body. And that the story.
There is so much I could say about this film that I hardly know where to start, but I guess the actors and the acting is as good a place as any! Ben Affleck
plays the Daredevil, Jennifer Garner is Elektra Natchios, the love interest and later enemy, Michael Clark Duncan plays the Kingpin, the head of the criminal fraternity, Jon Favareseo play his best friend Foggy Nelson, Joe Pantoliano plays Ben Urich, a journalist out to get the story of daredevil, and lets not forget Colin Farrell as the rather potty Irish assassin Bullseye.
OK, the acting is a major problem in this film, its so bad as to be untrue. I have no surprise at the fact that Ben Affleck was found buying a book on how to act, pity it wasn't before this film, he cannot convey emotion at all, and really does not come across as a decent strong superhero. Jennifer Garner is just as bad, there is no spark at all between these two main characters, nor does she seem to be putting any effort into it. The others are OK, that's all I can say, OK. Certainly no Oscar winners here!
The characters themselves were very disappointing, there was no depth to them at all, the makers missed out a real opportunity to explore the characters in depth, Foggy Nelson is just stereotyped as his rather nutty best friend, in stereotypical film fashion, if he wasn't an Italian than he would have been a Jew! Elektra, what does the woman do? Hang around in coffee houses being sniffed out by in disguise superheroes?, why was she made to learn all the martial arts since she was 5? Surely she wasn't there to make the film look pretty? After her father is killed, believing that Daredevil did it, she goes hunting for revenge, where did her powers come from? If revenge can suddenly make you jump tall buildings then I want some!! Bullseye, oh dear Lord what can I say about him, evilness personified, I was led to believe by some of the reviews, he's a joke, yes the bit on the aeroplane is funny, but the rest was clichied and awful, about as scary as the socks you find under the bed, having not cleaned under there for several months. Why is he who he is? What led him to become a killer?
And Daredevil, yes, we know his father was killed, but why does he kill people? Someone mugs someone for his wallet he kills them, a bit harsh methinks. And one of the major things Spiderman was slagged off for was not explaining where his suit came from. Well someone left out big time here. After all this man is blind, are we to believe that he made that rather vile brown leather outfit? And don't try and pretend you've got big muscles Mr Affleck, and that cod piece was a bit hopeful. And his gadgets, sticks with wire in them, and spikes that he uses to swing between the buildings, its a bit too hopeful. And where did all the scars come from on his back? He's covered in them, yet he was facing the fluid when it spurted into his face. Enough already I could go on for hours?
The effects are nothing special, nothing we haven't already seen in Spiderman and The Matrix, the fight scenes are confusing, you see Daredevil 'sees' in soundwaves, bouncing between the images of that and the actual fighting is just damn confusing. There is very little originality at all, and for a film that touts itself on its effects is very disappointing.
The sound just got on my nerves, I'm an alternative music fan but I don't need it in full volume in every other scene, bit of danger, whack some on, jumping off a building, whack some on. Oh and the usual grunts and moans from Ms Garner when she gets whacked about. A bit.
And lets no forget the other seller of the film, Elektra thinks that Daredevil has killed her father so she goes after him for revenge, for all of 3 minutes, then she sees his face and goes all lovely dovey, well that devastation and ideas of revenge didn't last long, didn't last long, obviously he was better in the sack than the love for her father was.
The fight scenes at the end are puerile and nothing more than set-ups for sequels, which I always find disappointing, I like a finish to a film, not a 'oh, we know they are all coming back so that's ok'.
Spiderman was far better in every way, acting, effects, story line, everything. If you really want to see a 'antihero' torturing himself over what he does, watch the Crow. Do everything bar spend your money on this film. (Thankfully I didn't, I was actually doing it as part of a 'mystery shop'!)
Director Mark Steven Johnson has made a huge turkey in this film, his second in directing, his first was 'Simon Birch' in 1998, not that I've ever heard of that. The man should stick to writing screenwriting in which he has made his name, most notably 'Grumpy Old Men'. Didn't someone tell him that this wasn't supposed to be a joke?
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 2008 - Action/Adventure - Director: Christopher Nolan - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine
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Thanks for the warning. I usually like super hero films but I thought when this was advertised it seemed a little far fetched. You've just enhanced that for me. Steve
emsie25 25.02.2003 19:51
ooo you've worried me now - im off out to see this in a bit! x
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 ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![Daredevil - Single Disc Edition [2003] [DVD]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78500895.jpg "Daredevil - Single Disc Edition [2003] [DVD]")
![Daredevil (Special Edition) [DVD] [2003]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78490195.jpg "Daredevil (Special Edition) [DVD] [2003]")
Feb 24th, 2003
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