Starring: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, 
Michael Clarke Duncan, Colin Farrell, 
and Joe Pantoliano

Another comic book superhero makes the transition to the big screen with
"Daredevil", one of the lesser known Marvel heroes from the mind of Stan
Lee.  Matt Murdock is in many ways a normal kid growing up in Hells Kitchen.
Then one day an accident with toxic waste causes him to go blind.  But,
young Matt is given gifts with his blindness.  Yes, his other senses are
heightened, but he also has a sort of radar sense that allows him to "see"
the world around him through his hearing.  Matt suffers another tragedy with
the murder of his father, and after which he vows to right the wrongdoers.
He studies, he trains, and he becomes a scholar and a fighter.  He develops
the reputation as a man without fear.  Now, as an adult, he is a lawyer by
day, trying to bring justice to those in Hells Kitchen.  And at night, he is
Daredevil, bringing vengeance to those who slipped through justice's
fingers.

There are many subplots throughout the movie.  Matt falls for an athletic
and secretive woman named Elektra (Garner).  A reporter (Joey Pants) is hot
on the trail of the elusive Daredevil.  And he is also behind a story about
a Kingpin of crime.  Matt is also searching for the Kingpin, to bring him to
justice.  Meanwhile, the real Kingpin, Wilson Fisk (Duncan) is hiring a
killer named Bullseye (Farrell) to take out an associate of his (which
happens to be Elektra's father).

This movie got a bad rap from some critics and fans, but I think it's pretty
good.  Yes, Affleck isn't the perfect pick as Daredevil (but with the mask
on, he's not that bad).  Yes, the costume (form fitting maroon leather)
isn't great, but it's no easy job to adapt comic book costumes for the big
screen.  I think they did a decent job with it.  Garner is pretty good as
Elektra (plus, she's attractive), although for a non-super human, she seems
a little overly athletic.  Duncan does a good job as Kingpin, a role for
which he gained many pounds.  But his stature and voice fit the character
perfectly.  I just wish he had more scenes.  Farrell's Bullseye is
fantastic.  He steals every scene he's in, playing the villain with
cockiness and a certain twistedness.  There's not a lot of depth, but there
is a well-told back story.  The action is decent, sometimes great.  The way
they depicted Daredevil's radar sense was great.  I liked how the sound
effects allowed us to hear how a blind man would.  It's a dark film, as are
the Daredevil comics.  I liked the fact that it was so dark.  While it's
certainly not a great movie, as a comic book fan, I found it very
entertaining.
 

Did You Notice #1:  Daredevil creator Stan Lee in a cameo as an elderly man
stopped from walking into traffic by a young Matt Murdock.

Did You Notice #2:  The names of Daredevil comic book writers and artists
were used throughout the movie as minor characters (Miller, Quesada, Romita,
Bendis).  And one-time Dardevil writer Kevin Smith has a small role.
 
 

Quality: 5.0  Visuals: 6.5  Intensity: 7.0  
OVERALL RATING: 6.2