The Cover |
In case you live in a comic book
free world, as many well adjusted folks seem to be, Daredevil
is an adaptation of a long running comic book by the same name. It's the
story of Matt Murdock (Ben Affleck), a blind lawyer who fights crime by
night. With his 'radar sense' he leaps from building to building, bringing
the guilty to justice and generally just kicking ass.
Daredevil takes a different approach than most movies
of its ilk, we finally see the seedy life of the superhero. For Daredevil,
fighting crime is never glamorous and it's always painful. We see him
popping pills, soaking in a shower and pulling out loose teeth. Matt Murdock
doesn't have any superhero strength - he's an ordinary guy with extraordinary
abilities.
Watching Daredevil, you almost wish that the film was
longer - it really calls out to be adapted into something epic and wonderful.
Nonetheless, the writing and directing by Mark Steven Johnson is solid
if not a bit cursory. You don't see the writer / director / auteur thing
too often with big blockbuster films, but it gives Daredevil
a consistent tone that keeps your interest. It's quite obvious that Johnson
has a passion for the characters and this comes across on the screen.
Both Affleck and Garner are fantastic. It takes a moment getting used
to seeing Affleck in a funny suit and hat, but you quickly get over it.
He's performance allows you to forget "Ben-Lo" and just focus
on the character and his need for revenge. Garner slips much easier into
her role - fans of Alias are used to seeing her kick
ass on a weekly basis. The romance between Elecktra and Daredevil is touched
upon, but it's not long enough to understand why they feel so deeply for
each other. This is where the movie could have improved by having some
extra time spent on their romance. We need to see their lives, we need
to see why they care for each other. Instead we're given the superficial
structure and expected to fill in the blanks.
It's Colin Farrell's over the top Bulls-Eye that provides the real fun.
We relish in every over-exaggerated gesture, because he's so damn cool
(and he could kill you with a paperclip.) It's a most over the top performance
that never seems gratuitous.
The fights themselves are fun and always interesting, especially when
they make use of Daredevil's sonar sense that allows him to see sound
waves. In practice, this effect is great and really makes sense. It's
a good representation on how he might work without sight.
The tone of the story remains loyal to the books, although it takes some
liberties. You keep wanting more story though, and it never comes. Daredevil
could have been the Lord of the Rings of comic book movies:
epic, violent and moving. Instead we get more along the lines of Spiderman
- fun, entertaining, but lacking the intense substance that a comic book
nerd craves.
Movie Grade: B+
Pipe Fight |
Video: 3.5 out of 5
It's a great looking, big movie, but much of the film takes place during
the darkness of night. The problem is, some of this nighttime scenes have
a rather distinct, bluish grain to it. It's quite possible that it's a
conscious choice by the filmmakers, but it isn't always pretty.
Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1
Audio: 5 out of 5
Compared to most action movies of its scope, Daredevil
is relatively low budget, so it's nice to see the great job they've done
with the audio. There's not a whole lot of big explosions and show off
moments, the keyword here is subtlety. The DTS track in particular is
well done. Daredevil is blind, and uses his hearing as a fighting tool.
We get all kinds of cool echoes, phases and rear channel action when we
experience his sonar vision and life in New York.
English (6.1 DTS ES), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital
2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Extras: 5 out of 5
My God. The extras on this disc are amazing. Writer/Director must be a
huge DVD fan - that's the only way to explain it. Since there's so much
stuff (and it's taken me about 3 weeks to review the extras), here's a
list of the extras and my thoughts on the standouts:
Disc One:
Commentary with Director Mark Steven Johnson and Producer Gary
Foster
Nice and informative. You can tell the man has a real passion for his
script and movie.
Visually Impaired Track
This is one of those things that's often ignored, but I really like. It's
a track in which the action in the movie is described, quite elegantly,
to viewers who can't see what's on the screen. Nice.
Enhanced Viewing Mode
When the icon comes up on the screen, you click enter and it takes you
to a short doc about the particular film.
Text Commentary
Another extra I like. Like Pop Up Video for a movie.
Web / DVD ROM Stuff
Wallpapers, web links, good stuff for nerds.
Disc Two:
2 60
Minute Documentaries
One on the making of the film, the other on the comic book. Great behind
the scenes (check out the garish costumes that were proposed for the film)
and wonderful on set interviews. The comic book doc in particular is good,
featuring folks like Kevin Smith, Stan Lee and Frank Miller - gods of
comics. These documentaries even have other mini documentaries in them
(accessed by clicking the enter button) so it's a ton of good stuff. My
favorite part - watching Garner practicing with the Sais. In one word,
she's amazing.
HBO: First Look
A nice, if not a bit cursory, documentary on the making of the film.
Jennifer Garner Screen Test
See why she got the part.
Kingpin Featurette
Michael Clark Duncan talks about the role
3 Music Videos
For bands that I don't care about, but it's a nice inclusion.
The ass-tastic Garner |
Multiangle Dailies
See the evolution of several scenes from shooting, to post
Still Galleries
Huge. Pre-production, on-set. You name it they have it.
Moving Through Time and Space
Tom Sullivan is a blind man that the movie hired as a consultant. In this
great extra, see his daily life and his thoughts about how he strives
in a visually oriented world.
Modeling Sheets
Character models and costumes.
Shadow World
How Daredevil sees.
I'm sure I missed something.
But as you can see, it's an amazing and comprehensive list
Overall: 5 out of 5
Had it been just the movie, I wouldn't have given the disc this score.
But the extras and audio on this disc are so good, that every respectable
movie and comic book loving fool should pick it up and give it a spin.
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