Hey folks, Harry here... This sucks. I hate this. Both Moriarty and that Brainjob saw DAREDEVIL - now John Hammond. Ahem... I WANNA SEE IT NOWWWW!!!! Me wanna see now! The clips online... NOT FAIR, need to see the rest! I still haven't seen a review from a chapter and verse lover of the comic (LIKE ME) and I'm dying to get one of those... OR BE THE ONE TO WRITE IT, but I understand... They're hiding the movie from me. Hehehe... It looks like I don't see this till the Eleventh... argh... Alright here ya go...
I am John Hammond and there may be spoilers ahead if your not familar with the ELECTRA SAGA from the comics. Between creating dinosaur parks full of joy and wonder and carnage, I like to take in my share of Hollywood movies. Take, for instance, Daredevil, which I saw this very morning. While not exactly on the scale of, say, watching a raptor disembowel a cow, it was still a rip-roaring good time.
So I watched Daredevil. I had been experiencing doubts, but this movie washed them away.
I'll be honest with you. I didn't really know the first thing about Daredevil going into this movie. I take that back. I knew he was a blind guy who fought crime and had no fear. But that was it. Also, I went into the movie not thinking all that much of Ben Affleck. That's just me, though. He never struck me the right way as a leading man. Basically, I had zero expectations for this flick, beyond the fact that it might be a good action movie.
Well, folks, I walked out of Daredevil a true believer. In the premise. In the film. And in Ben himself. This was a solid movie, and it was very, very good. And not just in the Comic Book Movie sort of way. No, it was fun and tragic and tantalizing and mesmerizing. It was a great movie that happened to be a Comic Book Movie.
First X-Men, then Spider-Man, now this? Marvel is doing a fantastic job lately. I'm just sorry that the Hulk movie is probably going to end the streak with a vengeance.
Okay, let's get down to business. The actors all do an admirable job. Jennifer Garner is AMAZING on the eyes in this picture (unlike Catch Me, where I thought she was wasted and actually somewhat unattractive). She also has that tough edge which is so sexy. I don't watch Alias, though, so maybe this wasn't all that big of a stretch. Michael Clarke Duncan was a big tub of good as Kingpin. He actually didn't have all that much to do in the movie, but his few scenes shone well. Colin Ferrell is superb as Bullsye. He's actually a throwback to the old campy henchmen of the past, but not over the top. He gets to toss off a couple of REALLY bad one-liners, and they induce both a groan and a smirk at the same time (oh, and stick around during the credits for a fun bit with Bullsye laid up in the hospital with a fly pestering him…). The rest of the supporting cast does a fine job, too. Joe Pantiliano (or however it's spelled) is good as a journalist grappling with the secret of Daredevil's identity. The comic relief best friend (Monica's rich ex-boyfriend from Friends) is in fine form. And, of course, a great turn by Kevin Smith (which begins with him playing on the internet).
But this is Ben's show, isn't it? The film would suck or be great based on who played Matt Murdoch. And J Lo's squeeze doesn't disappoint. He plays Matt as a tragic badass. That should be on his business cards. You feel sorry for the poor shmo for his sad past with his dad and all, but the limited powers he has - and the life he leads - makes you say "Damn!!" Ben is a perfect non-super superhero. He shows his pain and his weaknesses. He tries to remain stoic like a Superman but never quite succeeds. And you just want to send you heart out to him as he tries in vain to help everyone.
The plot moves briskly, and there isn't much I would cut. To be honest, only one scene seemed forced and, well, stupid, and that was the Daredookie scene between Matt and Elektra. It was two very white people rubbing around, and it was filmed in a boring way. If you're not gonna make it steamy, cut it and head straight to the in-bed-the-morning-after scene. That's my philosophy.
The action is spectacular. Fights are easy to watch and follow, the Jackie Chan factor is pumped up and the choreography is top notch. The special effects do their job, too, since the blind sonar effects are cool and the running around on the rooftops stuff doesn't look cartoonish or fake, like Spider-Man's did. I have two questions, though:
1) If these people don't really have any true superpowers, how in the blue hell are they able to leap across fifty feet gaps in the rooftops?? I guess it's the whole Crouching Dragon thing, where once you hit that master level, the abilities get cranked to eleven…
2) Where do they get these costumes?! Spider-Man sort of dealt with this, but Daredevil doesn't even bother. Do heroes go to Wal-Mart, buy up a thousand bucks worth of spandex or leather, and then waste a couple of weeks sewing? Are heroes born with an innate sense of fashion?! I just don't know…
So here's the bottom line, coming from someone who was skeptical about Daredevil: if you liked Spider-Man, you will probably love Daredevil. I would say this movie knocked Spidey down a peg. I was shocked, but in a good way. I felt for Matt Murdoch. I wanted him to win. I was at the edge of my seat. Daredevil was a solid, entertaining, well-filmed, well-acted, believable film.
And the ultimate compliment, which proved to me that this was an A+ comic adventure movie? I can't wait for the sequel (or at least the DVD with deleted scenes…)
Well, see you on Isla Nublar!
-John
