Hey folks, Harry here... My DAREDEVIL piece will be coming in the morning. Till then, here's Quint with his mouth full of Daredevil goodness...
Ahoy squirts. Quint here with a quick opinion on DAREDEVIL.
In short, the movie totally met my incredibly high expectations. I've been one of the supporters of film for quite a while. I saw early production sketches what seems like an eternity ago and last summer I saw a few short clips of the film at the always badass San Diego Comic Con. The clips centered on personal touches, little character ticks from Matt Murdock. I wasn't expecting that.
So I finally saw the movie a few hours ago. Short and sweet: go see it. It's not the best film ever made, but it's got it where it counts.
I have a few minor problems with the film, just a few small things that kept me from enjoying it 100%. First and foremost is the score. Why, why, why can't I have a good Marvel superhero score? SUPERMAN has one. BATMAN has one. Hell, even ROBOCOP has a great superhero score, but SPIDER-MAN's score sucked. X-MEN's score sucked. DAREDEVIL has a few moments of cool music, but they are just that. Moments. Nothing memorable. I'm sure Graeme Revell is a nice guy, but he very rarely puts out a memorable score. Here's hoping John Ottman's score on X2 kicks a whole lotta ass.
Another problems I have involve the fight scenes. They're a little too quickly cut for my tastes and some of the wire work is done very poorly to the point where it drew me out of the scene. The fight sequences are all inventive and very comic booky, which is a good thing, but the shots are just too quick. We become so disoriented during some of the fights that you can't tell what's really going on. Some confusion was meant, I'm sure, but it's a little too much.
That having been said, those above negatives are the only things I had any sort of problems with. The reveal of DAREDEVIL'S sonar sense is perfectly handled and set up. Note perfect. The execution of such scenes in the film is handled with a delicate touch, not over using his POV, yet not under using it either.
Affleck pulls off the superhero thing pretty well. There are a few touchy moments where he hams a bit, but on the whole he does a bang-up job. Michael Clarke Duncan makes a mean Kingpin. He has a very demanding presence that's perfect for the role. His fight scene is badass, but a little short and anti-climactic. David Keith is great for the short time he has in the film playing DAREDEVIL'S dad, Jack Murdock. It's good to see him away from the direct-to-video drudge he's been doing lately. Joey Pants is also very cool and has very little to do, but makes the most of what he's given. Jennifer Garner as Elektra kicked a lot of ass. She's very pretty and damn mean with those Psi's.
The two standouts, though, were Colin Farrell as Bullseye, a great crazy, weirdo villain from the comics and Jon Favreau as Matt Murdock's legal partner, Foggy Nelson. Farrell knows he can play Bullseye over the top and does so with much glee. There's a madness about him in the film. It's not hard to believe he's a nutjob, that's for sure. Favreau brings all the best comedy to the film. His exchanges with Affleck are priceless and the heart of the movie. If Favs wasn't at the top of his game in this, the movie would have collapsed in on itself, being all flash and no substance, but with an air of effortless comradery, he doesn't fail us.
Mark Steven Johnson's a talented guy. He directed some segments so true to form that there are literally scenes that seem to jump straight out of the comic book. I commend him for his work here, just wish he had staged longer takes for the fight scenes!
Before I go, I have to talk about the X2 trailer. It's geekasm, pants wetting good. The little Comic-Con trailer that came out a few months ago was damn good. This trailer is perfect. We hear Alan Cummings' Nightcrawler accent (dead on), see him kick ass, teleporting all over the damned place... We get glimpses of Colossus, Kitty Pride, Pyro, all the main X-team... This trailer is magic. I want to see the movie NOW. Oh, and wait 'til you see what Wolverine does at the end of the trailer... you won't believe it. That cold hearted bastard...
Anyway,I think that's it from me. I'm sure you folks will be buried in DAREDEVIL reviews in no time at all... I'll be back with some interview, reviews and even some top secret spy stuff. By the way, I'm going to be relocating to LA for 10 days. I'll be there from the 18th thru the 28th of this month. My email address is below. Email me if you want to hang out or say hi. 'Til then, this is Quint bidding you all a fond farewell and adieu.
-Quint
