Rating: 
Summary: Ideas that LACKED Fear!
Review: I finally saw DAREDEVIL and it is a mixed bag at best. The movie "looked fine", presenting us with a welcome dark tone and serious nature which we have come to expect in today's super-hero themed movies. It was bogged down with a few Matrix style fight scenes, but not as many as the trailer implied, thank goodness! Ben Affleck gave a fine performance, as did Michael Clarke Duncan as the Kingpin. He didn't have much character development, but he did really great with what was there. Edit the horrible love story and the movie would be MUCH better. Get rid of the [bad] songs and the love story would at least be bearable! The whole "glimmering angelic beauty" of Elektra in the rainstorm was absurd, give me a break! I wasn't the only one rolling my eyes over this sequence, but more on that later. This movie is nothing more than a borderline chick-flick as it stands! I do wish that the main characters wouldn't have started exhibiting super human abilities for absolutely no reason. During the climax of the film, Daredevil literally "became" Spiderman, climbing effortlessly all over the surfaces of the church! I thought he was just a human with heightened senses! For that matter, Elektra and Bullseye were also rather ridiculous in a movie that strives to be so **believeable**, what with their abilities to do super-human stunts and high flying leaps. Utterly ridiculous to be sure! One question, why in the world does Matt Murdock sleep in a sarcophagus????????????????? Why was this never explained???????????????????Colin Farrell actually gave an entertaining performance as the villainous Bullseye, though not neccessarily accurate to the comics. Whether or not that is good or bad point is a matter of personal taste, but he served the purpose in the film. It would have been nice to see the film stick a bit closer to the comics as far as character design though. Daredevil looked OK, but I think his outfit could have been better. Nice mask though! Bullseye had a horrible costume that in no way reflected his comic book counterpart. Kingpin didn't really look the part either, other than his diamond headed staff. Even Elektra was changed, though very beautiful none the less! A little more design work would have yielded better results without resorting to people running around in tights! I understand that about twenty minutes of character driven story elements were cut from the film to quicken its pace and shorten its length. This move may have ultimately hurt the film, seeing that it is rather lacking in character development overall. If anything should have been left on the cutting room floor, it would have to be the "dance routine"......er....I mean stand off between Elektra and Matt in the park. I HATE to call this woefully choreographed dance number a fight! That was the single dumbest thing I have seen put to film in years! Did the director think this part of the film needed some sort of silly action sequence....... "Hmm, the movie is dragging in this stretch.....where can I put an action scene to liven it up........ AHA..... a dance number in the park...PERFECT!" I cringe thinking about this low point in the film, yet it makes me want to laugh that the filmakers actually thought it would work or be taken seriously! Now, back to Matt's raindrop vision of Elektra! I like the way in which we (the audience) are brought into the blind world of Matt Murdock. He operates via 'heightened senses' and 'sonar', which is a fine idea lifted directly from the comic books. This would enable him to use sound to detect where objects and structures are located and at what distances they are from him. The visual effect that basically flashes waves of light (to represent the sound waves) is intended for the audience and is not actually what Matt "sees". Keeping this in mind, his being able to "see" Elektra in the rain is a very contrived and ridiculous sequence in the film. All the rain should do for Matt is enable him to know where she is standing and nothing more. Did the radioactive chemicals give Matt the power to utilize what is only there for the audiences' benefit in addition to his other heightened senses? Just another example of the lack of logic used when making decisions on this film. With lots of fine tuning, this could have been an excellent entry in the world of live action comic book films, but as it stands it is a lackluster effort that has the words "LOOK WHAT I COULD HAVE BEEN" plastered all over it. That is a real shame, but hopefully the inevitable sequel will right the wrongs presented to us here. Go ahead and see the film and judge for yourself! It has been officially confirmed by Twentieth Century Fox that a solo film based on the character of Elektra is in the works. I ask the question "why"? What is there about her that sets her apart from any other generic female action star flick? DAREDEVIL is a success because he is a generally well known super hero, not on scale with Spiderman or Hulk, but still generally well known. Judging from what is given to the general audience like myself in the DAREDEVIL film, there isn't very much there to inspire anyone to want more of her character other than in a DAREDEVIL sequel. I want to see her reunited with Matt, even though the film's love story failed to "hook" me like it should have, but if not with him then I am not interested at all. I am willing to bet a large part of the paying public shares these feelings. I am not bashing Jennifer Garner's performance or anything, I just don't see the appeal of her going solo and doubt that an ELEKTRA film will share in the success of DAREDEVIL.
Rating: 
Summary: Violent
Review: Very violent, too violent for me. It has way more violence than Blade or anything else I've seen.
Rating: 
Summary: Jennifer Garner is smoking!
Review: The best thing about Daredevil is the unparalleled sexiness of Jennifer Garner. Forget about Michael Clarke Duncan and Colin Farrell and even Ben Affleck and his ridiculous permed haircut. The only reason Daredevil is worth the price of admission is Jennifer Garner - period. She takes her spectacularly scintillating acting ability along with her solid bod and makes Daredevil a posh and fun film - despite the terrible script and screenplay and the terrible acting of Michael Clarke Duncan. Let's be blunt here - The best thing about Daredevil is Jennifer Garner - don't kid yourself.
Rating:
Summary: trite dialogue, wooden acting
Review: I really wanted this movie to be good. Really. However, it was quite possibly the worst I've ever seen in the comic booke genre. The dialogue continually tried to be serious in tone, but sometimes was so badly written and delivered that half of the theatre was laughing in places that the director probably didn't intend. The playground combat scene between Ben Affleck and Jennifer was a joke. Colin Farrell and the KingPin were the only redeeming elements of the movie -- they did a great job in their roles. Ben Affleck was terrible. Even his superhero costume of red leather made him look more like the Catwoman than Daredevil. It's worth seeing if you really really love the superhero genre, but prepare to be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Frank Miller's Daredevil makes it to the big screen
Review: I do not know who was responsible for what in terms of the finished script of "Daredevil" between screenwriters Brian Helgeland and Mark Steven Johnson (who also directed), but somebody put some serious thought into how Matt Murdock functions in the real world. Each night he sleeps in his own sensory deprivation tank and when it starts raining there is a magic time when he can see the face of the woman he loves (arguably the most beautiful scene ever seen in a comic book superhero movie). But the former begs the question as to how Murdock and Daredevil function in the real world, and the later raises a whole bunch of questions regarding his radar sense (I mean, I am thinking it is basically CAT scan quality 24/7, right?). This basically sets up the way I feel about the film: every step forward is counterbalanced by another step backwards. We start with the beginning, when young Matt Murdock (Scott Terra) is hit by a canister of radioactive material, which blinds him but heightens the rest of his senses to super-human levels. As is usually the case, fate intervenes and changes Matt's life so that he grows up to become both a lawyer and a superhero, not to mention Ben Affleck. It is Matt who first meets the beautiful Elektra Natchios (Jennifer Garner), who for reasons that are never really explained is about at good at martial arts as Daredevil, as they prove on a playground. She is named for the daughter of Agamemnon in Greek mythology who sought vengeance for the death of her father, which turns out to be prophetic for her unfortunate father (Erick Avari). He is murdered by the psychotic marksman Bullseye (Colin Farrell), but as often happens in these cases Elektra jumps to the conclusion it was Daredevil who did the deed. Meanwhile, behind it all is the mysterious Wilson Fisk (Michael Clarke Duncan), and Daredevil has the gauntlet he has to run through the remainder of the film. What stops "Daredevil" from being a great film? I would argue two things. First, the fight sequences mostly take place at night. Now, at one extreme we have "The Matrix" model will its ultra-slow motion approach to fight choreography. Here we have the other extreme, moving really fast in the shadows and if you can connect the dots in your mind fast enough you might have a clue as to what is going on (I am old and my eyes are going, forgive me). Second, Daredevil has three big fights in this film with Elektra, Bullseye, and the Kingpin, and the quality of those fights is in the reverse order of what they should be. The best, baddest, biggest fight should come last and that is not what happens here. If anything the fight with the Kingpin is rather anticlimactic, especially after the way DD dispatches Bullseye, but more importantly it is probably a fight that should be put off until a future movie (did Luke face down Darth Vader the first time out?). Not being able to touch the Kingpin would have provided a great "to be continued" ending to the film and setting up the question of who will finally bring the crime boss down: Daredevil or Matt Murdock? Obviously the idea here is to go with the Frank Miller conception of Daredevil, with the martial arts emphasis and the psychotic villains he fought rather than the original Stan Lee and Bill Everett version (Picking up Stan Lee's cameo in this film is a piece of cake, but see if you are good enough to pick up Frank Miller's). At least Karen Page gets mentioned in the end credits, where you also want to pay attention to the name of the lab assistant played by comic book fan and sometime writer Kevin Smith (also catch the name of the opponent in Jack Murdock's final boxing match). Which reminds me: DO NOT LEAVE THE THEATER DURING THE FINAL CREDITS; YOU SHOULD STICK AROUND OR YOU WILL MISS SOMETHING. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Like last summer's "Spider-Man" movie, "Daredevil" has a healthy respect for the original comic books: the opening shot is lifted from a Frank Miller cover. The big opening for this film should mean a sequel down the road, giving Affleck a pair of franchises to take turns doing, and if director Mark Steven Johnson or his replacement continues to think through the character the way they started to in this film, this series can get a lot better. I hope so, because when I cut back big time on the comic books I read "Daredevil" was one of the two Marvel titles I continued to read.
Rating:
Summary: Daredevil
Review: Before watching "Daredevil", i didn't know much about it, except that he's a comics hero and that Ben Affleck (ugh!) was to play him. I watched "Daredevil" because I'm a movie addict. I wasn't expecting much. And I didn't get much. It's an OK hero movie, with lots of action, fight scenes, the eternal battle between good vs. evil, a tender love sub-plot, etc. There are some things that got my attention, though: 1) Ben Affleck wasn't that bad, but there are many other actors, more talented than him, that could provide for a better performance. But maybe I'm impartial on this point. 2) Jennifer Garner stablishes herself as the top actress on action performances. She's pretty, skilled, and seems very comfortable during the action scenes. 3) Michael Clarke Duncan and (specially) Colin Farrell, as the "bad guys", are very good. It's a pitty, though, that Bull's Eye (Colin Farrell) didn't get more time on screen, and his character wasn't more developed or explored. 4) There are some obvious jokes, lines and scenes during the movie, but the script writers apparently restrained themselves, so those jokes, lines and scenes don't happen too often. 5) Unlike "Spiderman" or "Superman" this is not a colorful comic-hero movie. In fact it's dark, played almost every time at night (when the Daredevil goes "hunting"), and one important characters dies. "Daredevil" 's tone is rather Batman-like (obviously, I'm talking about the Tim Burton-Michael Keaton Batman, not the trash-movie Joel Schumacher made us swallow), even with some gothic touches...
Rating:
Summary: Very Weak Standard for a Movie
Review: I guess I would rate this about 1.8, but I still feel I'm being generous.
I'm a comics fan, not too into Daredevil, the new books are pretentious and empty and the film is much the same. It has some of the most atrocious editing I've ever seen. Every death is a joke, and then we're supposed to feel sorry for the lost character. Hell's Kitchen's roughest looking gang seems to be a group of 12 year-olds in the daylight, whoa, tough neighborhood! I think I heard some [...] chirping birds in there! Elektra is gone as soon as she's in the picture, she's the average girl, which is much more boring (but easier for the teen audience to identify with) than a silent assassin. Michael Duncan is barely in the film, hardly set up and the ending battle isn't even a battle. Bullseye is kind of funny, which was their intention. How is Affleck? Kind of passable, actually. He has his smirk and says heroic lines with an unnatural, soft, gruff voice but he doesn't do damage like the director, Mark Steven Johnson. I liked seeing Daredevil come home and spit out broken teeth. The film was shot in such complete darkness that you can't see most of the scenes with clarity. It is dark, but is so thematically chipper and goofy at the same time which detracts from whatever mood that might've had. Foggy Nelson, Matt's assistant was amusing with his alligator comments. Thankfully the cameo from everyone's favourite overrated idiot, Kevin Smith, did not detract from anything, in fact, his cameo had more personality than we got from Matt Murdoch in the entire running length of the film. This is only true to Frank Miller's story in that there are people who die, there is no Stick (Matt trains by punching bags and sliding down rails) and Elektra doesn't even exist like we know her. This is a short, empty film, and if I praise it, I feel like I'm contributing to lower standards. It's a very short kiddie flick, and it should not have been. It has a watered-down Matrix wannabe feel. At least Batman and Robin was funny-bad, this is crushingly average-bad.
Rating:
Summary: Better than Spiderman
Review: This flick has all the action of Spiderman, without the campy stuff. The special effects are superb, and Ben Affleck does a great job as Daredevil. He is more human than most superheroes. It's great!
Rating:
Summary: Daredevil a disappointment
Review: Daredevil had the makings of an excellent movie. To bad the director didn't know that. The camera work was the pits on this one and the ending was way to unbelieveable even for a superhero fantasy. A hero who is too injured to help the love of his life, but can beat up two (yes, count them please--two) bad guys? No way.
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.
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