Superhero Media: Daredevil (2003)

I really like this film, honestly, even with the Netflix series being around, I tend to watch the 2003 film more often, despite it's flaws. Some background is needed for this one; I first came across Daredevil (the character) through a crossover with the Spider-Man comics I was reading as a child, I was struck with the image of the horned cowl and the epithet "The Man Without Fear". I grabbed what Daredevil comics I could for a few years (this was before I discovered comic stores), even if old Horn-head was just on the cover. Naturally, I loved Spider-Man (2002), so I was really excited for Daredevil. When I talk to people about this film, I tend to find myself describing it as "a good adaptation of Daredevil, but not a good film in its own right", which I want to modify now that I've seen it again and had a bit of a think. Daredevil is actually a "good" film, by all rights; the narrative works, the cinematography is competent to excellent (depending on the scene), the actors are all good in their roles and the script is fun. 

If I had to put down people's remembering Daredevil as a poor film down to a particular reading, it would be that the film has aged poorly. Daredevil isn't as fun as Spider-Man, or as dark as Batman Begins would be, a few years later, lacks the pace of X-2, basically, it was an overall "B+" effort for the genre at the time, which has been retroactively downgraded in the face of the MCU. Yes, let's get this straight, the cast of Daredevil is actually good, including Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, the play-fight in the playground and the rooftop rain scene[s] between the two are proof enough of that. The late, great Michael Clarke Duncan as Kingpin and Colin Farrell round out some of the best casting ever to grace a pre-MCU superhero film, but let's not forget Jon Favreau as Foggy Nelson and Joe Pantoliano is still the best Ben Urich in live-action. Despite it's age, Daredevil manages to do some things better than the Netflix series of the same name, especially the "Radar Sense" sequences, which look way better than the newer takes on it. Also, despite having more "time" to do so in the series, the film does a much better job of showing what day-to-day life is like for Matt Murdock as a blind man. 

What really doesn't work in Daredevil? Well, the Nu-Metal soundtrack dates it severely, though I do tend to find Evanesence more forgivable than, say, POD or Crazy Town, if only because Amy Lee can actually sing. The CGI isn't great and far too overused, though I would be remiss not to mention that Ben Affleck's Daredevil costume still looks better than Charlie Cox's, c'mon Netflix! If I were to do a series of lectures on the history of Superhero cinema, Daredevil would play a major part, as I can see in it all of the elements that would come to the fore in the MCU years later. Yes, I'm saying it, without Daredevil, Jon Favreau would not have the experience and knowledge he needed to make Iron Man such a hit. I know I tend to say this a lot, but seriously, give Daredevil another go if you can, it's better than you remember and so much great work has gone into it than people ever seem to give it credit for.