DAREDEVIL - DVD review

Look, up in the sky.
It's Larry Bird.
It's Lois Lane.
It's Spider-Geek!

No, it's just Daredevil. How disappointing.

Whether you'll like or dislike the 2003 blockbuster "Daredevil" will depend, I suppose, on how much you're into comic-book superheroes and how far you're willing to go to enjoy them. With Ben Affleck as the lead character, you may have to go quite a ways, indeed.

Of course, you also have to understand whom you're listening to. I'm the guy who didn't think the first live-action "X-Men" movie was very innovative or exciting, either, so what do I know. Besides, I don't think "Daredevil" is entirely bad; it's just mediocre, ordinary, a discomforting could-have-been.

Genre pictures follow formulas or they wouldn't be genre pix, and superhero epics are no different. The audience must be informed how the superhero came into being, how he (or she) acquired his costume, who his enemies are, how powerful they are, who his love interest is, etc. Sometimes a Tim Burton comes up with an interesting variation, like the dark atmosphere he created for the "Batman" series, or an M. Night Shyamalan does something really bizarre like chronicling exclusively the protagonist's emergence as a superhero in "Unbreakable." Even Sam Raimi, not always known for his subtlety, insured that "Spider-Man" had genuine heart, a sympathy and understanding sorely missing in "Daredevil," which follows formula with a cold vengeance.

A shame, too, because "Daredevil" should not have been a disappointment. It's got a great (if Burton-derived) look to it, a formidable pair of villains, a stouthearted heroine, and, on paper, an intriguing hero. But the film's tone is so unrelentingly dark, its script so gloomy, and Affleck so determinedly vapid, the film falls flat and leaves a viewer not only uninspired at the end but rather depressed.

Based on the Marvel comics cult character as written and directed for the screen by Mark Steven Johnson ("Simon Birch"), Daredevil is portrayed as a modern tragic hero, a great man afflicted by a tragic flaw. Unfortunately, just one of the film's shortcomings is that it never makes very clear what this tragic flaw is. The script simply alludes to Daredevil's troubled soul and tortured mind, presumably the results of the sheer quantity of death and corruption he sees around him he's unable to stop. In any case, the thought is a downer for the viewer as well as the superhero.

I liked the movie's appearance, though, a dim, murky atmosphere of nighttime cityscapes that begins with the film's opening shots as the camera pans around New York, up buildings and around corners, with flash cuts revealing snatches of violence and crime. Daredevil is perched on a church spire, high above it all, and moments later lies on the church floor narrating in flashback the events of his life as they flash before his apparently dying eyes.

Within this framework, we're told the superhero's gimmick: He's blind. This is revealed in perhaps the longest prologue to a storyline in any superhero movie short of "Unbreakable." Daredevil tells us that his name is Matt Murdock and that he grew up tough in the Hell's Kitchen section of the city. He also tells us that at a very early age he was accidentally blinded by a chemical spray and as a result his other four senses began functioning with superhuman sharpness, his sense of hearing becoming a sort of radar that enabled him to "see" with his ears (like a bat, I guess; holy eardrums, Batman).

Now, understand me, I'm not against a comic-book story reaching pretty far into the fantasy realm; that's what they're all about. But the story should at least make some attempt at creating a consistent and believable fantasy world, which "Daredevil" does not. The movie simply tells us that young Matt acquires superhuman powers, no questions asked. Are they a gift from God? Or a fluke of nature? Some fluke. The possibility of a Divine endowment is hinted at by Daredevil's daily returns to a church cathedral, ostensibly for renewal, soaking in a crypt to revitalize his powers. But such vague hints and innuendos are never developed or followed up and leave the viewer to make wild guesses in frustration.

Similarly, within what appears to be a short period of only a few months, young Matt has learned karate, judo, kung fu, and acrobatics well enough to best any hoods on the planet and is doing back flips and jumps from building to building that would make a "Matrix" or "Crouching Tiger" proud! Go figure.

When his dad, a boxer named Jack "The Devil" Murdock (David Keith), is murdered by hoodlums, young Matt dons his father's red cape and swears he will seek justice "one way or another." As an adult he becomes a caped crusader (albeit without the cape) and a prosecuting attorney; if he loses in court, he gets even by night.

Daredevil's one physical weakness is that he can't stand loud, shrill noises, which throw his radar off; it's like Superman's Kryptonite. Moreover, he's not a happy man. He's in pain all the time from so much crime fighting; he can't maintain a relationship with a girl; he works all day at the office and then all night on the rooftops. It gets to guy, you know?

One advantage to a supersensitive nose, however, is that he can sniff out a pretty woman at fifty yards in another room. And thus begins (finally) the film's main plot. Murdock meets his love interest in the story, Elecktra Natchios (Jennifer Garner), a lady almost as skilled in martial arts as he is and a woman whom he has literally to fight to find out her name. Talk about playing hard to get. Seems she's the daughter of a billionaire (Erick Avari), who's connected to a big-time hoodlum partner, Wilson Fisk (big Michael Clarke Duncan). For obscure reasons (something about breaking up the partnership), Fisk wants both the father and Electra killed and sends his number-one henchman, Bullseye (Colin Farrell), to do the job. Bullseye is very good at throwing things, using everything from darts to pencils to paper clips to murder his victims, and he never misses. Almost. Until he meets Daredevil. Which pisses him off so much he goes after the superhero on his own.

So, there you have it. After the film spends more than two-thirds of its time with introductions, the plot finally gels and Daredevil goes after old man Natchios's killers, while Bullseye goes after Daredevil. Yes, and wait for the closing credits to finish, too, because "it ain't over till it's over." This film has trouble getting started and then doesn't want to quit.

As I've said, "Daredevil" is a film of contradictions, a movie that could have been a lot better if it hadn't tried, perhaps, to be too ambitious. Colin Farrell's villain, for instance, is no ordinary comic heavy like Lex Luther or the Joker. He's mean and vicious, a sadistic butcher who will kill a man over a darts game or a flippant remark. Under Farrell he is actually the most interesting character in the movie, but like many of the film's other goings on he's so out of line with the lightweight nature of a comic-book fantasy, it's hard to believe the picture got a PG-13 rating.

Joe Pantoliano shows up as a newspaper reporter, Ben Urich, hot on Daredevil's trail and keen to unmask the anonymous crime-fighter, but his role leads only to the expected, inevitable conclusion. Then there's the mysterious "Kingpin," the city's prime mover in the world of wrongdoing and the man Daredevil thinks is responsible for his father's death; but he's such an obvious mark, he's not mysterious for long.

The film has an especially effective, atmospheric look and feel to it, and it doesn't matter that it's derived from Burton's "Batman." The film also has a couple of exceptionally exciting fight scenes in it (choreographed by Cheung-Yan Yeung), and it doesn't matter that they're derived from "The Matrix." In addition, the film has a number of convincing digital effects in it that are hardly noticeable as special effects at all. Combine these qualities with a strong supporting cast, and you'd think you'd have a darned good action film.

But no. The movie as a whole is let down by a script that hammers away with a grim vengeance at death and destruction. On the one hand it tries to be grittier and more realistic than the average superhero movie, while at the same time it's just as silly and exaggerated. The result is a film often sillier and more exaggerated than it intends to be. Yet it still leaves a bitter taste in the mouth when it's finished. One curious motion picture.

Moreover, Affleck as the lead is so laid back and bland, he appears half asleep most of the time. I mean, how can his character be at once so tortured, so reserved, and so totally colorless? Maybe it's just a case of miscasting. Affleck is about as suited to the part as Barbra Streisand was for "Hello Dolly" or Lucille Ball for "Mame." Whatever, Mr. Nice Guy Affleck isn't up to conveying much of his character's pain or nobility, and the movie suffers accordingly. Not a bad movie on the whole, you understand, but a disappointment, nonetheless.

Video:
To its credit the video quality is sharply defined, with clean edges, and virtually no grain in a wide 2.13:1 ratio anamorphic screen size. The deliberately murky, often sepia- tempered colors come off well, and detail remains good even in dimly light areas of the screen. On the deficit side, there is occasionally some line flutter and pixel displacement, and one can't help noticing most of the time the image is somewhat hard, glossy, and glassy. Like the picture's noir tone, I'm sure these hard, glassy properties were intentional in order to give the film a tougher, more severe appearance, but they are probably too much of a good thing, another example of the film's never knowing when to stop.

Audio:
The sound in Dolby Digital 5.1 is excellent, as I'm sure it is in its alternate DTS 5.1 mode. The dynamic response is strong, the stereo spread wide, and the balance fairly natural. It is only the deepest octaves that are slightly lacking in punch. The surround channels carry out their duties impressively, creating an all-enveloping environment, a good depth of field, and imposing side and rear audio effects. The soundtrack also well serves composer Graeme Revell's background score, reminiscent of Danny Elfman's music for "Batman." What's more, it's not five minutes into the film before the soundtrack offers up the obligatory helicopter flyover just to ensure we know this is a modern action movie. "Daredevil," for all its imagination and creativity, never lets a good cliché get by it, either.

Extras:
As one would expect of a major DVD release, this two-disc special edition comes with a wide assortment of bonus goodies. Disc one contains the widescreen presentation of the film, of course, with its Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 soundtracks; English, French, and Spanish spoken languages; and English and Spanish subtitles. In additionally, there's a narrative track for the visually impaired, appropriate given Murdock's lack of sight in the film, and an audio commentary by director Mark Steven Johnson and producer Gary Foster. Then, there's an enhanced viewing mode that allows the user to go behind the scenes during the film with explanations and annotations by Visual Effects Producer John Kilkenny. Furthermore, you can click on a text commentary for notes to appear on screen continuously during play. The first disc concludes with thirty-two scene selections and some DVD-ROM features for your computer.

Needless to say, it's the second disc that contains the bulk of the extras, and there's more here than a person can probably absorb in a single sitting. The bonuses are divided into two categories, "The Film" and "The Comic Book." "The Film" begins with a one-hour documentary, "Beyond Hell's Kitchen: Making Daredevil," that can be watched in an enhanced viewing mode with further extended sequences. Then there's a brief Jennifer Garner screen-test, followed by two multi-angle glimpses at a pair of dailies, showing us how the scenes were shot. Next is a two-minute featurette with actor Michael Clarke Duncan, revealing how the Kingpin was transformed from the comic book to the big screen. After that is another featurette, "Daredevil: HBO First Look Special," a typical behind-the-scenes affair lasting about twenty-five minutes. Then, there's an eight-minute segment called "Moving Through Space: A Day With Tom Sullivan," about the sight-impaired consultant to the film. Finally, this batch of extras is concluded with five widescreen theatrical trailers (three for "Daredevil" and two for other Fox releases); three music videos: "Won't Back Down" by Fuel, "For You" by The Calling, and "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence; and five still galleries covering storyboards, costumes, set design, production, and props.

"The Comic Book" section contains three items. The first is a documentary, "The Men Without Fear: The Art of Daredevil," over an hour, divided into chapters, and detailing the lives of the people who brought you the characters. The second is "Shadow World: An In-depth Look at Daredevil's Sight," about six minutes of comparisons of the comic-book's depiction of Daredevil's vision to the movie's. Lastly, there are several "Modeling Sheets," quick bios of several villains and heroes in the movie as they are described in the comic books.

Parting Shots:
Frankly, I wish Colin Farrell had played Daredevil and Ben Affleck had been in some other movie, "Pearl Harbor II" perhaps. Affleck simply does not look or behave like he belongs in a film this gothic and moody. Nor does the film's gothic feel work as well in this superhero flick as it did in "Batman." Instead of "Daredevil" uplifting our senses, the movie weighs them down.

Unquestionably, "Daredevil" is a strange film all the way around, fun to look at, with some spectacular fight scenes, but slow and dispiriting, too. It's a polar opposite of something like "Spider-Man," and I advise caution.