“Daredevil” is one of the darkest and most mature superhero stories yet, balancing engaging storylines with gritty characterization that adds up to a spectacular and ferocious addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The story of “Daredevil” follows Matthew Murdock (Charlie Cox) a blind lawyer with enhanced senses and martial arts training who has dedicated himself to cleaning up the hive of scum and villainy that is Hell’s Kitchen. His law partner, secretary and a helpful ER nurse aids him in his mission to dismantle the criminal empire of an expertly played Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio).
“Daredevil” tells the dark and gritty superhero tale better than any other movie or TV series out there. The show gets the ambiance and tone just right, but what sets it above all others is its balance of levity and drama. There are scenes that involve both heroes and villains that offer genuine humanity, friendship and good humor. These moments of light lengthen the shadows and make them all the darker when the threat of losing that brightness by either failure or death is present.
The fight scenes in this series are some of the best ever put to screen. When Daredevil gets into a fight against someone, it isn’t going to be a one-sided affair. He’s often just as beaten and broken as his opponent when these fights drag out, leaving him tired and vulnerable. This makes for more realistic and pulse-pounding action as Matt’s threshold for punishment is put to the test in fights that are brutal, often disturbing and filled with palpable tension.
The Matthew Murdock they have crafted in this show is a complex person that struggles to find the balance between the morality of law, his own religious beliefs and the life of a vigilante. Every character on this show feels like a real person, but Matt is the core that reflects all others around him. Even if you aren’t religious or don’t dress up as a ninja and flip-kick criminals at night, as many of us in Wyoming often do, you can appreciate how confusing the morality of life can be and how hard it is to try a be a good person when “good” can be so loosely defined.
The Wilson Fisk of the show is a different creature from what’s in the source comics. He’s dangerous and smart, to be sure, but he’s also flawed in a very humanizing way. Fisk struggles against adversity just as much as Daredevil. The sympathy Fisk elicits makes you want him to succeed at times, painting a world of deep greys rather than one of black and white. The difficult morality issues that Fisk poses make him one of the best antagonists in any comic book adaptation.
If there are any chinks in the armor, it lies with the costuming and story. Daredevil’s initial black ninja costume is drab and boring, and while his classic red outfit is good for the most part, it has a few annoying details that hold it back from being something I would consider truly “classic.” The main problem is the nose guard, which goes against the character’s fifty years worth of established mask conventions, it throws the entire outfit off and makes him look a little bit too much like Batman.
The story itself is fine. It serves the fulfillment of characterization quite well and it’s wide-sweeping enough to make what Daredevil is accomplishing small, yet offers a satisfactory origin story and builds a backdrop for further adventures. However, if you look away for just a second, you may lose track of why characters are investigating a lead or why someone is bashing another person to death.
“Daredevil” is a must-watch for anyone even remotely interested in the antics of costumed heroes. This is a show for adults who don’t mind seeing a few broken bones, broken skulls and broken characters struggling against each other, trying to make the world a better place.
