The Popkorn Junkie :: Daredevil

Here is yet another addition to the seemingly endless genre of cinema known as the 'comic book adaptation'. On the heels of the unprecedented success of "Spiderman", studios are more eager than ever to shell out the millions on characters derived from DC and Marvel illustrators and penmen. "Daredevil" is the latest to be unleashed on the general population, and it is actually not as bad as the trailers would suggest.

Ben Affleck stars as Matt Murdock. Blinded at a young age, Matt's senses became enhanced, allowing him to hear and feel things most people cannot. Also, it gave him somewhat superhuman abilities--he can leap tall buildings in a single bound and can stay afloat in mid-air for a lot longer than most Caucasians. So, he did the only thing reasonable to a person with those kinds of abilities--he became a superhero.

In this film, as Daredevil, Matt must go head-to-head with The Kingpin (Micaael Clarke Duncan), and Kingpin's henchman Bullseye (Colin Farrell). Why? Because every good superhero has to have an evil supervillain. Jennifer Garner also stars as Elektra, who is trying to avenge her father's death. There are some pretty steamy scenes between Daredevil and Elektra, but nothing too foreboding for the kiddies.

This is, pretty much, your typical comic book adaptation. Though it is not nearly as true to the story as some other recent adaptations (i.e. "X-Men"), it does manage to fair well. Ben Affleck does a decent job as the superhero, though he does have a few too many corny lines ("Time to give the devil his due!"). Michael Clarke Duncan is perfectly cast as Kingpin, and Colin Farrell seems to really love being nasty as Bullseye ("I want a costume!"). I am not a huge Jennifer Garner fan, but she was somewhat enjoyable too. Watch for a cameo from Kevin Smith,

This is liable to do serious business at the box office, which will only prolong the comic book adaptation craze. But, is that a good thing or a bad thing? With "X2", "The Hulk", and "The Extraordinary League of Gentleman" soo to be released, we will see if the genre has enough talent and steam to stick it out. "Daredevil" will help it along, but I don't know how wise a sequel would be. It's not that they couldn't pull it off--but it seems that this film might be the 'one is enough' variety, unlike "Spiderman" and "X-Men".

So, the kids should be tickled to death by this flick, and the adults might like it too, depending on their taste and preference. All female audience members, however, should be forewarned that Colin Farrell is not nearly as attractive as he usually is. I mean, no director could make him ugly, but he is not as hot as usual. It's an adjustment, but one everyone can make, I am sure.

-- Billy Ray ( 3 out of 4 pops )

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Other Junkie's opinions.....

Matt ( 3 out of 4 pops )

Superhero movies can be either really fun or really boring. I myself have never opened a comic book a day in my life, so I'm not familiar with these heroes' strengths, powers and alter egos until I watch the movies. And if those movies don't give clear backstories, then I'm totally lost and spend the rest of the film not giving a damn what happens next and whether or not the hero strives in his pursuit to eradicate evil. "X-Men" is a prime example of a superhero movie in which I didn't give a damn, and unlike many others I'm not doing cartwheels in anticipation of its sequel (which was shown in the trailers for "DD"). "Daredevil," on the other hand," is a good, solid superhero flick in which I had tons of fun! In this case, the backstory is well-established and I had a great sense of Matt Murdock's character in and out of the suit. That is helped by Ben Affleck's effective, low-key performance. Jennifer Garner is, needless to say, extremely hot, but it was also fun watching her kick ass. It was nice watching the love interest play someone other than a damsel in distress. Michael Clarke Duncan is superb as the villain, and his baritone voice suits his character perfectly. Then again, Big Mike never disappoints. Jon Favreau plays Murdock's best friend and provides a little comic relief. One thing I must say about the film, and this isn't a criticism, is it's a lot darker than I expected. And I appreciated the dark, Tim Burton-esque tone. There's even a tragic plot point, which I would never expect in a film of this sort. So my only warning would be for the parents out there, because this is an intensely violent film. I was going to keep everyone in suspense and say there's a surprise cameo, but it has already been given away by Billy Ray. I myself was both amused and surprised when Kevin popped up. I have very few complaints about "DD." It's not simply a guilty pleasure. Like "Spiderman" it's both entertaining and well-done. Comic book die-hards might be able to pick the film apart, but I myself was very satisfied.