I am always apprehensive about going into a comic-to-film adaptation. It
seems as though, in comic books, an author can manipulate his characters
and bend a story to where it goes far beyond probability. In a movie,
though, screenwriters must simplify these plots. This is to make sure that
the films aren’t too cheesy looking, and keep the audience captive. The
writing in Daredevil lacks persistence, and never takes
chances with the concept of originality. Every visual in this film looks
like a cheap rip-off of one from this summer’s surprise hit,
Spider-Man. On the whole, Daredevil is a far from
average, big-budget, and forgettable film. On rare occasion, it is deeply
rich in color. The problem is that this stylishness only shows through the
poor filmmaking once in a while. The film improves as it moves, but
despite the comeback, it still doesn’t offer anything special.
Ben Affleck is just dreadful, as the somewhat
incomprehensible character, Daredevil. He is stark and unsettling in his
performance, and each of his lines seem pretentious. Not only does he play
one of the most stupidly inane characters ever created in comic-history,
but performs badly as well. The film’s only action is brought forth by the
sexy Jennifer Garner, who plays the wildly entertaining Elektra. The
stunts that this character performs are the few interesting ones in the
entire movie. I might be bias, but bias or not, she definitely outdoes
everyone else in the film. Colin Farrell is almost as bad as Affleck. He
plays Bullseye, a man with too many piercings, as well as anger. With so
many terrible performances, I wasn’t sure whether to root for the
protagonists or the antagonists. Even though I have enjoyed Affleck films
in past, I don’t think he has ever been good in one of them. He should
have his buddy, Matt Damon, teach him a thing or two about acting.
The visuals are cheesy, tacky, and most
predominately, dumb. As Daredevil flew through the air, jumped from
building to building, and fought all of the evil in the city, I felt as
though it was an insult to my intelligence. When examining the special
effects, I found that almost all of them looked incredibly airy and
underdone. When watching them, one question deeply annoyed me. Just
because this “Daredevil” character has incredibly strong senses, why does
that mean that he can fight better than Jackie Chan and jump off of
skyscrapers without breaking a bone? The material is just plain boring for
most of them time. It lacks the spunk and daringness that most adaptations
have. There was another inquiry that popped into my mind, as well. What is
the purpose of Daredevil? During the film, this isn’t made clear. He isn’t
saving the world, or helping people. All he ever does is fight off
villains who have no motive to be evil.
Daredevil is just another
mindlessly forgettable, trashy picture that will survive on the wealth of
the demographic teenage audience. Don’t go expecting Affleck’s best, even
though his best is just about as satisfying as a bad case of the chicken
pocks. This isn’t a good movie, nor is it a very bad one. Jennifer Garner
outdoes everyone else, and I’m glad to see so. Daredevil just
isn’t as exciting as other comic adaptations. The special effects are not
pleasurable to view, and even though I can appreciate a distinct
cheesiness in certain films, this one overdoes almost everything. As this
superhero walks the streets of
New York
with his enhanced senses, we are never sympathetic for him. Much of the
dialogue is stupid and overblown. This is a film that will, without a
doubt, satisfy its target audience. My physical appearance shows that I
fit into this group. But, judging by my reaction, I obviously don’t fall
for the cheap material that most die for.
-Danny, Bucket Reviews