Review: Marvel takes risk with ‘Daredevil’ on Netflix
Marvel once again produces a piece of theater that stands up and in some cases succeeds the work before.
“Daredevil” follows the encompassing story of Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), an aspiring attorney by day and the protector of Hell’s Kitchen by night. Along with a group of trusted friends and individuals, Murdock — as the vigilante Daredevil — will do anything within his power to protect the city he loves from new crime lord Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio).
The number-one component to this first season would have to be its fighting sequences. They are truly phenomenal, some of the best I’ve seen in a long time. I loved how this show pulls you into conflicts between Daredevil and his opponents in a way that gives you a great scope of the fights. They choose not to pull you in so close that you’re just seeing fists making contact or a flailing leg sticking someone in half-millisecond shots one after another, which would make you dizzy and confused.
Instead, “Daredevil” gives an incredible sightline into the fights that allow you to fully appreciate the action on the screen. The shots are framed in such a way that you can see all the action in a meaningful and emotional way. More times than not I found myself with my heart racing, wondering how Daredevil was going to find his way out of another battle.
The structure for the first season starts off strong, with Murdock taking on a string of clients and then using information provided by them to take action as Daredevil. Unfortunately, about halfway through the season, the focus of the story moves to Murdock’s friends and associates who are trying to find a way to take down Fisk. With this shift in storytelling, the action of the season takes a big hit. In some cases, the pace of “Daredevil” can work all the way down to a crawl with dialog about why it’s a good idea to take action against Fisk rather than throwing in the towel. However, the season picks up again when Murdock decides he should be taking more action as Daredevil. Overall, I think the payoff for the end of the season isn’t as strong as the first few episodes.
Another thing this show did a wonderful job with was secondary characters. There are two, in particular, that stood out to me. Ayelet Zurer portrays Vanessa Marianna, a woman who works at an art gallery where she meets Wilson Fisk. The back and forth between her and Fisk is fantastic because the show uses Vanessa as a tool to bring out what type of person Fisk is and where his motivation arises. I loved her in this role because she chose to portray Vanessa as a gritty and interesting character who you feel for throughout the show.
Toby Leonard Moore portrayed Wesley, second in command to Fisk as well as his best friend. I enjoyed his role in the show because of his friendship with Fisk and willingness to do anything to help him. You get a strong emotional connection as a viewer for the relationship between Wesley and Fisk, and you understand that Wesley only wants what’s best for Fisk.
Finally, another strong element to this show would be the use of graphic material throughout the story. Now, I don’t want to push people away, thinking it’s comparable to a “Saw” film, because it’s not. Marvel understands that stories in Hell’s Kitchen are meant to be told with that intense feel, and I’m glad they decided not to shy away from that type of material.
Overall I’d give the show a solid A. There are times where I feel like the show slows for the sake of being slow. But I understand that those portions are important to the series to help develop these characters for an audience that may not be familiar with them.
Marvel will continue with their line-up of Netflix shows hopefully later this year with a story titled “A.K.A. Jessica Jones.” Jessica Jones will lead into two other shows, “Iron Fist” and “Luke Cage,” culminating in a team-up titled “The Defenders” a few years down the road. So, get into the Hell’s Kitchen story now before you get behind. Or wait until it all comes out and binge watch the heck out of it. Either way you can’t go wrong.
—Jay Wolin is majoring in communications and started writing film reviews for The Utah Statesman in the fall. He loves football, movies and comic. Send questions or comments to jacob_wolin@yahoo.com.