First things first. Daredevil has always been a second-tier super-hero. He’s never reached Spider-Man’s level of popularity, but this character was one of the first I became interested in as a kid. Here’s a brief history… After seeing his boxer-father collecting a debt for the local gang boss, young Matt Murdock sprints off and is blinded in a freak toxic waste accident. Now unable to see, Matt discovers all of his other senses have been exponentially increased. His hearing is so acute that it actually acts more like a bat’s radar. His touch is so sensitive he can even read plain newspaper text with his fingertips. After some coping and reconciling with his dad, things start looking up for this kid. Then things get worse. His father is murdered for not throwing a fight, and Matt swears to find his killer. After becoming a public defense lawyer, Matt takes on the alter-ego of Daredevil, a creature of the night, and protector of New York’s Hell’s Kitchen. If he can’t get you in court, he’ll get you in the streets. This movie is based on a quite famous run of the Daredevil comics from the early 1980’s by comics god Frank Miller. Miller took this bland character that’s been around since the mid-sixties and gave him a dark edge and an infusion of Catholic guilt. It was a huge hit and also introduced the characters of Bullseye and Elektra into the Marvel Universe. I remember reading it as a kid, but much of it went over my head at the time. I got a chance to re-read it a few years ago and found it quite deep and entertaining. The movie sticks closely to story from the comics. Matt meets the women of his dreams in Elektra (Jennifer Garner). She’s even a match for his fighting skills, which we get to see in a very fun playground face-off. It’s an instant connection. Meanwhile, the Kingpin of crime (Michael Clarke Duncan) grows tired of the press accusing him of being a crime boss, so he hires the psychopathic assassin Bullseye (Colin Farrell) to deliver them Elektra’s mega-rich father to take the heat off. Bullseye uses one of Daredevil’s signature billyclubs to kill Elektra’s father during a very cool motorcycle/limo chase through the streets of New York. Elektra finds the club and swears revenge against Daredevil. After some cliché training scenes and soul searching, Elektra, Bullseye and Daredevil are ready to throw down. I don’t want to ruin the end, but there’s some nice surprises. This is a solid flick and should appeal to the first-time viewer and hardcore comic fans alike.
Being such a dark movie, I wondered how the transfer would recreate the dark tones. I’d have to stay this anamorphic transfer is flawless. Not one compression artifact to be found. Colors are deep and rich. Very nice work.
The film is presented in both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 soundtracks. What’s the difference between the 2? Honestly, I can never tell. They both sound great to me. All of your speakers will get a great workout from this disc, especially during the glimpses of Daredevil’s “shadow world”. It really gives you a taste of how overwhelming it would be if you had his same super-sensitive hearing. It’s definitely something to demo for your friends or to annoy those nosy neighbors.
COMMENTARY
Director/Screenwriter Mark Steven Johnson and Producer Gary Foster supply this disc’s audio commentary. It’s a solid track from two guys who really like the characters and take the comic’s history seriously. Maybe that’s the winning formula DC needs to figure out to get their movies on par with Marvel’s.
Normally, these behind-the-scenes documentaries are all fluff and EPK material. This 60 minute piece is full of interesting material. You’ll get to see everything from the struggles of getting Daredevil’s costume just right to the Chinese wire team working with the stars on their impressive fight scenes.
One hour-long documentary would be fine, but this second hour was a great addition. This one explores the history and origin of Daredevil’s comic series. Many important comic industry insiders make appearances in this doc including Stan Lee, Frank Miller, Joe Quesada, and Kevin Smith. It’s a great way to learn everything about this interesting character. It’ll give you a new appreciation for the movie. Definitely check it out!
This is a very good dvd for a very good movie. There’s enough here for the Daredevil novice and expert alike. Just make sure you watch all the way through the end credit sequence for a nice suprise… |
