Daredevil Final Verdict, Season 1: 4 Episode Challenge

Daredevil is poised to take the throne as the best Comic Book adaptation to date. Period. Yes, it’s that damned good. Here’s why we’ll be watching and you should too.
by Christopher Bourque on April 5, 2015
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Daredevil is poised to take the throne as the best Comic Book adaptation to date. Period. Yes, it’s that damned good. Here’s why we’ll be watching and you should too.

The Show: Daredevil

The Network: Netflix

The Genre: Comic Book, Drama

The Challenge: Give a show four episodes with which to draw you in, impress you, challenge you, make you feel something deeply. Four episodes for the chance to find out if you care what happens to the characters you’re watching enough to become invested in the story. If after all that, it does none of those things for you? Then no biggie. You gave it a good shot and you can move on. But if you love it, you’ll be glad you stuck around.

The Premise: An original series from the online streaming network, Netflix, Daredevil follows the life of Matt Murdock aka Daredevil (Charlie Cox). A lawyer by day and superhero by night on a mission to clean up the city of Hell’s Kitchen, New York and fight an underground evil in the city. The series also stars Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson with Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple and Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk.

MARVEL'S DAREDEVIL

#1: The sublime, charming and visceral Charlie Cox will absolutely wow you—over and over again.

Charlie Cox introduces us slowly to the dichotomy that is the quiet Matt Murdock by day and the relentless Daredevil by night. While the super hero genera has seen many actors and characters do this well, Cox has immediately entered the conversation for the best in recent memory. Those aren’t words we put in to print lightly. Charlie Cox has crafted something extraordinary and Daredevil is likely to rocket him to stardom. As our understanding of Matt unfolds and the connected threads of his life are plucked, we see the vibrations touch the core of this character through a kaleidoscope of events.

Related | Marvel’s Daredevil Official Trailer

No one thing ever defines a human being and in turn no one thing drives Matt Murdock. His emerging persona is a complex, nuanced evolution, tied deeply to his father, his city, those he cares for and his work to affect change in Hell’s Kitchen—the place that he calls home. By day Matt is quiet, measured and deliberate, but the brilliance of Cox comes in his presence on screen through all those moments. Matt Murdock is a sublime, charming individual with hints of a much deeper and darker self restrained persona just under the surface, but at night—the restraints come off and that darker self is unleashed with frightening power.

Daredevil Posters 1

#2: An ensemble cast of genuine, flawed, brilliant characters make Daredevil something extraordinarily special.

Marvel has built it’s success on its ability to choose talented writers, directors and performers and Daredevil sets the bar even higher. We came into our review of this series with absolutely no idea what to expect from any of the cast, but can honestly say we are floored at the diverse range of outstanding performances that brought Daredevil to life. Beyond Charlie Cox, the entire cast is as solid as they come. Simply put, Daredevil doesn’t have any character that is a weak link.

Related | Marvel’s Daredevil Character Posters

Deborah Ann Woll, showing off her tremendous range as Karen Page, is an emotional powerhouse with depth and complexity that continue to surprise as the series expands and unfolds. Rosario Dawson is equally well cast. Claire Temple’s levity, grit and intestinal fortitude provide a unique and invaluable perspective for elements of this story that wouldn’t be seen any other way. Elden Henson may become the break out performance of this cast with his wit, humanity and his quiet confidence, that when let loose, is amazing to watch. Ayelet Zurer as the alluring Vanessa Marianna is absolutely captivating. Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk is a sight to behold. His quiet, complex demeanor elegantly mirrors that of the show’s hero, but when called for, he is quite possibly the most frightening villain we’ve seen in some time.

MARVEL'S DAREDEVIL

#3: This is intelligent television. Daredevil is just as good in what it doesn’t say aloud as what it does.

Daredevil established a great respect for the intelligence of its audience from the first few scenes. Savvy writers know that not every detail has to be explained and spelled out for an audience to connect with characters and Daredevil is completely unafraid to show us bits and pieces that matter without telling us why. In fact, stories are often exponentially better when we are allowed the satisfaction of coming to our own conclusions before the truth is revealed and in this regard, the writing team of Daredevil has taken on the persona of their hero and been fearless.

Related | 10 Things to know about Daredevil

But that fearless approach is only part of what makes Daredevil television worth watching again and again. Tender, emotional moments of humanity give way to a slow, burning roar that tears through the screen into our hearts. This show is emotional and moving. Daredevil has a subtle quietness about it that doesn’t in the least detract from the overall tension. Every scene is a build to the next and as the stakes unfold and the action becomes sudden and frenetic, every quiet moment reveals itself as the calm before the storm.

MARVEL'S DAREDEVIL

#4: Emotional, raw and inspiring, Daredevil may be the finest cinematic entry by Marvel to date.

Don’t get us wrong. The sheer spectacle of the MCU films isn’t surpassed here, but then Daredevil isn’t trying to do that. It has its feet firmly on the ground. And from that vantage point, the emotional and visceral chess match between good and evil it portrays is utterly brilliant. Especially when both sides want the same thing, but are willing to sacrifice completely different parts of their souls to achieve a similar endgame. No, Daredevil isn’t the colorful extravaganza of The Avengers, but the repercussions of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is certainly felt in the dank alleys throughout Hell’s Kitchen.

Related | Follow TV After Dark on Twitter & Like us on Facebook for More Reviews & Info on Daredevil!

Instead, Daredevil is much more about the fear of walking from work to home. It’s about neighbors helping neighbors. It’s about the weak being taken advantage of by the strong in the dark, hidden corners of the city where few dare to go. It’s about the compromises individuals eventually reach to make one small part of the world, their home, a better place. And in that regard, exploring questions of morality, justice and the fine line between right and wrong, Daredevil is quite possibly the best work Marvel has created yet.

“Marvel’s Daredevil”

Daredevil Final Verdict:

Daredevil is smart, charismatic and captivating from beginning to end. Its gripping cinematic mood, feels more like a feature film than television. Each episode leads directly into the next and feels very much like one large continuous story. From the moment you start watching, it’s hard to stop. We can vouch for that feeling. We’ve seen the first five episodes and wished like hell we could have hit play to start number six. That said, we’ll be first in line to start streaming the rest on April 10 along with everyone we can tell to do the same.

We’ve watched a lot of television at TV After Dark and we’re passionate about the medium. That perspective allows us to say with confidence that Daredevil is something rare. It’s got all the elements of greatness bundled into the first few minutes and simply doesn’t stop. We’re thrown in immediately with these characters at a logical starting place that gives us plenty of room to explore the future and the past as the show unfolds. Brilliant writing, incredible production value, unique and impressive cinematography all combine with stand out performances to make Daredevil an impressive feat. Netflix—we hope you upped your bandwidth because when word of mouth hits, the volume of people streaming Daredevil just might break the Internet.

Is Daredevil worth the watch? It's more like 'Do Not Miss' if you ask us. April 10th should be a holiday.

We worried that somehow this series couldn’t possibly live up to the hype that’s been buzzing for some time now, but after seeing it for ourselves—the hype is legit. Daredevil is about to take the world of television by storm and we’ll not only be telling anyone we know that it’s worth a watch, we’ll be telling them we can’t wait to watch ourselves—more than once. Executive Producer and Creator Drew Goddard together with Executive Producer Steven S. DeKnight assembled a level of talent and orchestrated a level of execution that truly are exceptional. Daredevil is indeed rarefied air and we are all privileged to have the chance to enjoy it.
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Daredevil, Feature, Final Verdicts, Netflix, Reviews, TV
About the Author
Christopher Bourque
Christopher was born, raised and has lived his entire life in Tennessee. He has a passion for movies, television, reading, history, comics and is an avid Whedonite. His current favorite shows are Continuum, The Walking Dead, The Last Ship, Defiance, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Blacklist. When not delving into the nuances of his pastimes, Christopher also loves sports and can be found watching college football or basketball. But compelling stories and characters arcs that unfold in spectacular tales is where his heart really lies. Talking and writing about these moments in his favorite shows led him to connect with other fans via Twitter and has inspired him to put his thoughts out to the world to read.
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