Ever since the disappointment that is the 2003 Daredevil film with Ben Affleck, fans of the character have wanted nothing more than to see a screen adaptation that does him justice. Fortunately, that time has finally come.
Marvel and Netflix released the first season of their “Daredevil” television series this past weekend. With its spot-on casting, dark storylines and film noir aesthetic, the show is everything fans could hope for and more, and I’m only two episodes in.
Opening with a brutal fight scene in the streets of Hell’s Kitchen, the producers immediately establish a vastly different tone from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with this series. This sequence is then juxtaposed with protagonist Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox) confessing to a priest that he intends to tread along a dark path of vigilantism.
Like every other superhero, Daredevil’s origin is grounded in a tragedy which took place during his childhood. After saving an old man from an oncoming truck, the young Murdock is blinded by the radioactive materials inside the vehicle. While his sight is gone, his other senses become superhumanly enhanced.
Just when he starts getting used to his new lifestyle, he suffers from the death of his father at the hands of gangsters. This propels him to use his abilities to fight those who made his life and the lives of others complete hell.
Whether or not you are familiar with the character through the comics or the Affleck movie, both the tone and scope of this series feel inexplicably fresh, even with the excess of superhero movies and shows in today’s culture. Perhaps it’s the really intimate character drama coinciding with the main action.
Like “Arrow,” “Daredevil” presents Murdock’s origin through flashbacks which are interspersed throughout the earlier episodes. The second episode features some really great moments between Matt and his father Jack (John Patrick Hayden), a boxer who will do anything for his son. These scenes provide more insight and depth to the character than they do plot devices.
The pilot focuses on the beginnings of Matt’s lawyer career, in which his first client is an innocent murder suspect named Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), who is targeted by the mafia. This of course provides a catalyst for him to also reveal his alter-ego to the world as he wages war against the underworld.
Creator Drew Goddard (“Lost,” “Cloverfield,” “Cabin in the Woods”) clearly has a love for the source material and remains as faithful to it as possible. Whether it’s the quick-witted dialogue he gives to Matt’s business partner Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) or his implementation of themes such as faith, fear and honor, viewers will feel like they’re watching a live-action version of a Frank Miller graphic novel.
Equally impressive is Goddard’s not holding back from exploring the grittiness of this world. Although it’s strange to think that this series exists in the same universe as the Hulk, Captain America, Ant-Man and even Howard the Duck (see “Guardians of the Galaxy”), Daredevil is tonally and thematically different from the rest of the MCU.
I also like that Goddard doesn’t make him invincible, as we see our hero get beaten up on more than one occasion.
In the second episode, the character is shown interrogating and torturing a man who has been kidnapping and selling children. The blood, intensity and sheer violence in this scene is a clear indication that this is not a show for the kiddies, and rightfully so. What I like most about the MCU is that it covers a wide range of audiences. “Avengers” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” are more light-hearted and family friendly, whereas “Daredevil” is designed for more mature viewers.
On his own, “Boardwalk Empire” veteran Charlie Cox is excellent in portraying Matt as the fearless and emotionally detached character that he is. Though his mask is the result of traumatization, he refuses to allow his feelings to blind him (pun intended). Likewise, supporting cast members such as Henson and Woll are just as believable in their respective roles.
Although I am still early into the show, I look forward to seeing where it will go from here. Marvel’s “Daredevil” displays nearly flawless storytelling, sharply executed action sequences and a comic-book influence that will have fanboys mesmerized.
