Before I start, I think it only fair to warn you that I am a fan of the Daredevil character. I love the comics, and so the thought of a film version was an appealing one. Of course, that probably biases my opinion of the film, slightly, but I'll try to be as even-handed as I can with this review.
The film version of Daredevil has been 'in the works' since before X-Men and Spider Man, but until the success of those two films, it was considered a box office risk and had a low budget associated with the project. What relief, then, for fans of the comic, that the wave of enthusiasm for this type of picture allowed Fox to pump some more money into the film. Of course, the announcement that life-long DD fan Ben Affleck had signed on to play Matt Murdock / Daredevil couldn't have harmed things.
Now the big names started to roll in. Two more big DD fans, director Mark Steven Johnson and the enormous Michael Clarke Duncan as crime overlord The Kingpin followed, with Alias star Jennifer Garner taking the lead female role, Elektra and hot-prospect Colin Farrell as the mental assassin Bullseye filling out the main roles.
And so 6 years after Fox bought the license from Marvel, Daredevil hits our screens. But does it match up to what has been and gone in its lifetime?
Well, in a word, yes. Johnson selected a particularly famous storyline straight from the comic as the basis for his script, which can't be a bad idea, since it was initially written by comics legend Frank Miller and culminated in the critically lauded issue #181, so famous it has been namechecked in the Angel TV series, of all places. Of course, it works. Miller's goal as chief writer & artist on DD was to give the books a cinematic feel, so in effect, Johnson had half the film already story-boarded before putting pen to paper with a script. And what a story! Not as deep as in the comics, but one can only do so much in a single film.
Essentially, Matt Murdock (Ben Affleck) is blinded as a child by some carelessly placed sludge, but awakes to discover his hearing is now so sensitive it acts as a 'radar'. Fast forward 20 or so years, and Murdock is now a small-time lawyer by day - see cameo from the eternally fabulous Jon Favreau as Murdock's legal partner - and a leather-clad superhero by night. You know the score. Anyway, Matt meets Elektra (Garner), falls in love and lives happily ever after. Except he doesn't, 'cause Elektra's dad works for the Kingpin (Duncan), the boss of organised crime in the city, and he wants out. Predictably, Kingpin's not happy about this, and sends Irish assassin Bullseye to sort the whole mess out. There's more to it than that, but I don't like spoilers...
Johnson captures the mood of Miller-era DD throughout, with a digitally de-colourised print, and a very deliberate use of light. Or, in most cases, no light. If you can deal with the darkness, DD looks fantastic, especially the 'shadow-world' of Matt's uncanny radar sense; more importantly, though, it looks cool. This is, however, as much to do with the excellent young cast as it is Johnson's firm ideas of what looks good on film. Affleck is a bit hammy sometimes, but hey, it's a superhero movie, right? Who cares? Obviously not Farrell, who's clearly having the best time of his life, which shows wonderfully on screen. He also gets every single one of the film's best lines. Interestingly, Duncan never once looks wrong as Kingpin, despite being the wrong skin colour, but the real star of the show is Garner. Achingly gorgeous for every second she appears, superb in the action scenes, and utterly convincing, especially at the end of the 2nd act, when she really throws the toys out of the pram due to a confusion over an assassination.
Johnson, a fan of the comics, has gone out of his way to please Daredevil fans. Minor characters are named after famous DD artists, except Miller and Kevin Smith (yes, that Kevin Smith - he wrote DD for a bit). But don't fret, since you'll be able to catch Miller as a dead body, and Smith as a cameo role. Other things fans will enjoy - A nice big role for Ben Urich (Joe Pantoliano), Karen Page - alive!, the opening shot (lifted from Guardian Devil), and the Elektra/Bullseye fight - frame for frame identical to how Miller painted it all those years ago.
The soundtrack is compiled from a load of trendy nu-metal type bands such as Evanescence, and works very well, on occasion. However, as often as it works, it just doesn't, and runs the risk of sounding cheesy, especially if you don't like this sort of music. It's not often that a soundtrack can have such a profound effect, but I know a couple of guys who say it kinda ruined it for them. Just a warning.
DVD features are pretty good, with some genuinely interesting features, as opposed to the usual trash on many discs. Of particular note are the interviews with pretty much every important artist / writer from the 40 years of the comics, and the short piece following a day in the normal life of a blind man - specifically, the film's 'blind advisor' - which is particularly thought provoking. And, amazingly, the commentary is worth listening to, as it is both informative and funny.
Daredevil is not: Serious Particularly intelligent Going to change your life
Daredevil is: Fun Cool Visually impressive Well acted A must for all fans of the comic
I loved it - I would recommend anyone to give it a try - you might not like it, but if you do, you'll probably love it, too.
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
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
weve just rented this for tonight - so I hope your right! Shona - excellent op by the way
battiest 25.07.2003 00:41
Excellent review! I enjoyed this film much more than I thought I would, despite Ben Affleck's slightly hammy performance. Thought Colin Farrell was outstanding, though. All the best - Cate
Big-Bear 25.07.2003 00:20
I spent years reading the comics thinking I was the only one who had heard of DD. Excellent opp.
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 ...
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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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Jul 24th, 2003
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