Today's News: one more hero returns to the marvelous fold

MovieScene got it first (thanks to me) the other day:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/146577/daredevil_terug_bij_marvel

I can only say I'm pleased by this decision. So far Daredevil wasn't treated with the proper respect that should have been this devil's due at Fox. The 2003 Daredevil movie was mildly entertaining at best. And Elektra got it even worse, being a very eligible candidate for 'Worst Marvel Adaptation' yet, its lack of quality being a prime reason it didn't even get a Dutch theater release but was released straight to DVD. And even if Daredevil had stayed at Fox with that studio's intention of creating its own 'anti-Marvel' Marvel Universe, the character would have felt awkward between the other studio properties, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. You would have two seminal superhero teams... and this one blind guy stuck in the middle as a bonus. I couldn't see that working. Still, having him join forces with some of the superheroes belonging to those teams might have worked out: a Daredevil/Wolverine crossover could have been fascinating material. But now that 'the Man without Fear' has officially returned to Marvel, that's not gonna happen.

And considering the potential alternatives we are presented with now, that's not much of a loss. Marvel Studios can go ahead and reboot Daredevil properly, carefully planning his role in the bigger Marvel Cinematic Universe as they undoubtedly intend to do. And after all, why not? Even though Daredevil isn't exactly a mighty superhero powerhouse compared to the likes of Thor or the Hulk, he fits right in with the more down-to-earth kinda heroes like Black Widow or Hawkeye that were (mostly) done justice in The Avengers. Plus, he resides in New York, which is conveniently also the location of the Avengers' base of operations, so they would be bound to run into him sooner or later. And of course, Daredevil has had a stint running with the Avengers for quite some years in the comics with which it all began (even though that was much later in the run of the series). So there's plenty of reasons to start incorporating Daredevil into the larger context, somewhere in Marvel's Phase 3 (which probably won't start until 2016). But let's start with his own movie first of course, making us forget all about the Ben Affleck flick and proving to the audience that Daredevil can still be a compelling character in his own rights. And worry about Elektra later, please. For now, it's all speaking long term, since Marvel's Phase 2 has all been planned out already.

And speaking of Marvel Phase 2, it has begun this week with Iron Man 3 hitting theaters. I haven't had the chance yet to go and see it, but I did get to see the after-credits scene (which will save me from having to sit through the end credits with that horrible tune!). I think fans of either the Hulk or Mark Ruffalo will get a kick out of it, even though it's mostly for laughs and doesn't hint at a future Hulk movie for sure. Think The Avengers' shoarma scene, but with more dialogue. I laughed.

Daredevil

Rating: ***/*****, or 7/10

One of the poorest of Marvel Comics adaptations, though still an entertaining action flick. As a kid, Matt Murdock comes into contact with toxic waste that blinds him for life but heightens all his other senses, including his need for justice. When his father is murdered by the mob, he makes it his life's cause to fight crime, by day as a lawyer, by night as the vigilante Daredevil who prowls the streets of New York in a red leather suit and beats up bad guys. This gets him on the radar of mob boss Kingpin (the huge Michael Clarke Duncan (R.I.P. 2012) is perfectly suited for the part, except the tone of his skin is not in sync with the original comic book character, but with such a neat actor, who cares?) and his crazed assassin Bullseye (Colin Farrell) who is ordered to give the Devil his due. Poor Matt also has to deal with the beautiful but deadly Elektra Natchios, a girl he has fallen in love with but who believes his alter ego to be her father's killer. Plenty of interesting characters and an abundance of solid action scenes cannot fully make up for the pale shadow this movie grew to be compared to Marvel franchises like Spider-Man or X-Men at that time. Most of the blame can be assigned to Ben Affleck, who just does a terrible job at making his character a compellingly blind guy tortured by remorse and anger over his father's demise and driven by a relentless need to avenge crime. Similarly, the romance with Elektra feels contrived and is never exposed as much as it needs to be to come over as believable or something the audience needs to care about, despite the dire consequences in store for this supposed passion. At least Kingpin feels like a true menace, while Bullseye is just a delightful amoral and wicked person Farrell plays with apparent appropriate enthusiasm. The Director's Cut, running a good half hour longer than its theatrical counterpart, is the preferred version to watch, adding more depth to the characters and a few more subplots to flesh out the whole, but it cannot compensate for Affleck's feeble performance. Marvel movies hit their lowest ebb with Daredevil's spin-off flick Elektra (2005), which was released as a direct-to-DVD feature in many territories and destroyed the femme fatale character even more eagerly. Director Johnson was responsible for a second disappointing Marvel adaptation with Ghost Rider in 2007.

Starring: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Michael Clarke Duncan

Directed by Mark Steven Johnson

USA: 20^th Century Fox, 2003