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Daredevil (Full Screen Edition)

Daredevil (Full Screen Edition)

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $17.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Duller Than Affleck Himself, So Why the Great Disc?
Review: "Daredevil" is one of the worst movies of 2003. Despite being based on a very interesting comic character, and following one of the better story arcs in that character's universe, the movie simply fails on just about every level, except for set design and cinematography. It wasn't even that successful at the box office, which makes this 2-Disc edition that pulls out all the stops so surprising. FOX does a much better job with this release than Columbia did with "Spider-Man", which was a MUCH better film.

First, the movie. Ben Affleck plays Matt Murdoch, blind crusading lawyer by day, superhero crusader in NY's Hell's Kitchen by night. The movie does a very good job setting up the origin story, and then collapses in it's own bloated storytelling. See Murdoch was blinded by a freak toxic spill as a boy, which has enhanced his other four senses in such a way that he basically sees better than those with functioning eyes. He became a lawyer to right the wrongs of the world, apparently, though he's not a prosecutor per se, which would seem ideal for a young man out to see justice done, though the first time we see Matt he appears to be prosecuting a rapist. Why? Maybe he moonlights at the DA's when not working at his own Law Firm. It's a tad confusing. He even lets up on the rapist in court specifically so he can kill the guy later. So he's a different hero-he kills people. (Batman was never supposed to be a killer, by the way).

Anyway, one day he and his law partner are eating breakfast when Jennifer Garner walks in. Matt smells her perfume so he knows she's a hottie, and proceeds to try and find out who she is. Her name is Elektra, and he father is a big Corporate type. This is important because dear old dad has ties to the Kingpin, played much too genially by Michael Clarke Duncan. Kingpin is the source of all crime in New York, sort of like Professor Moriarty was the source of all crime in the world of Sherlock Holmes, only Matt Murdoch is no Holmes, and the Kingpin breaks people in half. He's connected to Murdoch's past in a way that is so obvious you aren't sure if the filmmakers are trying to be clever and failing, or just being sloppy. Anyway, Daredevil starts messing around in Kingpin's business, so he calls in Bullseye, an Irish assasin played by talentless Irish actor Colin Farrell who can hit just about any target and has a bulls-eye scar in his forehead. Colin Farrell must have made some kind of classic deal with the devil, in which he gets to be in a lot of movies, but they all stink, as he in NOT a talented actor but the press loves him. Anyway, Elektra gets involved through a dumb plot contrivance and becomes an assasin. All of this leads up to...not much. As I said before, not a whole lot really takes place in this movie. It's trying to be about bigger things than action, like love, duty, honor, and justice.

These characters do talk alot, which is a mjor mistake when you cast Affleck in the lead. Garner displays almost none of the charm she has in "Alias", or even in her brief but impressive cameo in "Catch Me If You Can". The makeup people have also found a way to make her look unatractive, which I would have thought impossible, but they do. The talks between Murdoch and Elektra are poorly scipted attempts at serious romance between too hurt souls, and come off as trite. Colin Farell hams it up enough to keep him from being too annoying. The biggest waste is Duncan as Kingpin, who is not writen nearly menacing enough and seems more like a genial tough guy than a criminal overlord.

The film was written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson, a Daredevil fan, he claims, who's only other credit is Simon Birch. He shows very little action skill here, as even the potentially excellent set pieces he sets up in a church organ are sloppy and he uses CGI effects like a crutch. Plus, he seems to have given Murdoch powers he never had in the comic, such as flight, or so it appears. The film does look good and dark, stealing a page from Burton's "Batman", who is very similar to Daredevil in motivation, so your eyes may have a good time. But as a movie, "Daredevil" is a resounding disapointment in story, acting, and executuion.

The DVD itself is surprisingly excellent, with in depth looks at the creation of various aspects of the film, music videos, some comic-to-screen transfers, and a Jennifer Garner Screen test that lets you see her natural beauty in a way the filmmakers chose to hide for some unkown reason. Anyway, X2 redeemed FOX's Comic book film hold, so wait for the big edition of that one. This film is a dissapointment.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Terrible!
Review: This movie was terrible. The story was absolutely numbing. The interviews on the second disk with the writers/creators of the comic book was much more interesting to me. The DTS soundtrack does have some serious bass in it for you subwoofer fans out there.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Forget Spider-Man, This Brings Back the Days of Batman
Review: MARVEL has some pretty great films these days (if you can include Spider-Man, which I didn't enjoy as much as Hulk and Daredevil). One of the newest titles adapted from a MARVEL comic is Daredevil.
The beginning may seem melodramatic and Ben Affleck's ego may be a bit too oversized in most of the film, but other than that, this film is a superhero action movie at its best.
I have never read the original comic book; in fact I have never read a comic magazine rather than MAD, but this movie was pretty good, and it offered the goods too: Jennifer Garner as Elektra was excellent, she's gorgeous, and not to mention a great actor (over J Lo, who only looks good).
But the best part has to be Colin Farrell, my favorite actor of all time, as Bullseye. He was great; it's amazing how he, an Irish fellow, can star in so many films and have a different accent for each one. (American Outlaws, southern accent. Phone Booth, New Yorker accent, etc.) He is an astounding actor. I enjoyed the plane scene in which he flicks a peanut, it richochets off a seat and into a babbling elderly woman's throat. Dark comedy, yes, but amusing. Stuartess: "Awww, she's sleeping."
Kingpin (Duncan) was the perfect, tough head-of-crime guy. He was a perfect villain.
The dressing-up scenes do remind me of Batman more than the movie reminds me of Spiderman. In fact I totally forgot about Spiderman while watching this film.
Overall, this is a great film, recommended to those who enjoyed the first couple Batman films, or superhero/action films in general. 3 stars.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Do not waste your money on this
Review: This is easily one of the worst films of 2003. The script is ludicrous and repulsive. There are plot holes the size of Texas in this thing. Aside from Colin Farrel, the cast proves itself to be very untalented. (Although Jennifer Garner is nice to look at.) The action sequences are tolerable, but the climactic fight between Daredevil and The Kingpin was a very big disappointment.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It was so so ......but really annoying
Review: Ok first off I was so excited to see this movie I just got it today on dvd, until I started to watch it. I have never been so annoyed in my life, you cant hear the actors talking all you can hear is the punching,fighting, and background noises of the city. I cant believe it, they do have a visually impaired version which you can hear them talking,but over them talking you hear some guy talking about what everyone is doing(which is for the visually imparied,which is ok but its still annoying)I wish they would have made version for people who want to see it with the actors talking and dont need the visually imparied.I have not even watched half of it because its just so darn maddening trying to hear.I dont even know if I can watch the rest of it. I dont know what they were thinking a marvel comic made into a movie with NO SOUND-its the stupidiest thing I have ever heard of.So if reading subtitles dont bother you and hearing another guy talking over the acters doesnt, then I am sure this is the movie for you.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Sleek, Creative Comic Book Adaptation
Review: Matt Murdock lost his sight to a chemical accident as a child. But the chemicals that blinded him also heightened his other senses, especially his hearing, which became so acute that he could distinguish objects by the sound that bounces off of them. After his father was murdered by local gangsters, Matt vowed to use his preternatural senses in the cause of justice. He grew up to become a lawyer who refuses to defend any guilty person. But by night, Matt (Ben Affleck) watches -or listens- over his neighborhood as Daredevil, clad in a red devilish suit, ready to intervene should any citizen be victimized and to meet out justice when the court system fails. One day, when he tries to talk to a pretty woman on the street, Matt meets his match. She is Elektra Natchios (Jennifer Garner), the daughter of a prominent and very wealthy man, and nearly a match for Matt's fighting skills. Matt is taken with her at once. But the man behind all of the city's crime and corruption, the Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan), has targeted Elektra's family. And he has called upon an assassin named Bullseye (Colin Farrell), to do the job. Matt is determined that Daredevil will protect his new love, but things don't go entirely as planned.

"Daredevil", the movie, is based upon Marvel's "Daredevil" comic book series. I am not familiar with the comic books, so I came to this movie without any preconceived image of the characters in my mind. I can't comment on how faithful it is to the original, but the movie definitely won me over. "Daredevil" is somewhat reminiscent of Tim Burton's "Batman" and "Batman Returns" movies in its dark themes and visuals that harken to comic book roots. James Tocci's art direction and Ericson Core's cinematography are fantastic and quite beautiful. They establish the film's mood, place, and suck the viewer in in the film's first couple of minutes. The fight sequences are surprisingly original considering the abundance of recent martial arts action movies. Daredevil is the most convincingly human superhero that I've ever seen. He's scarred and in pain and pops painkillers like tic-tacs to get through the day so that he can exact more "justice". He is also morally ambiguous. Daredevil is a vigilante who presumes to know who deserves to be punished and how. The irony of killing and wreaking havoc in the pursuit of justice is not lost on him, and Ben Affleck does a really good job of communicating Matt Murdock's pain and moral turmoil. The cast is terrific all around. Michael Clarke Duncan is a pleasure to watch as the very large and violent, but somehow almost jovial, villain Kingpin. Colin Farrell is wonderfully entertaining as the colorful and gleeful killer Bullseye. "Daredevil" is one of the best "comic book" movies I have seen. Director and screenwriter Mark Steven Johnson is to be commended for his ability to extract the essential elements from the comic books and pack them into a 1 hour and 45 minute movie. Please note that this movie contains graphic violence which may disturb more sensitive members of the audience. I advise caution in showing the film to children under 12.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Great if your 8
Review: I found this movie to be a complete disappointment. Ben Affleck is good at chasing lesbians, but being the infamous Daredevil.... I think not.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Be a Daredevil, and watch it!
Review: I saw Daredevil in the theaters and I must say it was very different then the other Marvel movies that I have seen, such as X-Men, X2:X-Men United, and Spider-Man. This movie was much darker and had a more serious story than the preveous Marvel Comic Movies. Ben Affleck plays the role of Matt Murdock/Darevil very well, much better than I expected. Jennifer Garnner plays a very good Elektra. She portrays the comic book charactor very well. Overall there isn't that much bad acting in the film, which makes me wounder why it didn't do well in the Box Office. The 'Special Features' on the DVD are not as good as they sound. I was very disappointed with that part of the DVD.
Overall: This would be better for a weekend rental rather than buying it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very Very good...was actually shocked!
Review: I have heard bad things about this movie from multiple sources. However, in this case they were very wrong. It took alot of thinking to say this, but Dardevil is BETTER than Spiderman. I guess it depends on the individual. Obviously, it is a much darker movie. I have NEVER liked Ben Affleck's acting skills. This is an exception...he fills the part very well. There is plenty of action in this movie, in fact more so than Spiderman. I was quite pleased with the amount of humor in the movie, it helped balance out the darker character. I would like to see a sequel to this and it pains me to say this because of my general dislike of Ben Affleck. A MUST RENT. A MUST BUY IF YOU WERE EVER A FAN OF THE COMIC BOOK. TOO MANY DVD EXTRAS TO LIST!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Justice is blind. So is he.
Review: When I saw this movie in the theaters, it didn't impress me as much as I wanted it to, but seeing it again, it's starting to grow on me. While having a few issues with the movie, I think it was fairly well done. Being an avid comic book reader in my youth, I was very familiar with the characters, so I did have preconceptions of how I thought the movie should have been, and maybe that was the problem.

The movie tells the story of Matt Murdock, a blind, idealistic lawyer who does a leather outfit and seeks justice at night, played by Ben Affleck. As a young boy, Matt is blinded in an accident by biohazardous material, but his four remaining senses are subsequently augmented to superhuman levels. This includes hypersensitive hearing to the point where he can visualize sound waves reflecting off objects allowing him to 'see'. We also learn how his father, a professional boxer by trade, was murdered because he refused to participate in a fixed fight by taking a fall. This sets up Matt's motivation for becoming a superhero of sorts, using his special abilities to help those who can't help themselves, both in and out of court.

After all this origin stuff is laid out for us, we fast forward to the present, where we see Matt in court involved in a case against a particularly nasty sort of fellow who manages to get acquitted of a rape/abuse charge. Later that night, Matt dons his outfit, and begins to seek his own justice against this fellow.

We also get to meet Matt's future love interest, Elektra, played by Jennifer Garner. We find out her father is involved with a major crime syndicate run by Carlton Fisk a.k.a Kingpin, played by the ever enormous Michael Clarke (The Green Mile). Her father wants out of the business, to which the Kingpin decides to set him up for a fall and make it look like Elektra's father is really the Kingpin. Fisk calls in a hire assassin, Bullseye, played by a baldheaded Colin Farrell. He goes after Elektra's father, and ends up getting into an altercation with Daredevil. During their fight, Bullseye manages to kill Elektra's father and make it look like Daredevil was responsible, so this sets up a fight between Elektra and Daredevil. I don't want to go further into the story than I already have as not to spoil anything, but, as you can probably guess, Daredevil and Bullseye end up having a climatic fight at the end of the movie. Oh yeah, and Kingpin gets his due, also.

There were some major and minor differences between the comic book and the movie. The biggest was Kingpin. In the comic book, he's a fat, bald white guy while in the movie he's a large, muscular black guy. Was this a good or bad change? It didn't make a big difference to me, but I didn't feel like Michael Clarke's character could have been the head of a major organized crime syndicate. Ben Affleck played his role well, but his performance always seemed a little off the mark. He just didn't seem to really get into the character to me, like a puzzle piece that doesn't quite fit. Jennifer Gardner was probably the best in this movie, as she seemed to really fit in with the character I remember from the comic, although the comic book Elektra had black hair and seemed a little more ethnic in her Greek background. And her fight with Bullseye...what was up with that? She was an expertly trained fighter, and Bullseye's main ability was to be able to turn almost any object into a deadly weapon by way of being able to throw it and always hit his mark. In the comic, he was not an amazing fighter, but in the movie he was able to hold his own against Elektra and Daredevil. Whatever....Colin Farrell did all right, but just didn't seem right in the part. And that bullseye brand on his fore head...man, that was goofy. Also some of the music just didn't seem to fit the scenes...like the scenes were filmed to fit the music, and not the other way around.

I guess if you liked Spider-man, then you will probably like this movie, as the formula is the same, but the chemistry just doesn't seem to work like it did in Spider-man. This movie is a little darker, and doesn't have the whimsical element of Spider-man, but it seems to try and stay true to the comic book, which I appreciated.

As far as extras go, there are tons. Like 8 hours worth. There are some extras on the first disc along with the movie, and then the whole second disc is all more extras. One extra I thought was pretty cool was the running visual commentary, like the old Pop Up video show on VH1. There is also an enhanced audio track for the visually impaired, of which I am not really sure what it is, but reminded me of that Python bit on the Holy Grail movie where they had a guy shouting things for the hearing impaired.

Oh yeah, once the movie ends and the credits roll, keep watching as there is a bit more of the movie about half way through the credits. I missed it in the theaters, but caught it here. It's worth it.


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