Rating: Summary: Shine a Light On Me Review: There is something extremely deep, dark and foreboding about Mark Steven Johnson's "Daredevil." In many surface ways it is like the Tim Burton "Batman": with even the daylight scenes taking on a muted, smoky, fuzzy ambience probably as a way of showing how our blind hero views the external world. Daredevil is like no other Super-Hero of recent memory though, for his human traits out number his extraordinary ones: he is first and foremost a feeling human being searching for a way to avenge the death of his father and doing it in the only way he knows how...by killing off all those who have done his father wrong. Ben Affleck plays the Daredevil as a vulnerable man prone to all the usual human foibles even though possessing super-human traits: hearing, smelling and interpreting voice and motivation. Affleck is a conflicted hero, prone to seek the guidance of his priest and feeling flummoxed and unsure by all that he does. Jennifer Garner plays Electra, Daredevil's love and ultimately his nemesis with a physicality and sexual allure only hinted at by her TV series, "Alias." Garner and Affleck are like Superman in that they are above reproach in their behavior in the world that they inhabit. It is up to Bullseye (Colin Farrell) to throw a wrench in the proceedings with his over-the-top prerformance.He kills as sport and stands for everything that Daredevil and Electra do not: rampant humanity gone berserk. Farrell is disgustingly assertive, aggressive and repulsive: a great, physical performance. "Daredevil" is a success because it takes itself very seriously and does so without the least amount of adherence to any known code of ethics. It creates an extraordinary world and inhabits it with characters that have the ring of truth and substantial humanity that strike us as reality, though perhaps jaded, in our world as it stands today in this year, 2003.
Rating: Summary: "Somebody's gotta do SOMEthing." Review: What's interesting about many Hollywood films today is that while the technical competence may be there, they often lack those little details that can make film-going such a rewarding experience. That's what makes "Daredevil" so unusual; it's exactly the opposite. Both the filmmaking and storytelling here are at times stupefyingly sloppy, and yet every once in a while there will be a small moment that really and truly works. For those of you who haven't yet seen it, here's the breakdown:THE PLOT: Matt Murdock (Ben Affleck) is a blind attorney by day, but by night he avenges evil in the seedy Hell's Kitchen district as "Daredevil", a violent, red-suited version of a guardian angel. Murdock battles the elusive Kingpin (Michael Clark Duncan) and his henchman Bullseye (Colin Farell) while romancing Elektra (Jennifer Garner), a greek beauty who just happens to blame Daredevil for her father's death. THE GOOD: Poor Bennifer. The dude gets no respect nowadays. He can be proud of his performance here though; he's quite good. Portraying a blind man convincingly can't be easy, but Affleck is always believable even when the script has him doing things distinctly out of the realm of the visually challenged. Jennifer Garner also aquits herself well as his love interest/sparring partner, and Colin Farrell manages to make his Bullseye at once menacing and a wee bit sexy. Some of the special effects are also a cut above, particularly the manner in which Daredevil's ability to "see" is rendered. Very cool guys. THE BAD: The continuity. Oh man, the continuity. Horrendous. Huge plot holes, many things that flat out do not make sense at all (such as the "Crouching Tiger"-style floating around from characters who DO NOT HAVE THIS POWER) and character development that ranges from okay (Daredevil) to slight (Elektra) to almost non-existent (their relationship). THE KIND OF ICKY: The violence. It got to be a bit much. This is not a kid's film, that's for sure. People get sliced, diced, snapped, lacerated, dropped from great heights and chopped in two. I realize that many people do not mind this, but this movie should really not have been PG13. Consider yourself warned. As I said at the outset, the only redeeming aspects of "Daredevil" are the small moments. A scene during a rainy funeral that echoes an earlier moment atop a roof, a section detailing the homelife of Daredevil (can't be easy to get beat up night after night) and a nifty moment involving Bullseye and a broken pane of glass. In the end though, it just wasn't enough for me. I give this movie 2.5 stars, which I decided to round down to 2 instead of up to 3. There's a better movie trapped inside here; I hope the filmmakers get their act together for the sequel. GRADE: C
Rating: Summary: Hits and Misses, worth a matinee Review: Growing up reading Daredevil, I gave this movie a lot of slack. There are some great moments and when they work they really work. Those of you familiar with the Elektra/Bullseye storyline will not be disappointed. The directors use of radar is very well used and went beyond my expectations. He even manages to convey Matt's acute sense of smell. And the fight are the best so far in a comic hero adaptation. Check out the duel with the motorcycle. Some great tension between Affleck and Farrell. However the script is appallingly bad. Director/screenwriter Johnson is not satisfied establishing certain elements once and treats the audience as if they were 12 by continually beating you over the head with character revelations, plot points, repeated dialouge and gimmicks (yes, we understand that the scar on Bullseye's head is in fact a Bullseye and that he has the same name.) The fight on the playground is coreographed nicely, but is awkwardly placed and campy. Johnson should stick to the direction and instead of Kevin Smith making a cameo, have him write the next one. Wait a minute! Didd'nt the star Ben Affleck win an Oscar for writing? This is a great matinee movie and I am looking forward to the sequel. If at all to see what they improve upon. Good effort that stays true to the look and feel of the comic. Could have been worse.
Rating: Summary: Amazing Review: With the New Year's arrival, there was bound to be a new comic book movie. Luckily for us, Daredevil has taken the spot. Upon its release people often wondered, could it take the place of Spiderman? The answer is most certainly yes and it has proven to live up to Marvel's reputation for making great movies. Daredevil presents an amazing display of animation and as well as superb acting to make it an overall stellar movie. Besides that, viewers can be awestruck by its touching story line. The story begins with 12 year old Matt Murdock, portrayed by Ben Aflek, losing his vision. From this he gains a super strength in his remaining four senses as well as a sonar type vision. After being harassed and bullied by other children in the area he begins to hone his skills and becomes extremely strong. Shortly after this after a boxing fight, an event occurs that will forever change his life. Next thing you know, Murdock is posing as a poorly paid attorney by day and super hero Daredevil by night. As the hero he watches over the city and commits acts of violence against those who deserve it. Later on he becomes involved in fighting with crime-lord Kingpin, actor Michael Duncan and his deadly assassin Bullseye. Bullseye who is portrayed by Colin Farrell has the ability to accurately throw anything precisely such as darts, paper clips, and pencils all of which he uses to kill. Alongside of Daredevil, whether she knows it or not, is the attractive Elektra played by Jennifer Garner. Elektra's idea for revenge is because of several unnerving deaths in her family. The animation shown in Daredevil is almost frightening, it's that good. When Murdock uses his sonar vision to see Elektra for the first time you can almost feel the emotion. Besides that, the acting portrayed by all of the main characters in the story is remarkable. In the final fight scenes the viewer will most certainly be awestruck. The actors that were chose for their parts proved to all be perfect matches. Although some of the movie seemed to be far fetched it is important that you realize it is based on comic book. Overall, the movie seemed to have a touching story line and great acting. If you have the chance to see it, you would be a fool to pass it up.
Rating: Summary: Not bad, but it really should have been better. Review: If the entire run of Daredevil comics is viewed as a grocery store, this movie consists of a shopping trip where the sweetest, juiciest offerings are snapped up and tossed into the cart with little regard for how they will complement each other. Everybody in the movie does a pretty good job, and you get a sense that this film was made by people who really liked the character and wanted to make the coolest Daredevil movie possible. Very little of the origin story is changed, and the loss of the heroic feat that resulted in young Matt Murdock's blindness is quickly compensated for by the good boy behavior he exhibits as he learns to make his way in a dark world of overwhelming sounds, smells, touches, and tastes. Most people probably don't notice that 3/4 of the movie is a flashback--the "life passing before my eyes" framework is quickly forgotten as we're captivated by Matt's tragic tale. I really would have preferred the sort of origin story that Miller presented in the comics series when Ben Urich discovered Daredevil's identity, but this approach was serviceable. And that's my real problem with the movie: the highlights are great--special moments that any DD fan will be familiar with--but they're pasted together with a lot of "serviceable" material that just barely bridges the gaps. The casting is solid, but not incredible. Colin Farrell is great as Bullseye, Jon Favreau is an ideal Foggy Nelson, and Joe Pantoliano does nicely with a not-very-special version of Ben Urich. Ben Affleck is, well, serviceable, and Jennifer Garner, while delightful to look at, is sadly miscast as Elektra Natchios, who was always depicted in the comics as much more mysterious and exotic: Garner's just too whitebread for the role. Michael Clarke Duncan seems to have taken the spirit of the Kingpin to heart, but his clumsy handling of almost every prop they put in his hands (and he's always holding something) makes this great, mountainous, powerful figure look a bit hesitant and shaky. A lot of this movie works very, very well, and there are some magnificent moments that are right up there with the best the movie superhero genre has to offer. Overall, though, it doesn't quite hold together. A notch below X-MEN, two notches below SPIDER-MAN, but, fortunately, good enough to wash away the taste of the wretched "Trial of the Incredible Hulk," which introduced Daredevil to TV audiences back in the 80s. Hm. Maybe if I go back and watch Rex Smith as Daredevil, I'll appreciate Ben Affleck more...
Rating: Summary: Boring and Boring Review: I'm surprised so many people seem to like this movie, or only the ones that like it review it. To start I have never wanted to leave halfway through a movie until this one, it was so boring and predictable I really despised watching it until the end. Also you may start hating the characters and wishing the main characters would die too just to mix it up a little, considering other people are dropping all over the place. I personally wished at the end of the movie, Michael Duncan had taken both Aflec and Garner and broken them in half and stuffed them in a dumpster, smacked his hands together and said "That's business", I would have died laughing and it would have been worth it, of course this didn't happen as the superhero a Aflec saves the day. For me the problems started when as a little boy daredevil suddenly does a flash kick (back flip kick) when he's like 12. I couldn't figure out why they would put something like that in the otherwise solid movie so far. I knew it was going to get bad, and it did. The logic behind his super powers makes no sense at all, why this blind guy can suddenly know how to fight and be a little gay acrobat I don't know. Obviously no one expects realism in a movie like this, but it didn't even have the "superhero logic" that made sense behind this movie. Here goes a guy goes blind so suddenly he becomes 100 times better than everyone else at everything, ... picking up women, smelling people from across the planet, success in the job market, this guy gets everything just because he goes blind. The relationship between Aflec and Garner was cheesy and both characters seemed unbelievable. The plot is absolutely straight forward and it could be told by a hyper 5 year old going "This happened, oh and, then this happened." The plot makes sense but, really there isn't much of a story to tell. The whole thing seemed so cheesy to me. It wasn't cool and it didn't do anything new. If you want an action flick, go see Shangri Knights, its Owen Wilson just cracks up the place, and the whole movie is a blast. DareDevil = not fun, I don't know what they were going for in DareDevil (besides your money) it's not funny, its not suspenseful, it doesn't make you think, the action isn't great, the characters aren't loveable, its just boring and depressing. They tried to make it all serious and yet how serious can a movie be where everyone suddenly can fly and a blind guy kicks the ... out of everyone. I guess overall I'd say don't see this movie unless you like the idea of Super Disability man being superhuman in all areas above and beyond normal people for no reason at all. If you're ok with that, see the movie, it might be tolorable if you can see past that. But it's still a real snooze, Mike Duncan going around picking people up and throwing them across the screen for 2 hours would be so much better than this. (You only get like 2 minutes of it)
Rating: Summary: Disappointing Review: I was rather dissapointed by this movie; it just did not live up to my expectations or the hype. There was not enough character developement, and Dare Devil's "partener" was greatly misadvertised in the previews. I don't want to spoil the movie for people who haven't seen it, but Elektra and Dare Devil do not team up to fight evil like the previews suggest. Visually, the movie was good. The fight scenes were very well well choriographed and the special effects were above par. It's no Matrix or Lord of the Rings, but then again, what movie is? Visually it was about equal to Spiderman. As for the casting, Michael Clarke Duncan plays a very good Kingpin, and was a very good actor to pick for the role. I don't think Ben Afleck is someone I would imagine as Dare Devil, though he does play the role well. I would not recomend seeing this movie, especially if you are expecting an equivelent to Spider-Man. Dare Devil fans might enjoy it though. One other thing to note, especially for people who think the movie is like Spider-Man: this is a rather violent movie, especially for younger audiences. Compared to other Action movies, there's not as much killing, but it seems that everyone who dies or is injured is brutally stabed, not just shot or punched/kicked. So if that kind of thing bothers you, definatly don't watch it.
Rating: Summary: WORTH YOUR WHILE!! Review: Like every big movie star on the map Ben Affleck has his share of bad movies that no one cares about. Daredevil is not one of those movies. I was surprised to see that DD was entertaining from start to finish. Keep in mind that I'm hardly a comic book freak, in fact I've never read a comic book in my life. A sin perhaps..but oh well. It didn't stop me from enjoying the cool characters and style of this comic book turned film. Ben Affleck was surprisingly effective playing a super hero. I didn't picture it at first. He plays the title role. And causes no room for complain here. Colin Farrell plays the villian Bullseye. And although he wasn't on screen as much as you might think, he was quite a presence when he was. Now Jennifer Garner was a scene stealer as Elektra. She was worth the price of addmission alone. Rounding out the immpessive cast is Michael Clarke Duncan as Kingpin. I've heard others say he's about as scary as a giant teddybear. Well he is a great actor in my opionion and I thought he played the role very well. Once again not on screen as much as I expected. The main thing that DD does right is that the hero is the main focus like he should be. One complain about the Batman films was that the villians always outshined and over shadow'd the hero. That's not the case with Daredevil. FINAL WORDS: DD is an excellent action adventure film that can be enjoyed by old fans and new ones. ..MOVIEBUFFS: Look for Kevin Smith in a cameo.
Rating: Summary: HAVE NO FEAR: DAREDEVIL'S WORTH A LOOK Review: The latest in what looks to be a cinematic blitzkrieg of Marvel Comics heroes making the jump to the big screen, "Daredevil" is a worthy follow-up to last year's mega-hit "Spider-Man." Though certainly not that movie's equal, many of the same elements that made that flick so excellent are present. Faithful to the spirit, and sometimes even the letter, of the source comic book, "Daredevil" features outstanding action built around carefully crafted characters that are impossible not to care about. The soundtrack is a bit too hip at times, but often captures just the right mood. Ben Affleck delivers a surprisingly mature and intelligent performance as Matthew Murdock, the boy from Hell's Kitchen who loses his sight but gains super-senses in return which he incorporates into a life-long battle against evil both on the Kitchen's mean streets and in its court rooms (Murdock is a lawyer) as well. Jennifer Garner is a sexy and appealing Elektra, though rather more innocent than the assassin from the comic. Michael Clarke Duncan fares pretty well as the Kingpin, though again the character strays from its source template. The most dubious incarnation is Colin Ferrell's Bullseye, who is too much of a spaced-out delinquent to be convincing as the world's deadliest killer. But Ferrell makes the most of his part, and is at least good enough to make his fight scenes with Elektra and Daredevil play well. Boasting solid action, stirring romance, trendy FX and killer stunts, "Daredevil" is a worthy addition to the filmic super hero canon. If not profound, "Daredevil" is nonetheless inspiring and quite thoughtful for its genre. If you like comic book action, you should enjoy this movie.
Rating: Summary: cool movie Review: Even though the movie was cool, I hated how dark it was. I couldent see anything because the lights were always terned out. I dont think the movie is as good as other superhero movies like X-men and Spiderman but it holds its own.
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