Daredevil ---- *** (out of 5) (2003)
Cast: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Colin Farrell, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jon Favreau
Director(s): Mark Steven Johnson
Screenwriter(s): Mark Steven Johnson
Released on: February 14, 2003
Reviewed on: May 29, 2003
Rated: PG-13 - for action/violence and some sensuality
Daredevil is yet another film based off of classic Marvel comics. Spider-Man came first, now Daredevil, and The Hulk is coming to theatres this summer.
It's hard to rate Daredevil's plot when it didn't really originate in the movie studio. It was based solely off of the comic book. It wasn't a bad storyline but it's not really unique either when compared to all of the other similar plots about superhero origins. A young boy named Matt Murdock is running from some bullies as a boy and is blinded when a forklift smashes into a barrel of radioactive liquid that shoots into his eyes. Later on, his dad is murdered due to his connection with a dangerous gang. The story seems to be purposely tragic so we'll understand when Matt becomes an adult why he is so agile and determined to fight crime. After losing one of his senses, the other four highten up to superhuman capabilities. Matt dons a tight red suit and becomes the first superhero, Daredevil, and begins to fight crime in a dangerous part of his city called Hell's Kitchen.
The characters aren't that hard to like. It's the villains that don't seem to have their characters all there. It's easy to feel for Matt Murdock because of his tragic childhood and the loss of his father. It's easy to understand why Matt would want to be a crimestopper in New York City. What's not so easy to understand is the question of why he would create such a goofy, conspicuous costume and start running around the city practically begging for attention. Daredevil was made long ago and in that era there was a lot of superheroes in spandex outfits so you can't really expect anything else out of it. Jennifer Garner, Matt's love interest, isn't good or bad. She's just the babe of the story. I probably would have picked a different actress for the role but she did a good job. It puzzled me as to how Matt managed to meet her on the streets and get her in the sack that very same night. Maybe that was there as a reality check. The mischevious villain, Bullseye, is just a plain stereotype. It's fun to watch him throw darts, needles, pencils, and shards of glass but that's all visual. He's really quite shallow as a character, and the whole deal about him getting pissed because Daredevil made him miss a target makes you want to say, "Please..." Now on to the other much more bigger villain: The Kingpin. He's not that bad of a character. He actually entertained me while all on-screen because of his mob connection and his skills as a fighter. Of course, they had to bolster up Daredevil by making him break the Kingpin's legs, reducing him to a pathetic groveler. *sigh* It's so hard to review a movie that originated from a paper-thin comic book (literally) that was created decades ago.
Very neat visual effects here. Daredevil's costume, despite being ridiculous, has amazing detail and brilliant color even if it's a dark shade of maroon. The film doesn't contain so much special effects, but rather has excellent lighting placed at certain points very strategically. The scene where it starts to rain and Daredevil can see the outline of Elektra's body was some added romance. I also give credit to the writers for not making Daredevil's dialogue too corny during a scene such as that. Sometimes eye candy is O.K. if it isn't used for mindless action sequences.
You've got your basic hardcore rock soundtrack here. There was actually some soothing tunes during romantic scenes without too much hip-hop, but a little too much jamming for the soundtrack to be innovative or have variety.
If you're a very critical movie reviewer, Daredevil may not be the film to see because some people could just stereotype it to death. It does have stereotypes here and there that really don't help the film to be unique as a whole. And, frankly, it really isn't. As far as visuals go, they simply dominate this picture. If you're in it for the eye candy, go out and rent or buy Daredevil when it comes out on video. You won't be let down. However, it does contain a lot of violence for a PG-13 movie and some excessive blood, but it's supposed to set the tone of Hell's Kitchen more, I think. I hope you have enough sense to expect nothing more from Daredevil than the norm, which is of course your classic comic book plot, characters, and villains.
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