Daredevil: Director's Cut - IGN (original) (raw)

From the start, I [Jeff] thought that Daredevil got an unfair rap. Yes, the film had its problems and it was far from perfect, but the fact that some critics placed the film on their "Worst Of" lists for 2003 is simply ludicrous. This was clearly a case of critics jumping onto the hate bandwagon for a large-scale film.
Unfortunately for Mr. Affleck, he was twice the target of critic hatefests in the past year. And no, Gigli wasn't that bad either, but that's a whole other story. Affleck himself is constantly a target of unoriginal critics, but I'd put him up to the Pepsi challenge any day against the likes of Paul Walker, Keanu Reeves and Freddie Prinze, Jr.

He just needs a good director. Mark Steven Johnson did a very competent job with Affleck on Daredevil, but the project may have been a bit overwhelming of an undertaking for such a young director who hadn't had previous experience with a blockbuster-type film.

Daredevil: Director's Cut is a marked improvement over the original. It fleshes out many aspects that were glossed over in the 90 minute theatrical release. From what I can remember of the comics, this version is also far more loyal to the feel of the Frank Miller Daredevil world.

Themes such as Matt Murdock's struggle with his Catholic upbringing are more focused and provide an interesting aside to the dingy, dark world that Murdock lives in and protects. The more extensive opening origin story, of Murdock and his father, is a vast improvement.

Now, instead of the rushed story we got before, we see more of the relationship between Matt and his father, which really helps to enrich the Daredevil journey. We also get a greater understanding of Daredevil's abilities and the psychological struggles that often come along with his super-senses, which he can't turn off.

The Daredevil DVD Menu.

The best part is that the film is now darker overall, more violent and just plain grittier. The fights, particularly those near the end with Bullseye and Kingpen, are more extensive. They are bloodier and more intense and they work better in the context of this new cut. This version is now rated "R."

The most telling aspect of this new cut might be that the story of Elektra now takes a distant backseat to the Man Without Fear. This may actually explain the choice to go with the more streamlined original theatrical cut, in which Elektra is almost as big a character as Daredevil himself.

Now, with a longer and more extensive backstory, Elektra is only a periphery character and her part on the whole is reduced. Parts of the love story from the theatrical cut have also been omitted, which shifts the focus from a romantic action story to a dark origin film. It seems quite likely that, with rising star Jennifer Garner in the role, the studio saw the opportunity to add more Elektra to the story and set-up her spin-off film, which is set for release this January.

This is your optic nerve on too much GTA.

Fans of the comic should find this to be the superior version of the film. If you hated Ben Affleck in the theatrical release, I won't lie to you, you won't like this version either. Affeck now has a larger, more dramatic part. He does a good job. He may not have been the best choice for the role, perhaps too large a star to really disappear into such a high profile character, but I still think he was a good choice and he does look the part.

Comic fans will also notice some specific nods directly out of issues of the comic book. While I liked the original, it wasn't particularly memorable. This version makes Daredevil's story and his struggles a whole lot more engaging. I'd be very interested to see a different director's and actor's (Affleck has already said he won't return to the role, unless Kevin Smith directs) take on Daredevil's continuing journey, who is one of the most complex and certainly one of my favorite comic characters.

Score: 7 out of 10

Get a load of this guy, challenging me to a game of darts.

The Video

Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, Daredevil looks pretty much the same as the original cut, with some improvements in sharpness and overall contrast. It's a pretty dark movie, lighting-wise, but that's not an issue as black levels are solid with no diffusion.

Lights/white colors are clean and free of noise, and the few reds in the film (roses, usually) are free of chroma noise or dot crawl. There's a little bit of strobing and blurring during the action sequences but those are minor.

Fine detail is excellent, with minor softness in the background. Skin tones are very good, as is facial and body detail. One of the new scenes shows how scarred and damaged Murdock is, and it's all shown in painful detail.

Score: 8 out of 10

Languages and Audio

Like the original release, we have English DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio and a French Dolby Digital soundtrack. Subtitles are in English and Spanish.

Daredevil's audio is pretty much on par with the original release. It does an effective job of showing how a blind man uses sound like sonar (gives new meaning to the term "blind as a bat"). The audio puts you in the middle and you are Matt in places, hearing what he hears and using audio to figure out where everything is.

This means the entire surround sound set comes into play, giving you some really intense audio coming at you from all sites.

Is that an Adam's Apple in your throat or are you just happy to see me?

Likewise, the film has very good subtlety. The quiet moments are just as effective, although silence is not something Matt Murdock knows all that well. His quieter moments with Electra work nicely, too.

Score: 9 out of 10

**What some people won't do to get a cab in New York.

Packaging and Extras

There's no elaborate casing or slipcover here, unless they decide to add it for the final release. On the cover is Daredevil's trademark double "D" symbol. This cover replaces the original DVD case, which featured Daredevil and Elektra with equal prominence on the cover. Like the extended cut itself, this film is meant to focus on Daredevil. The extras are pretty skimpy in comparison to the original double disc special edition. It seems as though this version is meant to be more of an accompanying disc to the original set.

The first extra is a featurette on Daredevil: Director's Cut, which discusses the changes from the original theatrical cut. There are interviews with Mark Steven Johnson, Avi Arad and the other producers associated with the film. Johnson discusses the reasons for the changes that were made. It seems clear that he was unhappy with the original cut, referring to it as a "flawed film."

You cast Bennifer in my movie?!?

He does, however, try to make a case at the end for liking either version, which sounds more like what the studio wanted Johnson to say then what Johnson really feels. Arad and the other producers say the basic old studio B.S., essentially that this is supposed to be a different take, but not really a better film. Uh-huh, right.

We wouldn't recommend watching this before you watch the Director's Cut, because it gives away just about all of the differences. It runs about fifteen minutes and, if you already saw what the differences were, there's really no reason to check out this extra.

I told you, I'm not taking her back.

There is a whole new commentary track by writer/director Mark Steven Johnson and producer Avi Arad, discussing the changes that were made, what was lost with the original cut, what's new and how they felt about the changes. They are pretty honest in discussing their choices and decisions, even things in the director's cut that they would like to have changed. It complements the featurette perfectly.

Score: 6 out of 10

Hey, get your own bathtub.