Daredevil (Marvel Comics Movie Review)

Plot
Matt Murdock, a lawyer by day but fights the bad guys at night to avenge the murder of his father, a boxer. But what sets Matt apart from most superheroes isn't his back story -- it's his handicap. Matt is blind, the result of a childhood accident that may have removed his ability to see but gifted him with heightened senses of touch, taste, hearing and smell.

Jason's Thoughts
Marvel Comics' streak of putting out great movies has come to an end with Daredevil.  While I don't think it was nearly as bad as I once heard it was, in my opinion it didn't quite live up to its predecessors.

I haven't followed the Daredevil comics much, but I am familiar with the character and his background.  Creating a movie based on a blind superhero can be a tough task, though I liked the way they tried to convey how Daredevil "sees," even if it did come across as a bit cheesy.  I also enjoyed the use of sound throughout this film as it gave the viewers a taste of what Daredevil hears.

This movie is also a bit dark in both the way it was filmed and in the story.  The film has a very gritty feel to it and isn't nearly as polished as the previous Marvel Comics films.  To me, that isn't a bad thing as I felt it added to the overall tone of the movie.  Going from Spider-Man who will help any person in peril (which ended up working against him in the Spider-Man movie), to seeing Matt Murdock hear a cry for help by deciding not to do anything was a nice change of pace.

I wasn't sure how I would like Michael Clarke Duncan in the role of the Kingpin, but I thought he pulled it off quite well.  I felt Colin Farrell brought Bullseye to life with what little he was given to work with.  Ben Affleck as Daredevil, though, didn't quite work for me.  I generally dislike Affleck in any role he has as he is a terrible actor that can show little emotion in my mind.  His role in this movie is no different.

Daredevil also has a weak story, which is one of the biggest drawbacks to the film.  What little story there is seems rushed and very little is ever really flushed out.  For example, the movie opens with a brief explanation as to how Matt Murdock becomes blind.  Suddenly we see the he is a lawyer by day and a superhero by night.  There is no real explanation of why he decided to don a mask and become a vigilante superhero.

I keep on reading that the Director's Cut of Daredevil is the one to watch as it adds in 30 extra minutes of footage.  My question is if that is true, why didn't they release that version in the first place?  A superhero's origins is going to be a necessity for any superhero movie, and while I don't know if more time is dedicated to that in the Director's Cut, it should never be breezed over in ten minutes.

I may go back and revisit the Director's Cut at some point, even if I have to suffer through Ben Affleck's "acting" once more.  I can only guess that the extended version does its best to fill in the holes as Daredevil really seems incomplete to me.

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