(Why is there no rainy-day saying for Seattle? E.g,. "The rain in Seattle falls mainly on the cattle." Hmm.)
Last night I watched Daredevil and I have to say, I didn't hate it. The first half, especially, was visually stunning, as if they'd handcrafted every single frame of film. Plus, I loved DD's gorgeous catacomb of an apartment--lights out, everything in it monochrome, the boxing gloves hanging there in memoriam, the sensory deprivation tank. I've had a little thing for blind heroes ever since watching "Blind Fury" (plus, this called to mind "The Sentinel" at times) and when DD stripped for his shower and I saw his incredibly scarred back I made a helpless guh sound. Scar kink, too. And it was wonderful, for that small slice of the movie--with the scars and the pills and the tank--that they showed a superhero who paid a serious physical toll for his escapades.
I think that if it had been anyone but Affleck in the role, this could have been a hit without too many other changes (short list: flesh out the story a bit, make the romance less stupid, give Bullseye a personality, stop trying to give a billionaire's daughter street cred). But he is nothing but movie star beefcake these days. No presence, no soul. I've really only watched a handful of movies he's been in, but it's obvious that the kind of roles he had in "Chasing Amy" and "Dogma" let him play to his strengths--he's a goof, a not particularly bright smart aleck, a poor dumb jerk with a misplaced heart. He just doesn't belong in A-list movies like "Pearl Harbor" or "Sum of All Fears" or this, trying to straighten himself into characters that have no edges, nothing to cling to. (Matt Damon is suffering the same fate over in "The Bourne Identity" et al.) Is this the same guy who made a film called, "I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meat Hook, and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney"?
Given the darkness of the film--and it really did try hard for dark--they should have had Christian Bale, or someone like him, play Daredevil.
A few lessons I've taken from this film:
- Colin Farrell should not be bald.
- Superheroes should not be upholstered in burgundy vinyl.
- Girls should not fight.
I had some more to write here, but for some stupid reason I have a stomach-ache. Must figure out what to do with it.