Comic Book Media

The third CommentaryCast ventures into one of Marvel’s first pseudo-failures at the box office. While the original theatrical cut of this film is fundamentally flawed, this director’s cut does a lot to correct those issues. It still ends up being an odd mish-mash of silly and serious, but it’s much easier to watch. That said, it hasn’t aged exceptionally well. I was once a staunch defender of this film, now some of its problems are much more evident. It seems odd that Marvel would follow up X-Men and Spider-Man with a relatively little-known hero like Daredevil. And yet, it was a surprisingly faithful adaptation, even down to some visual cues. With that, enjoy Brian and I discussing Daredevil and see if your thoughts on it have changed (for better or worse) over time.

NOTES:
-Recorded in October 2014.
-The character was created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett in 1964.
-Daredevil was first adapted into live-action in the television movie The Trial of the Incredible Hulk from 1989. He was played by Rex Smith.
-FACT CHECK: At one point I misidentify Karen Page as Ellen Page (inserting Ellen Pompeo’s first name). The actual, real-life Ellen Page does not, in fact, have AIDS.
-A new Daredevil television series, set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is available on Netflix. It stars Charlie Cox as Matt and Vincent D’Onofrio as Fisk. Unlike this movie, it premiered to widespread critical acclaim.