College Downtime Movie Review
Written by Hollowman - March 7th, 2005

Daredevil (2003)

Starring: Ben Affleck, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jennifer Garner, Colin Farrell, Jon Favreau
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Rated: PG-13
Rating: * * 1/2

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In the latest explosion of comic books, Marvel leading the pack, turned into films, it was only inevitable that the studios would make a slight misfire. Not that “Daredevil” is a bad film, it’s just that there’s much more that could have been done with the character and his story, but it ends up falling victim a flashy show of special effects and corny acting and dialogue.

Ben Affleck stars as Daredevil, which proves a well known fact in casting superheroes with masks; heroes get cast with actors with a very strong and well defined chin. Daredevil is only his alter ego though. During the day, he is Matt Murdock, a defense attorney bent on seeking and serving justice to everyone deserving it. As a young child, Matt is scared by nuclear waste and makes him go blind. The radioactivity of it also gives him sonar like sensitivity to the rest of his senses. Over time, he learns how to hone this ability and becomes a blind ballerina of crime fighting. Unfortunately, “Daredevil’s” director, , seems to think that “Matrix” style fighting can fit for this superheroes world. More specifically, we know that the actors are not really doing what they’re doing because we can tell that they’re on wires. Watching a young kid jump eight feet in the air and doing a 360 degree flip without running is just ridiculous.

Anyway, like many comic book stories, “Daredevil” has a wide range of characters. This includes Elektra (Jennifer Garner), (Joe Pantiliano), Bulls Eye (Colin Ferrell) and The Kingpin (Michael Clark Duncan). The Kingpin is actually my favorite of these characters. Michael Clark Duncan is the perfect choice for him, with his towering and overpowering physical appearance and personality. When he smiles, he looks absolutely sinister.

The relationship between Matt and Elektra is actually one of the more intriguing ones I’ve seen in a movie, let alone a superhero movie. Though they have another unrealistic flirt-fight in a New York City park, their conversation is fun and witty. There’s even a really neat scene in which Matt sees her face by listening to the sound waves of raindrops falling on her face.

Too bad the most of the script couldn’t be as interesting or clever. It’s filled with lame, noncreative speeches that seem recycled. The actors do the best they can with it. Pantiliano is a good enough actor that he could make the back of a cereal box sound like a Broadway Production. It’s a good thing the Colin Ferrell isn’t given many lines because he says plenty with his facial expressions.

“Daredevil” is not a bad movie, but it’s not that good of one either. Ben Affleck is fine as the Man Without Fear (Daredevil’s nickname), and the rest of the cast, especially Duncan, do the best they can with a corny script. The special effects are great, but they’re too much. It would have been nice to actually actors or stuntmen even moving through the air and actually look like they’re doing it without the aid of wires.



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