April 27, 2004
Daredevil (2003)
[2 - OK]
It was with great trepidation that I decided to watch the recent superhero flick Daredevil (2003). Since the movie's release and subsequent bombing I had been curious to see how the Marvel hero was treated on the big screen but reluctant to dish any money out for it, so I waited for my local library to pick a copy up on DVD. I liked reading the Daredevil comics and figured how bad could this flick really be? The answer: Pretty damned.
I think one of the great disappointments of the movie was the realization that Ben Affleck is not just in a rut, but he honestly seems to be stuck doing a mediocre job in mediocre movies. After some rather fun and good performances in movies like Good Will Hunting (1997), Dogma (1999) and Shakespeare in Love (1998) Affleck has followed with a string of stinkers including Armageddon (1998), Pearl Harbor (2001), Changing Lanes (2002) and last year's ultra-bomb Gigli (2003). Culmulated on his rather flat interpretation of Matt Murdock is a palpable lack of chemistry with co-star Jennifer Garner who has a scored a leading role in the upcoming partial sequel Elektra (2005). The Elektra character was a disappointment as well, though I admit I may be biased since this is one of the few comics I have actually read (I have never been one for men-in-tights novels but I love the works of Frank Miller). Garner does deserve some kudos for her effort to breathe some life into the character given the flat script she had to deal with.
What the movie has in looks it quickly looses in bad writing. Case in point is the way the feared-bad-guy character Bullseye is treated. After a brief introduction Bullseye (played by Colin Farrell) is quickly rushed to an unmotivated killing spree, a confrontation with our hero immediately followed by his death. The movie takes not time to develop the character or give any suggestion of why he takes the actions that he does. This is unfortunately symptomatic of the movie as a whole: At times beautiful, at times funny but overall flat and un-interesting.
Previously on GeekRoar.com:
Film Roar: Ben Affleck as Daredevil
I love the movie and cant wait,for a sequel,and the Elektra movie!
Posted by: Darth Elektra on June 11, 2004 08:13 PMPretty dead on review. Affleck was poor casting, but the writing was the real problem. At least Farrel had energy, but it was wasted in this stinker. I've seen worse movies, but this was pretty blah.
Ultimately, I think Affleck makes a better role player than star. He's just got name recongition and a People Magazine following. (Which I don't understand because I still haven't met a woman who thinks he's overly attractive.)
I thought he was actually appropriately cast in Changing Lanes, which was an okay movie. It just made a better niche/small film than a blockbuster. It wasn't much of a msss market concept.
The next two films on his filmography look more up his alley, plus the recent Jersey Girl. But none of them look like real winners. I hope he gets regular work, but I think he makes a good Kevin Smith protaganist or boyish urbanite and not much more.
Posted by: Nick on April 28, 2004 05:56 PM
