Daredevil Review

                                          

     SPOILERS FOR MARVEL'S DAREDEVIL!!!!!!

     I've finally watched Daredevil on Netflix, and it defied expectations. This show is going to forever change how TV shows in general are watched, and will open up a new realm for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Daredevil already renewed for a second season due in 2016 as well as A.K.A. Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders, not to mention all the other characters they can bring to Netflix. Now let's begin the review.

     First off, the cast was amazing. Charlie Cox did an amazing job as Matt Murdock. It's hard to act like a blind lawyer during the day, only to turn into a brutal vigilante at night. There are so many layers to this character that Cox brought to life, and he succeeded. Elden Henson's Foggy Nelson was perfect. They didn't present Foggy as just Matt's friend or a character just there to provide comedic relief, he played an important part in the story with his investigation into Fisk and his loyalty to Matt. Deborah Ann Woll's Karen Page was a very interesting character to follow, as she went from a damsel in distress to actually killing a man. They never talked about her past, only provided hints, and hopefully they touch on it in later seasons. Vincent D'Onofrio probably had the best performance on the show. His portrayal of Wilson Fisk was probably the best villain I've seen in the MCU because of all the different sides of the character. One minute, he is just an awkward guy trying to impress a woman, then he is bashing someone's head in. You never know where he's at, and that makes him both intimidating and interesting. So there's the main cast, and I'll sprinkle in some of the other members. 

                           

     The storyline was very enjoyable and kept me intrigued the whole way through. I was never bored during the main Fisk/Russian/Japanese/Chinese plot. The story just kept on moving forward, with many deaths, something that Marvel hardly does. Ben Urich, a big name in the comics died, Leland Owlsley died (another name from the comics, though he wasn't like he was in the comics at all) and many other minor characters. Part of the fun was trying to guess the real goal of each party involved with Fisk. Madam Gao probably had some connection to Iron Fist, as the drug she was distributing had the emblem of Iron Fist villain Steel Serpent and might well be a character from the Iron Fist lore herself (how did this little old lady punch Daredevil so hard?). The Russians were very intimidating, but were simple pawns overshadowed by a grander plot. The whole Karen/Page subplot was pretty boring though, as it was largely overshadowed by the action and main plot.

                        

     Most fans of the comics can guess what organization Nobu was apart of. Though the show never said their name, he was clearly part of The Hand, a mystical ninja clan who wear, you guessed it, red costumes. Stick, played by Scott Glenn (who needs to come back for Season 2) came back just for Nobu and the item that was arriving in Hell's Kitchen, Black Sky. We never learn what the deal with this kid is and why he killed him, but I think we'll get more answers in future seasons, as there is obviously larger forces at play here that were only touched upon.

     This seemingly never-ending battle with Fisk is what should happen in a Daredevil series, and it was smart how they only gave Daredevil and Fisk a few confrontations. I would've loved to see more scenes with Fisk and Murdock, as we only got one, but hopefully, they will have more meetings with Fisk eventually finding out who he really is. 

     Claire Temple, played by Rosario Dawson, was a fun character to have on the show, providing someone that Matt can confide with. I wish we could have seen more of her, but oh well. 

                         

     Ayelet Zurer did an spectacular job as Vanessa, bringing out another side of Wilson Fisk and actually causing some problems for Fisk's committee, as they think that Fisk is off his game because of her. I wished they would have told us why she was fine with being the girlfriend of a mob boss in the first place, telling Fisk to make those who hurt her suffer. How did she go from being an owner of an art gallery to being okay with all this violence done in her name? It was a fast transition for sure.

     The flashbacks to Matt's childhood were also fun to watch. Jack Murdock was a cool character to watch, as he went from being a guy who threw punches in the ring to a loving father who set Matt on his path to becoming a lawyer. His sacrifice to make Matt proud, which had him killed, shows us how selfless of a character he is and how much he cares about Matt.

     The action scenes were stunning, and what made them even better was the brutal nature of the fights in general. There was blood, broken bones, and concussions. Matt did not hold back. The fights were not usually between two highly skilled fighters, as they are in the movies, just street fights where the opponents did anything to win. The hallway fight was the best fight in the show; I felt like I was there watching it unfold before me. And Matt didn't always win the fights; he got his ass handed to him a few times where he really got hurt.

     This universe's Hell's Kitchen was portrayed beautifully; it was dirty, and old, and rotting, yet at the same time, it was pretty. This love for the city propelled the characters, and because of the way it was portrayed, let us understand why Fisk and Murdock were trying so hard to make it a better place. This isn't the city of skyscrapers and bright lights, it is a city full of rotting buildings, dark alleys, and abandoned warehouses.

                          

     I'm a costume guy, so I have to talk about it. When I first saw the picture of the black costume, I was disappointed, as I expected red and horns and a "DD" on his chest. But as I saw it in motion and saw what it was inspired by, I really grew to like it. The black ninja costume was made of things that can easily be found in a sporting goods store, which will no doubt bring a lot of black Daredevil costumes to Comic-Con this year. The unveiling of the final suit was really cool, courtesy of Melvin Potter. In the comics, he is the villain known as the Gladiator who has his own shop as well, and you can see plenty of easter eggs in that shop of his alter-ego. I wasn't expecting an all-red suit, and some black was bound to be there. His mask looks really cool, complete with the horns. An armored suit only makes sense for a guy who gets shot at and stabbed every night who doesn't have powers. He has the billy clubs and the pouch for it on his leg too. 

     But the thing is, aside from the horns, red, and billy clubs, this doesn't look a whole lot like the classic suit from the comics. The "DD" isn't even on the chest, which is a major disappointment. That's the one thing that has remained consistent with his costume over the years and it's his most iconic feature. If they can put a giant bat emblem on Batman's costume, and "S" plastered on the chest of someone from another planet, or a star on the chest of a soldier and wings on his helmet, then I don't see how a simple "DD" can't be added to this costume. It's already got horns. And there's a little too much black on it, and I know it represents the most "armored" parts of the suit, but the black seems to just be thrown on there in random places, and it is too much. On some parts of the suit, like on the abs, the black looks out of place.

                              

     However, the costume doesn't dictate the series. Daredevil does a great job of focusing on the crime drama to begin the series before moving into the superhero/supervillain territory. I look at this show and it makes me realize that this is what Arrow wants to be, but can't because it's on the CW. If Marvel keeps with the gritty, street-level shows, then they have a bright future with Netflix. By keeping true to the crime drama and not moving too fast into the more comic booky territory that will undoubtedly follow, Daredevil was a total success. There are also some very intriguing threads left hanging, and the season closes with a wrap to the story and questions lingering, surely being saved for another season. Fingers crossed that they make the transition from a crime drama to a show that will definitely have supernatural ninjas and crazy assassins successfully, because I'm thinking of one show that hasn't made that transition with a lot of success.

     There's so much to cover in essentially a 13-hour movie, and I definitely missed some stuff, but there are my main thought on this. I've rambled on long enough. Leave your thoughts in the comments!