TV REVIEW: Daredevil

Courtesy of Netflix

Netflix is a great resource, especially when there aren’t many appealing options at the local multiplex. In addition to offering a wide range of film choices, the streaming service – once known for sending subscribers little red envelopes in the mail – is also making great strides in the rapidly evolving world of television. Because Netflix makes entire seasons of their shows available up front, it creates plenty of opportunities for viewers to lose themselves in episodes for hours at a time.

The company’s most recent series, a new version of Marvel’s Daredevil, premiered recently and has already generated a significant amount of buzz. It’s yet another example that proves the modern television landscape is giving the big screen some major competition.

If your only experience with Marvel’s masked vigilante is the much-maligned (unfairly, in my opinion) Ben Affleck movie, this latest incarnation of the character offers a different, much darker take. The story takes place in the same world as the Marvel flicks (the Avengers are even referenced a couple of times), but focuses on street-level heroes and villains that Iron Man and Captain America are too busy to notice.

Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) definitely notices. His neighborhood – a fictional, non-gentrified Hell’s Kitchen – is infested with human traffickers, Russian mobsters, corrupt cops and shady CEOs. He can only do so much in his role as a lawyer, so he suits up at night to deliver justice to the guys he can’t defeat in a courtroom.

Oh, and did I mention he’s blind? As a child, he was involved in a freak accident involving a truck hauling radioactive chemicals. He pushed an elderly man out of the truck’s path, the truck spilled its cargo and Murdock lost his sight. However, something in the chemicals heightened his other senses.

Now he’s using those abilities and the fighting skills he inherited from his pugilist father to clean up his city. Some citizens, like Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson), appreciate his efforts. Others, like crime boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) view him as a problem to be solved as soon as possible.

Although I’ve only seen a couple of the series’ 13 episodes, I’m already sold; I want to take my time watching this one, instead of blowing through it in a weekend. I love the slow-burn narrative, which allows time for the characters to breathe and develop. That’s ironic considering how tired I am of big screen superhero origins, but Daredevil is concerned with the little details in a way that movies don’t have the time or patience for.

Quite a few critics have compared the series to Batman Begins, and they’re not exactly wrong. It has the same dark tone and a brooding central character who takes his sweet time getting into the famous suit people remember from the comics – only in Daredevil’s case it’s red, not black. After two hours of story, Murdock still looks like the Dread Pirate Roberts from The Princess Bride, dressed all in black with a bandana covering the top half of his face. (In a nice touch, there’s no holes cut out for his eyes. It’s not like he needs them.)

The series also shares Nolan’s penchant for surprisingly graphic violence, particularly when many mainstream viewers still think of comics as kiddie material. There is a stellar fight sequence at the end of the second episode (shot to look like a single take thanks to some well-hidden edits), in which Daredevil takes down a gang of Russian thugs to save a kidnapped little boy.

The battle is breathtaking in its ferocity. Murdock is a monster when he fights, but he takes as much as he dishes out. By the time he reaches the child, he’s exhausted and bloody from the pummeling. But it doesn’t matter, because the kid is safe.

For those who aren’t fans of the superhero genre, there’s plenty to appreciate about the series’ B-stories as well. There’s a major focus on Murdock’s day job and his colleagues (Elden Henson and Woll), plus an in-depth look at the city’s criminal element. I enjoy that as much as the superheroics, since it grounds the proceedings in reality (well, as much as that’s possible in a story about a blind, acrobatic ninja who can dodge bullets).

The cast is fantastic. Cox is great in the lead role and Henson does solid work as Murdock’s friend and comic relief. Woll and Dawson bring far more weight and humanity to their supporting roles than comic book properties usually allow. I can’t wait to get to the episodes featuring D’Onofrio as Daredevil’s archenemy. I’ve only heard his voice so far, but I love how that works to build the anticipation.

If you’re not typically a fan of superhero tales, Daredevil probably seems like a tough slog. But give it a shot and you might be surprised. I’d compare it to a gritty crime drama like The Shield before I put it next to The Avengers.

Daredevil is rated TV-MA. (Content-wise, it’s the equivalent of a drama you’d find on a cable network like FX or AMC.)

Grade (for the first two episodes): B+