Daredevil DVD Review
You can always count on ComingSoon.net to give an insightful review of the movies and DVD's. Check out their review of the Daredevil Movie DVD at the link. It's got a good breakdown of all the special features as well.
Daredevil (DVD)
Reviewed by: Scott Chitwood
Movie Rating: 8 out of 10
Extras Rating: 9 out of 10
Movie Details: View here
Rating: PG-13
Starring:
Ben Affleck as Matt Murdock/Daredevil
Jennifer Garner as Elektra Natchios
Michael Clarke Duncan as The Kingpin/Wilson Fisk
Colin Farrell as Bullseye
Jon Favreau as Franklin 'Foggy' Nelson
Joe Pantoliano as Ben Urich
David Keith as Jack Murdock
Scott Terra as Young Matt Murdock
Erick Avari as Ambassador Nikolaos Natchios
Coolio as Daunte Jackson
Ellen Pompeo as Karen Page
Kevin Smith as Jack Kirby (Lab Assistant)
Frankie J. Allison as Abusive Father
Lennie Loftin as Detective Manolis
Paul Ben-Victor as Quesada
Special Features:
Disc One -
Full Length Director and Producer Commentary
Enhanced Viewing Mode – Takes You Behind The Scenes As You Watch The Film
On-Screen Trivia Track
Audio Description Track For the Visually Impaired
DVD-ROM Content – Comic Book Chronology, Sensory Quiz, Web Links, and More!
Disc Two –
All New 60-Minute Documentary: "Beyond Hell’s Kitchen"
All New 60-Minute Documentary: "The Art Of Daredevil"
6 Production Featurettes: "L.A. For New York", "Combat Choreography", "Costume Design", "Smoke And Fire", "Film Work", and "Seeing With Sound"
HBO "Making Of" Documentary
Multi-Angle Scene Studies
Jennifer Garner Screen Test
Shadow World Comic Book-To-Film Comparison
"A Day With Tom Sullivan" Featurette
Kingpin Featurette
3 Music Videos: "Won’t Back Down" by Fuel, "For You" by The Calling, and "Bring Me To Life" by Evanesence
5 Still Galleries: Storyboards, Costumes, Set Design, Production, and Props
Character Bios
Theatrical Trailers
Other Info:
Widescreen (2.35:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
English, Spanish, and French Language Tracks
English and Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 103 Minutes
Synopsis:
"Daredevil" is based upon the Marvel comic book.
As a child, Matt Murdock was blinded by biological waste that took his sight, but gave him new gifts. His other senses were heightened to superhuman levels. His hearing, in particular, began to work like a radar allowing him to "see" the world around him. He also gains enhanced balance and coordination. As an adult Murdock uses his powers to fight crime. By day he's a lawyer. By night he's an urban vigilante dispensing justice.
The superhero gig doesn't allow him to get involved in lasting relationships with women, but that changes when he meets Elektra. Beautiful and rich, she's also a highly trained martial arts expert with a dark past. Elektra and Matt fall in love with each other. But it couldn't last, could it?
Elektra's father is involved in organized crime with the Kingpin, Wilson Fisk. When he tries to back out of his shady dealings, Fisk puts a contract on his head. He hires Bullseye, an assassin with the ability to throw any object with deadly accuracy. When Elektra's father is killed, it appears that Daredevil is responsible. She seeks revenge on him, unaware that Fisk intends to have Bullseye kill her as well.
"Daredevil" is rated PG-13 for action/violence and some sensuality.
The Movie:
"Daredevil" is a fun film filled with action, adventure, romance, and a number of great laughs. It's the perfect popcorn movie. While I liked "Spider-Man" a bit better than "Daredevil", I still thought this was a great film.
I'm a big Marvel Comics fan. While I never followed the Daredevil comics, I was very familiar with the characters and storylines. This film seems to follow those comics very faithfully. Comics fans will get an additional bit of enjoyment out of easter eggs spread throughout the story. Look for references to various Marvel Comics writers and artists who have worked on the series. Also look for a cameo by Daredevil writers Kevin Smith and Frank Miller.
While many may brush off "Daredevil" as another generic superhero, he does have some powers and characteristics that are quite unique. His radar sense is an incredibly cool effect in the film. As sound waves pass over objects, Murdock gets a reflection of the sound that lets him see things. This is used particularly well in a scene where he "sees" Elektra through rain drops splashing on her face. It's quite a beautiful effect. Daredevil also has unique problems to overcome. He loses teeth after a fight. He takes prescription drugs for pain. He sleeps in a sensory deprivation tank to block out all the sounds from the world around him. He goes to confession. His everyday life is closer to what it would be like to be a superhero in the real world. The fact that he's otherwise a normal human without powers also makes him significantly more vulnerable. There are even some powerful moments when he must remind himself that he's not the bad guy.
The casting of this film is perfect. Ben Affleck makes a great Daredevil (except for the fake red hair). He handles the action very well. He also plays a blind guy with a fine attention to detail. We see him read brail to pick out his clothes. He folds his money in particular ways to know what denominations they are. He's even not above playing up his "handicap" to flirt with a girl. It all comes together to make him a more likable character when he's not in costume fighting crime. Affleck is also a perfect match with Jennifer Garner as Elektra. Beautiful and tough, she is the best super-heroine ever to come along. She holds her own very well against the bad guys while charming everyone else with her stunning looks. The romantic scenes between her and Affleck are what make this movie most interesting and most memorable. They make it a good choice to release on Valentine's Day. I think women will enjoy this story, too.
"Daredevil" has a fantastic supporting cast. Colin Farrell is way over the top as Bullseye. From the first moment he appears on screen you can tell he's a total psycho. It gets more outrageous and fun from there. He's one of the cooler bad guys to come along in a while. Jon Favreau brings some great humor into the mix as Franklin 'Foggy' Nelson. He has some of the funniest lines in the film and he carries on a running gag about alligators in the sewers that will have folks laughing. I must admit that I wasn't expecting much from Michael Clarke Duncan as Kingpin. Fortunately, I thought he got the job done well enough. While he didn't come across as a savvy businessman like he does in the comics, he does bring toughness and style to the movie that the character needed.
As much as I enjoyed "Daredevil", I'll admit that it did have some flaws. Fortunately, they are forgivable ones. The action required a bit too many wire stunts for my tastes. A person flying