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Daredevil (Full Screen Edition)

Daredevil (Full Screen Edition)

List Price: $19.98
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: One of the Top Three All-Time Best Superhero Films
Review: I genuinely enjoyed DAREDEVIL, and I believe that after I see it a second time, it may just end up in my Top Three All-Time Best Superhero Films list, right next to X-MEN and BATMAN RETURNS.

Sorry, SUPERMAN, I believe that you are about to be demoted to #4.

THE GOOD

* Ben Affleck -- I've been a Daredevil fan for a long time (since the '80s, when I retroactively discovered the Miller/Sienkiewicz runs) and I was very skeptical about Ben Affleck playing such a complex character as Matt Murdock. Fortunately, Affleck put all my fears to rest; he was Matt Murdock. Ben brought a much-needed intensity to the role, and a dark, brooding quality that Murdock so desperately needs for his character to be convincing. Murdock has to be driven, to be possessed, or why else would he torture himself night after night, collecting scars and injuries for his efforts? Ben conveyed that sense of need, that thirst for revenge quite admirably.

* Jennifer Garner -- Whoa. She may not be the Elektra of the comics, but she has the most remarkable, the most memorable, the most electrifying screen presence one could possibly imagine. She is extraordinary and amazing in a role that does not have nearly enough screen time. Any other actor would sell his or her soul to S@t@n for the action chops Jennifer Garner displays in this film.

* Colin Farrell -- Once again, he may not be the Bullseye of the comics, but that is just fine...he's better. This was an antagonist worthy of Daredevil, and Farrell played him brilliantly. Farrell is one of those actors that the camera loves, and he knows his craft. Any director working with Farrell would be wise to simply point the camera at him and let him go, and it sure seems like that's what happened here because Farrell scorches the screen in an unrestrained performance that must be seen to be believed. Amazing.

* The Action -- Pitch perfect. Move-for-move, flip-for-flip, block-for-block, it is all right on the money. A "bullseye," if you will. Not a single misstep anywhere. The filmmakers did their homework, and spent their money both wisely and where it really needed spending...in the action, in the hand-to-hand combat. Bravo.

* The Script -- Whip-smart. Clever. Well-written. Moreover, despite what I have been reading on these boards and elsewhere, not a single false note. Not one. This is one of the best comic-to-screen adaptations ever.

* The Production Design -- I am wrapping up all the elements that worked for this film in the Production Design blanket. Absolutely everything onscreen works, from Murdock's "vision" to the realization of Hell's Kitchen, from Daredevil's costume to his inner sanctum, from the smallest details to the largest canvas, it all works and it works beautifully.

THE BAD

* Michael Clarke Duncan -- Yawn. Talk about an actor sleepwalking through his role. Duncan could not have taken this film less seriously if all the other actors were dressed in clown shoes and squeaky red noses. His "performance," if I may call it such, was disgraceful. He has the physical presence for a Wilson Fisk, he quite simply and quite obviously refused to consider any motivation beyond that of collecting a fat paycheck. Repugnant. Fortunately, Duncan only stinks up the screen for about ten minutes, all told.

* Joe Pantoliano -- Oh, for crying out loud! Are there no other actors in Hollywood? Must every director who is looking for someone "edgy" cast Joey Pants? Joe is the least "edgy" actor working today. My dead grandma is edgier than Joe is. In addition, what the Hell is Joe doing playing Urich? If I tried, I could not imagine an actor less suited to play that character. And here was another thespian apparently too good to be bothered with actually performing. In fact, I hope his "fifteen minutes of shame" is edited out of the DVD before its release to save us all some embarrassment.

THE INDIFFERENT

* The Photography -- I know what the filmmakers were going for, and they achieved it...just barely. If they had used a single lux less light, there would have been no way to see what was going on. You could call that the result of careful pre-planning, or you could call it what it is, luck. I am convinced these guys got lucky, because it sure looks like they almost over-reached their grasp in nearly every shot.

* The Score -- Immediately forgettable...I'm sorry, what was I talking about?

Just the same, despite The Bad and The Indifferent, I give this film my highest possible recommendation. Run, run, run to your nearest Cineplex, then lay down your hard-earned cash with a smile on your face and a song in your heart, because it will be the best money you have ever spent in your entire life.

DAREDEVIL is that good...as far as superhero films go. :-)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Leaves you depressed but very well done
Review: I just saw the movie tonight and I must say, while I did enjoy the film in many aspects and I think it's EXTREMELY well done, the movie has a very dark and quite morbid tone. And I'm not saying that this kind of movie is not a crowd pleaser, but it's definitely not what I expected. There are no shiny bright happy moments and cute little plot twists or such. This is NOT in any way shape or form "Spiderman." "Spiderman" was fun-loving and happy bright colors and funny humor all the way. In fact, I'd even go as far to say that it's quite "adult." Now, a couple of kids were sitting behind me and they couldn't stop making exciting action comments and after the movie they trailed away non-stop talking about the movie. So I'm sure kids will love it. But as I said, it's quite dark. Oh, and by the way, a someone dies early in the film and that's very sad for the audience because we really liked this character (this event alone makes up most of the morbidity of the film).

Now, onto the actual production aspects. The concept of this computer-generated sense of hearing/sonar deal was done MASTERFULLY. And there's also the matter of the costume. The Daredevil costume looks SOO ugly. It's on my top ugly super-hero outfits list. And I'm sure it was hot and uncomfortable as anything. Especially his legs; they look the worst. Colin Ferrel is SOOO good. He's really amazing in this role. I mean REALLY! He should receive some kind of award for this; and it's a shame because the big awards are very rarely ever given to actors in Superhero flicks. Between his costuming and this cool motorcycle he's so cool. He has such incredible energy and flair for this role. You can tell that he's really taken this seriously. Jennifer Garner, another amazing visual sight. They have her with this long curly hair and these tight cute outfits and she's SO naturally beautiful. There's this fun fight scene between Murdock and Electra that's just wonderful. It's the only "fun" scene in the movie. There's nothing really terribly exciting about Affleck's performance. In fact, I think another actor might have improved the film. Now, don't get me wrong, he was very good and very dedicated. But I think maybe someone a little smaller. Also, Affleck is a very large man. He's gigantic. He's too big. No one is that big. Especially a super-hero. They're all normal sized. He's so large that he's almost clumsy. And it also occured to me that I'm sure all of these wonderful back-flips and stuff are done by a stunt double. Do I care? Yeah I kinda do. Was there no athletic agile actor that who we can at least think he did most of his own stunts? That's movie magic too. I'm sorry to be a Ben Affleck basher. He's actually one of my very favorite actors in Hollywood. But the role just left more to be desired. Michael Clark Duncan as the Kingpin is so fun. He's large and in-charge!

I would kill to see a Daredevil/Spiderman combo movie. And that's not such a bad idea. Don't they meet in the comic books? I believe they find out each other's identities and stuff. That would be sooo cool. They should actually do that! A Tobey Miguire Ben Affleck flick. They'd probably make it bad though. They always do that when it's exciting like that.

The film really is very good. It's extremely accurate and sure not to let fans down (unlike X-men -- DOCTOR Jean Grey? The messed-up Rogue story? hello?!!) Daredevil is definitely worth seeing. When it comes out on video I'm definitely renting, if not buying.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: good movie
Review: this movie puts spider-man to shame in every way.looks cooler, has a hotter chick, and kicks [tail] more.ben affleck gives a really good performance in this movie.jennifer garner gives a really good performance too.the fight scenes are incredible, i think.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I Seent it!
Review: Included on my list of "things I like" are "live action movies based on comic-book superheroes". Well, this movie makes the cut. Although I haven't been a big fan of either the Daredevil comic, Ben Affleck or Jennifer Garner, this movie didn't disappoint me. It had all the elements of a comic book come to life on the big screen, including a star-crossed romance (think "Blade" and "Spider-Man"). And just as "Spider-Man" gave us a new perspective on Tobey Maguire, I now understand the sex symbol appeal of hunky Ben Affleck. Go get 'em, tiger! It's obvious Ben lost some weight and gained some muscle mass in all the right places, because he's doing that daredevil costume much justice in the movie. Jennifer Garner's role as Elecktra needed a little polish, I thought, but her effort filled the requirement. And frankly, I'd watch Michael Clarke Duncan do a Rice Krispies commercial. That man can do no wrong!

I treated myself to the movie for Valentine's Day and left the theater with a big smile on my face. I will await the sequel patiently, and I will pay to see it too.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Daredevil, is it worth seeing?
Review: The greatest superhero movie ever. This movie can manage to make super hero still appear as though he is a good person in one of the darkest settings for a movie of its kind. I personaly loved it. Into such a short movie they can have millions of intense camera angles and some really intense fight scenes. If you like action movies with at least some depth, this is your movie. See it while you still can it blows Spider-man out of the water, even you dont like Affleck still see it otherwise you will miss out.(I am always open for your opinion, so write back!)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Not Your Conventional Superhero Movie
Review: Daredevil was a very good movie. It was a different type of superhero movie. Instead of relying on just special effects,-- don't misunderstand me; it had a lot of action-- it was also character-driven. Unlike "Spider-man," which I happend to like, and other recent comic-book movies, we got to know the characters. Daredevil was also reminiscent of the first "Batman" in its dark tones. The movie also had really good acting, which is rare in most big-budget action movies. As in all the other superhero movies, the bad guy stole the show-- this time the culprit was Bullseye, played by Colin Farrel. Ben Affleck did a good job, too; I was skeptical about him, but he was actually good. Jennifer Garner was also good--then again, is there anything bad about her? The movie also had some very funny lines, most of which came from the banter between Ben Affleck's character and John Favreau's character.
This movie is perfect for men and women; it has both Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck. Definitely go see this movie for action, wittiness, and romance.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Daredevil is more enjoyable than Spiderman
Review: Ben Affleck is great as Daredevil I Think he does a better job than Tobey Maguire as Spiderman.Daredevil is heavy on the action,but not heavy on love like Spiderman was.Spiderman could be a drama where Daredevil is all action ,okay there are a couple of lovy dovey scenes with Jennifer Garner and that's another thing Kristen Dunst is so butt ugly in Spiderman and Jennifer Garner is soooooooooooooo! hot.See Daredevil it's better than Spiderman and Jennifer Garner is hot.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A fun, dark superhero film
Review: No, it's not as good as Tim Burton's Batman, nor the original Superman or the recent Spiderman movies. But Daredevil still is a good comic book film that wins much of my praise by being true to the page in creating a very dark character in a harsh world

Still, it is not without its flaws, and if it weren't for some very unique traits I would rate this film as only mediocre. But what works here works exceptionally well. Beginning with the traditional origin story of Daredevil (Ben Affleck), a blind superhero whose remaining senses are greatly heightened, the movie shows how he became a vengeful vigilante who kills the bad guys rather then turning them in to face a potentially corrupt court system (Daredevil's alter ego Matt Murdock is a lawyer by day). This world is mean, and so is its superhero. But he wrestles with his conscious and wonders if he is a bad guy too. In this comic book world, people die. Including those you don't expect to. In other words, it more accurately depicts real life while still in a superhero world.

One particular unique thing about the film is how it illustrates Daredevil's radar sense. The vibrations he picks up are shown in a fantastic visual effect that has to be one of the best film realizations of a superpower in history. From the origin scene when he goes blind to a wonderful scene with Elecktra in the rain where he first "sees" what she looks like from the drops of rain on her face, the technique is used for characterization and "film moments," and never just to show off a cool special effect.

Unfortunately, the movie isn't perfect. There isn't enough development of Elecktra and Daredevil's relationship, and bad guy Kingpin (Michael Clark Duncan) doesn't have enough screentime to villainify his presence. All the characters could have benefited from further characterization as well. But this is a comic book movie, after all, and in the end what matters most is how much fun it was. And Daredevil is a blast.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Great effects, passable acting, weak plot
Review: This year, many comic book based movies will be coming out in the theaters. A few examples are X-men 2, The Hulk, and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. If you're going to see one comic book based movie this year, I'd honestly wait for one of those (X-men looks REALLY good) but if your content on seeing them all Daredevil is not a complete waste of your time. It tells the story of comic book hero, Matthew Murdock (played by Ben Afleck), who at twelve, lost his sight after being exposed to radio active chemicals. Strangely enough this incident not only left him blind but with amazing powers. His other senses are so strong that he can experiences the world around him better than we do. Years later he is semi-sucessful lawyer who only defends criminals who are innocent. But by night he is Daredevil, a superhero who takes down villains who manage to slip through the justice system.

Although I have never read the comic books, I find the story line to be fascinating. Our hero is not a very admirable person. He takes it upon himself to be the living embodiment of justice, meaning he will take anyone out who he thinks is guilty enough. If portrayed the right way Daredevil could be seen as a very dark hero who struggles with himself more than he struggles with his villains. Unfortunately either due to bad writing or Ben Afleck's mediocre acting, you find you know very little about the character of Matt Murdock. Unless you read reviews or were familiar to the comics you would have no idea on why he sleeps in that strange water filled chamber. How does the priest know of his alter identity? There are many more questions that need to be answered. Although Afleck does a good job you don't feel as if he really gets into the character as much as say, Tobey Maquire did with Peter Parker in Spiderman. This is very odd because Afleck is supposedly such a big DD fan.

Another complaint I have is the lack of development of the romantic and vengeance storyline involving Elektra (played by Jennifer Garner). Yes, Gardner does just fine with the acting thing, that's not the problem. The problem is you never feel as if the two main characters had the time to really fall in love. Another problem I had is I, going into the movie, I suspected the plot to be very much based Eletrka wanting revenge for her father's death, who she blames on Daredevil, not knowing that it is the man she has fallen in love with. This story line is very minor and isn't really brought up until the end. In fact the end is so rushed that you feel as if they didn't care about tying up all of the lose ends in the plot. All they wanted to do was prepare for the possible sequel, which I kind of doubt will happen.

My last problem with this movie is with the villains. You can tell Colin Farrel, who plays the evil Bullseye with deadly aim, really had a lot of fun with this role. He just seems to ooze comic book villain. Unfortunately he is character is given so little screen time that you never get to learn anything about it besides, as my friend so eloquently put it "he likes to throw stuff." Still he's the only actor that when you look at him in this movie, you think about the character he plays, not the actor that plays the character. Michael Clark Duncan (yeah the guy from Green Mile) who plays Kingpin, the crity's crim leader, does an okay job but to be honest the scariest thing about him is his voice, not his character. That's not too good when he's supposed to be the big villain of the movie.

Now that I'm done complaining (never thought I'd be done did you?) here's what I liked about the movie. The visual effects are stunning. It's probably one of the most visually pleasing movies I've seen so far in 2003. They manage to really let you see what Daredevil is seeing, even though he is blind. My favorite part would have to be any scene where Matt uses the rain to help him see. It really emphasizes the romance in this movie without making it seem cheesy and boring. Also they do a very good job explaining the background off Matt which gives some real insight into his character. The action seens are incredible and you can't help wondering, what will happen next?

So that's how I feel about this movie. If I were you, I would rent it on video. It's a decent movie and if they make a sequel (which I have my doubts on) I'll probably end up seeing it as well. It's not a bad movie but it's not a very good one either.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: solid superhero storytelling
Review: First of all, I was never a big fan of the Daredevil comic, so the inevitable changes to the characters in the movie adaptation didn't really bother me. I thought Michael Clarke Duncan was a brilliant casting choice as the Kingpin of Crime -- he looks just like the comic character (except for,of course, the change in skin color). Colin Farrell as Bullseye didn't impress me as much -- he just seemed to be doing a cross between Brad Pitt's character in "12 Monkeys" and Russell Crowe's character in "Virtuosity," with an intermittent Irish accent thrown in. Affleck gives a solid performance as the brooding, spiritually wounded superhero.

Daredevil was always one of the least believable characters among the major superheroes, and the movie does a fair but not entirely convincing attempt to explain his abilities. How, for example, would an increased sense of touch give him the ability to perform physical stunts which I'm pretty sure would be impossible for anyone else to do (except maybe a young Jackie Chan)? The attempts to show how his "radar sense" works are kind of hit and miss. He can "see" his girlfriend, Elektra, standing in the rain because of the sound of the raindrops falling on her, but how could he "see" someone's outline when cigarette smoke is blown around them? Can he hear the sound of smoke hitting someone's face?

Of course, these are minor quibbles. You have to suspend your disbelief somewhere in superhero movies, which are essentially just simple morality tales with mythic action thrown in. Fortunately, Daredevil isn't superficial in its moralizing. It's the first superhero movie that deals with the issue of the morality of the vigilante hero taking the law into his own hands, and for that, it deserves commendation. The action sequences are quite good, though it's kind of hard to follow some of it because the sequences nearly all take place at night(which is appropriate for this character, admittedly).

My only other major complaint was the lack of depth to the Matt Murdock/Elektra love story. There really isn't much to it. Murdock/Daredevil just somehow seems to sense that he's found the love of his life when she walks into a diner he's eating in. (Some other unexplained ability he gained when he lost his sight?) After a quick tussle, they're in love, superhero style. Oh well, for all of this movie's inherent limitations, it is surprisingly entertaining. Check it out if you're a fan of fantasy/action movies.


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