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..it should probably be "Return of the King", which is part 3 of the Lord of the Rings, and comes out at Christmas.
If you can't wait until then, by all means, GO SEE DAREDEVIL. I mean, I went to see it because, deep down, I'm a comic book nerd. (Okay, not that deep. They asked questions before the movies, and I was about the only one answering them. And I HATE being in the spotlight like that.) However, this movie was GREAT. I mean, that damn good.
A little backstory that won't ruin the movie: Matt Murdock (aka Daredevil) grew up being raised by his dad, who used to be a prize fighter. One day, Matt was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and was blinded. He learned his other senses were superhumanly enhanced, and reapplied himself to his education. He also began to train physically, once he realized that he could "see" via something similar to sonor. Anyway, his dad was killed, and he swore to protect those who couldn't protect themselves.
I have known about the Daredevil character since WAY back in 1992, when I first got into comic books. I didn't consider him that impressive back then. But, I didn't know his backstory. Daredevil's comic book is around the same age as the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and the original X-Men. Like them, he was created in the early sixties. He's been around "forever". They recently (last few years) relaunched his comic, with Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy, Dogma) writing the first twelve issues. But, I digress...
This movie PERFECTLY captured the sense of loss that Matt Murdock felt. You could tell that he felt truly alone. Ben Affleck, whom I like anyway, did a wonderful job as Matt. I wasn't sure how well someone who can see could play Matt, since most people tend to focus on something with their eyes. However, he never lost that expression of someone who doesn't see anything. There were moments in the movie when I genuinely felt the pain Matt was feeling.
Jennifer Garner, aka Elektra, was not in the movie as much as I thought she would be. However, I felt she did a great job as the romantic interest. Her tie to the story was very nice. She wasn't just a "window dressing". She had a reason to be there. If I told you, though, it'd ruin the movie. :) Perhaps they could have gone into more detail on her, but hey, it was called Daredevil for a reason, right?
Michael Clarke Duncan - What can I say? Oh my god! This guy WAS the Kingpin. Period. Props go to him for bringing the character to life.
Now, we're up to Bullseye, as played by Colin Farrell. I didn't like Bullseye in the comic. The cheesy spandex costume annoyed me. *shrug* He just didn't seem that cool to me. However, in the movie, Bullseye is awesome. He is an egotistical marksman for a reason: he never misses. Well, you can guess what happened when he ran into good ole Daredevil. The character was Irish, which I found interesting. (In a good way, people. Sheesh.) The outfit Bullseye wore in the movie was a little on the "gritty" side, but I liked it alright. Also, one thing I liked about this Bullseye over the comic is that this guy used ANYTHING as his weapon. In the comic, IIRC, he used guns. I have more respect for someone who can throw a pencil across the room into an olive than someone who can shoot a gun. Of course, this made him more interesting.
Daredevil lived up to, and surpassed, my expectations. It was a very enjoyable two hours, in which I lost myself in the story of a blind man overcoming the hand that life dealt him. I laughed at parts (Kevin Smith's cameo as Jack Kirby, a mortician*), nearly cried at parts (the funeral, set to Evanesence's "My Immortal" really almost got me), and pumped my fist in the air when he kicked bad guy bootay (the final scene where Daredevil... Whoops. Can't say. :) ) The soundtrack was wonderful. I didn't think that they'd really do a great job, considering that I'm not much of a fan of modern-day American radio (as most of you know). Yet, I was pleasently surprised. Very nicely done. It may be that I was just looking for them, but Evanescence's two tracks on the soundtrack were definitely the stand out songs.
Over all, Daredevil pleased me with its FX, characterization, story, action, and music. On a scale of 10, I would rate Daredevil an 8. I liked it easily better than X-Men, and I consider it a hair better than Spider-Man. And I LIKED those movies. If you like Ben Affleck, or Daredevil, or comic book movies, or just action movies, I don't think you'll regret going and seeing it. I know I'm happier for it. :)
* - Kevin Smith, as I said, wrote the relaunch. Jack Kirby, God rest his soul, was the King of Comics. He, along with Stan Lee (who also has a cameo), created most of the Marvel camp of heroes. Daredevil was one of them.
If you can't wait until then, by all means, GO SEE DAREDEVIL. I mean, I went to see it because, deep down, I'm a comic book nerd. (Okay, not that deep. They asked questions before the movies, and I was about the only one answering them. And I HATE being in the spotlight like that.) However, this movie was GREAT. I mean, that damn good.
A little backstory that won't ruin the movie: Matt Murdock (aka Daredevil) grew up being raised by his dad, who used to be a prize fighter. One day, Matt was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and was blinded. He learned his other senses were superhumanly enhanced, and reapplied himself to his education. He also began to train physically, once he realized that he could "see" via something similar to sonor. Anyway, his dad was killed, and he swore to protect those who couldn't protect themselves.
I have known about the Daredevil character since WAY back in 1992, when I first got into comic books. I didn't consider him that impressive back then. But, I didn't know his backstory. Daredevil's comic book is around the same age as the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and the original X-Men. Like them, he was created in the early sixties. He's been around "forever". They recently (last few years) relaunched his comic, with Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy, Dogma) writing the first twelve issues. But, I digress...
This movie PERFECTLY captured the sense of loss that Matt Murdock felt. You could tell that he felt truly alone. Ben Affleck, whom I like anyway, did a wonderful job as Matt. I wasn't sure how well someone who can see could play Matt, since most people tend to focus on something with their eyes. However, he never lost that expression of someone who doesn't see anything. There were moments in the movie when I genuinely felt the pain Matt was feeling.
Jennifer Garner, aka Elektra, was not in the movie as much as I thought she would be. However, I felt she did a great job as the romantic interest. Her tie to the story was very nice. She wasn't just a "window dressing". She had a reason to be there. If I told you, though, it'd ruin the movie. :) Perhaps they could have gone into more detail on her, but hey, it was called Daredevil for a reason, right?
Michael Clarke Duncan - What can I say? Oh my god! This guy WAS the Kingpin. Period. Props go to him for bringing the character to life.
Now, we're up to Bullseye, as played by Colin Farrell. I didn't like Bullseye in the comic. The cheesy spandex costume annoyed me. *shrug* He just didn't seem that cool to me. However, in the movie, Bullseye is awesome. He is an egotistical marksman for a reason: he never misses. Well, you can guess what happened when he ran into good ole Daredevil. The character was Irish, which I found interesting. (In a good way, people. Sheesh.) The outfit Bullseye wore in the movie was a little on the "gritty" side, but I liked it alright. Also, one thing I liked about this Bullseye over the comic is that this guy used ANYTHING as his weapon. In the comic, IIRC, he used guns. I have more respect for someone who can throw a pencil across the room into an olive than someone who can shoot a gun. Of course, this made him more interesting.
Daredevil lived up to, and surpassed, my expectations. It was a very enjoyable two hours, in which I lost myself in the story of a blind man overcoming the hand that life dealt him. I laughed at parts (Kevin Smith's cameo as Jack Kirby, a mortician*), nearly cried at parts (the funeral, set to Evanesence's "My Immortal" really almost got me), and pumped my fist in the air when he kicked bad guy bootay (the final scene where Daredevil... Whoops. Can't say. :) ) The soundtrack was wonderful. I didn't think that they'd really do a great job, considering that I'm not much of a fan of modern-day American radio (as most of you know). Yet, I was pleasently surprised. Very nicely done. It may be that I was just looking for them, but Evanescence's two tracks on the soundtrack were definitely the stand out songs.
Over all, Daredevil pleased me with its FX, characterization, story, action, and music. On a scale of 10, I would rate Daredevil an 8. I liked it easily better than X-Men, and I consider it a hair better than Spider-Man. And I LIKED those movies. If you like Ben Affleck, or Daredevil, or comic book movies, or just action movies, I don't think you'll regret going and seeing it. I know I'm happier for it. :)
* - Kevin Smith, as I said, wrote the relaunch. Jack Kirby, God rest his soul, was the King of Comics. He, along with Stan Lee (who also has a cameo), created most of the Marvel camp of heroes. Daredevil was one of them.
