I
finished watching the first season of the Marvel Television produced
series for Netflix and to be honest, I was not holding my breath, but rather, tuned
in to see what they've done to the TV version of the character compared
to the the comic title. I think they have done it justice plus one.
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Daredevil
stars Charlie Cox (Boardwalk Empire) as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, with
Elden Henson (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay) as Foggy Nelson, Deborah Ann
Woll (True Blood) as Karen, and Rosario Dawson as Claire, Matt's
after-hours nurse. Vincent D'Onofrio (Law and Order: Criminal Intent,
Full Metal Jacket, Men in Black) starred as Wilson Fisk, known to comic
franchise fans as The Kingpin.
The series opens
showing us Matt as a child, pushing an old man out of the way of a
truck and getting caught up in a chemical spill, which changes him
forever, blinding the boy. But in the process, we also learn that the
Murdock's have this peculiar genetic predisposition of being able to
take a hit... and that in and of itself is one of the key
characteristics that make this hero stand out, his ability to take a
hit, over and over and over.
The entire first
season is an origins kind of tale, as we watch Matt first don a black
outfit and a ski mask pulled over his face, covering his eyes and we
follow him through his transition of learning what it is to be a hero.
We
learn through various flashbacks the motivations for each of the
various characters, especially Matt's struggle with what the accident
left him with, which was an incredibly heightened set of senses (The man
three floors down, wearing the cheap cologne will be here soon), and a
kind of obscurely referenced vision where the entire world looks like an
infrared vision of sorts, but on fire.
I was
not sure how Charlie Cox would pan out, but by the end of the season, I
was convinced, hook, line and sinker, that this is Matt Murdock, AKA,
Daredevil. Plus Cox beefed up in a lean, muscular way that gave credence
to the man who has to fight tooth and nail for what he needs. Every
victory is earned.
In the comic Matt's heightened senses used to be referred to and portrayed as radar. But in the show they barely allude to it that way, but instead, they make it clear that he has learned how to interpret the input from his senses in such a way that he can not only be aware of as much as any sighted person, but they can also help him pinpoint little facets of life, such as when a person is lying or not.
I felt at
first like it was lacking that we did not become privy to the idea that
he has "radar," but ever so slowly, I came around to the idea of
appreciating his zen-like awareness and deadly training from a man named
Stick, played by Scott Glenn.
I know Foggy
Nelson is an integral part of the story, as well as Karen, but I thought
I would have to suffer their existence between Murdock's story, but
again, I was proven wrong and enjoyed how they provided the glue that
held various scenes and plot points together.
I
like Karen, she provides all the things the guys don't. That being
common sense and a girl's perspective. I love how she was taking the cue
from Urich (Vondie Curtis-Hall) and learning how to dig in and get the
story right with proof and facts and not just opinions.
But
alas, for me, the icing on the cake was D'Onofrio's portrayal of Wilson
Fisk. He delivered a three-dimensional character in such a fashion that
if you are not careful, you might find yourself rooting for this
murderous man, who is a caring soul with a slight streak of frustration
and anger, using whatever means there is, to achieve his goal. Plus,
looking back at his youth, you get him.
I think
D'Onofrio's portrayal as Fisk is on par with Tom Hiddleston's of Loki
in the Marvel movies. You can't help but like and root for the guy to
some degree.
Time and time again, D'Onofrio
proves himself to be talented beyond belief and can deliver a
personality that is so different from any other character, that he truly
brought Wilson Fisk to life, like no other person could possibly have
done! He was a pure pleasure to watch.
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I
loved this Marvel "television" series and it is the best to date. It
blows the candy-ass Agents of SHIELD out of the water, and I sort of
don't mind that show. But this one takes a man and puts him in a dark,
crime ridden neighborhood, and he decides to do good, and speak he
language that the bad guys can only understand, and that is with
violence and threats.
At first I thought the
show might have been too violent. The first few episodes Daredevil
speaks the language of the thugs, and that meant that once they were
down, you made sure they stayed down. That meant a few moments of
beating mercilessly on a man on the ground.
The
other aspect is that Murdock can take a hit. And sometimes he can take
some seriously debilitating hits. Scary looking hits. But remember his
lineage. His father was a boxer and could take hit after hit, without
slowing down. And thus, Matt inherited that aspect and drive of his
father's. It made him the perfect vigilante.
But
the violent demonstrations are up front in the season mostly and so the
rest of the show focuses on conflict and resolution. Don't get me
wrong, it is still there, if you count moments where one guy slams his
car door on another guy's head enough times to decapitate him. (Not
shown, implied) Hey, the other guy insulted him and he was upset!
But
I think some of these moments are necessary to remind you this is not
that candy-popcorn world we've sometimes seen in other Marvel projects.
It's
rare when the dialog rivets my attention, and it did with most every
second of conversation. No time was lost with banter. it was focused.
I like(d):
--How they made a nice, dark, gritty and dramatic end-product with Daredevil on Netflix.
--That they showed that the good guy does not always walk away unscathed.
--That they downplayed the sci-fi aspect of his radar.
--Watching
the progression from his first days out in his black ninja-like garb,
to that final episode when we see the famous red suit the character is
known for.
--How they evolved the suit.
--The slow unfolding of his origin.
--The Marlon Brando-like delivery of the King Pin (Fisk).
--How they made this story digestible by anyone who chose to tune in and not just genre fans.
--How they took the time to really explain his father and inspiration.
--The alluded to superhero group, without using the name.
--How it is questioned how much like the bad guys he becomes.
--How bad guy was almost admirable in his own love for the city.
--How
they did not try to appeal to a wider, generic audience, but stayed
focused on the gritty, appreciative audience of the world Daredevil
lives in.
--That they could pick up the "Dark Knight" tone and extend it so well into Matt Murdock's world.
--That
unlike Agents of SHIELD, Arrow or other series about rich vigilantes,
Murdock and team are just plumb broke and the characters work with what they got, from the digs they have. It's nothing fancy, but...
--It's visceral.
--Cox
is perfect in this role. He made it his own and kept it distinct and
true to the character. Particularly the Frank Miller version of the
character.
--That we have four more "street
level" Marvel characters coming from Netflix. (Jessica Jones, Luke Cage,
Power Fist and a final, group series, The Defenders.) is pretty exciting, now that I've seen this.
--Had one primary story and that they were sticking as close to realism as they could.
--That they took the time necessary for us to fully understand most characters.
It's more adult than any other Marvel/Disney production to date.
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You
have to be careful looking up reviews for this show. It was obvious
some mainstream sites assigned the review task to writers who don't get
the genre of the comic book realm. So rather than appreciating all that
was done with the series, they spend much of their time bashing the part
of the comic book story that requires some form of disbelief neutering.
But you also have to find a writer that appreciates the well written
aspect of the genre.
I don't know what else to
say. Daredevil was a surprise hit for me. It was a Marvel product with a
different feel or tone than the other projects. It is Batman, without
the cape or money. (Technically, capes just get in the way any way.) And
Rotten Tomatoes has a critic's score of 98%. That's huge.
If
you like or appreciate superhero productions, or just well written
stories with a "wee" bit of violence, I think you will LOVE Marvel's
Daredevil on Netflix.
OH! And yes, the "man
himself," Stan Lee, actually makes a quick cameo. That, I did not expect
in the television setting, but loved seeing. 'Nuff said.
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