Spoilers follow. -Ed.

What a year for comic book movies and comic book fans. You've got your regular superhero fare: The Incredible Hulk, X-Men 2, that cool fan-created Batman short film shown at the San Diego Comic Con this year (Batman: Dead End). You've got your non-standard comic fare: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Bulletproof Monk, Road to Perdition (on DVD this past February).

And on top of that: Daredevil. I was fairly excited to see this film. Marvel Comics (who owns The Hulk, X-Men, Spiderman, Daredevil, et al) has made some awesome films in the last few years (X-Men and Spiderman, for example), so I was hoping Daredevil would be as good. I'm a comics fan, and while I've never been into Daredevil, I'm familiar with the character and some of his supporting cast (like Kingpin and Elektra). So I had a great interest in the film, and a great hope that it would turn out as well as the last few. Of course, being a huge fan of Jennifer Garner and Alias didn't hurt matters too much.

Anyway, Daredevil is the tale of Matt Murdock (Ben Affleck), who, as a boy is struck blind by radioactive waste and is soon after orphaned by the local crime ring. As an adult, he becomes a prosecuting lawyer by day and a crimefighter by night, where his heightened senses (a by-product of the radiation) give him almost superhuman abilities. He meets up with Elektra (Jennifer Garner), who has some amazing martial arts abilities, and goes on to fight the Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan) - the local criminal mastermind - and Bullseye (Colin Farrell) - an Irishman who can throw just about anything with pinpoint accuracy.

You could say I had some expectations with this film, but, as with all comic films I see, they weren't too high - I've been disappointed more often than not. And, I guess it kind of met my expectations.

Daredevil was a good comic film (well, great, if you compare it to most others) and a good action flick. Good...but not great. I was truly hoping for a bit more...of...I don't know what. That intensity that draws you into an X-Men film, or that fascination that makes you gaze wide-eyed at the screen with wonder. Sure, it's a comic film, but a well-done comic film can have those things, and Marvel has shown us they can do it. But this one fell short of X-Men and Spiderman. But, Garner kicks butt in this film, and definitely made the movie. Without her, I don't think it would have near as good. Duncan and Farrell give excellent performances, and even Affleck does a good job. A cameo from Kevin Smith was fun, but I can always do without the cameos from Stan Lee (I'm glad they've left him out of the X-Men movies).

There were a few other things nagging at me as well. Why would Murdock crank his stereo all the way with heightened senses? Even if it was to drown out everything else, you'd think his heightened hearing couldn't take it.

At times, the dialogue was glib (you know what I mean - that corny banter between two enemies as they're fighting), and I don't like glib dialogue (even in a comic book movie) unless it flows. And it didn't really flow here, it just came out corny.

And Wilson Fisk (the Kingpin), in the comics always seems like the evil, strong type that would look at death and laugh, but in at least one point in the film, he's a bit too "snivelly" for my taste.

I've heard lot of people complain about the Elektra/Daredevil fight in the playground (during the day, both in plain clothes, not their costumes). I thought it was a bit silly and extraneous, but thought it was a lot of fun and fit the mood of the movie.

Overall, it was fun and I enjoyed it. But it was really missing something...

			See it if you like a good action flick, if you like a good comic book movie, or if you're a Daredevil fan. Or if you're a fan of Alias and Jennifer Garner. Don't see it if you think you're too good for comic books or action movies.

© 2003 Jim Manchester

Originally posted on Reel People, 8/8/03