DVD Review HTF REVIEW: Daredevil - Director's Cut (1 Viewer)

[DustinPizarro]

After watching the Director's Cut, all I can say is that I hate the theatrical cut even more. This is and should have been the definitive version that should have been released theatrically. I was amazed at the diference in the flow of the movie and character development that was cut out. How can the producer even consider that his chopped version was better?
Although I still have some minor complaints, the storyline is as faithful to the source as we are going to get. It was great to see Matt and Foggy trying to prove their client's innocence outside the courthouse. It was something out of CSI. Foggy got the most out of this version and the movie is better for it especially the scene involving him and Karen Page. Matt appears less grim this time with a few touches of humor. Most of all is that he is truly concerned about protecting and defending the innocent.
As far as the "leaping" scenes ala "Crouching Dragon.", I agree with the director that there simply was not enough time to explain all that and it would just drag the movie to another direction. Lets just say that in the comic book series Matt and Elektra were trained by a blind martial arts master.

 

[Carlo_M]

Man, I was hyped to see the new cut, but now I think I want to see this first! Sounds funny as hell...

 

[Doug Schiller]

My biggest problem remains in the DC...

What is Murdock's role in the trial at the beginning?
Is he a D.A. or a private attorney?
Is he suing the Kingpin underling or trying him for a crime?
The movie tried to make you think he was doing pro bono work for people that didn't have the money to hire attorneys, not D.A. work?

Unless I'm an idiot, if you get beat up and raped, you don't call your friendly, neighborhood attorney to try to send the bad guy to jail, the state has a little say in that.

That, and I can't wait for the explaination on how Elektra is supposedly still alive to make another movie when the cops find her dead body in this one.

After those nitpicks... I love the new version. Great transfer.

 

[George_W_K]

CPR and a little bit of Bondo.

I love this new cut. I also liked the TC, but this version is much more enjoyable. Especially the fight scenes. Does the sound seem better to anyone else? I didn't remember this sounding so good.

 

[Donnie Eldridge]

I watched the DC twice, last night and again this morning. This movie is a totally different beast. There is absolutely no comparison between the two.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Yes it definately was a better movie. If I remember correctly the Orignal X Men movie suffered a similar fate it was cut down to 96 min and we got some of those scenes back in the DVD but not all. And Star trek Nemesis was also severly Cut down to "Flow" better with not all those scenes finding a way back. Maybe those that Saw the improvement in DD could see how even Nemesis could've benefitted from producers that think they now what's best,

 

[Rick Lyon]

If you read the comic (probably didn't) her body is stolen by a evil nija assassin clan and they revive her body to kill Matt. She doesn't Electra almost dies and she goes to China or something to train with the ninjas and old man shown in the trailer.

As for DD, they ruined the comic so much that I'm not sure if this new cut would do it for me. I'm a purist, as much as I hated that Aunt May didn't sew Peter's costume in the movie, it was a small detail I could let go. But Electra's dad's death was wrong, Bullseye is all wrong, the time period of Bullseye in the story is way off, he's supposed to be massive. The way Bullseye killed ectra is pretty close, and Electra fighting DD when they first re-met did happen, but at night and on top of buildings with no little kiddies. Just so many flaws in the story from the comic book make it hard to like because DD was a favorite of mine growing up, and they ruined him. Electra was also a favorite and at least her trailer looks pretty good. We'll see how accurate they stay to her story.

 

[Rick Lyon]

And for sake of arguement, for those that don't know what bullseye really looked like you can see why I think they really destroyed his apppearance in the movie, nothing like in the comic books-



They made him out to be some biker with a weird tattoo on his forehead. I mean they put DD, King Pin & Electra in pretty much their exact appearance, but bullseye in an overcoat?

 

[Mark Maltais]

Well, super hero movies that are really true to the original are dificult or next to impossible to make. Organic web-shooters come to mind. It would have taken too long to try and show Peter inventing the things and most people forgive such things if the story holds out. Remember that DD during this story line was written by Miller and he (IMHO) is the MASTER when it comes to comic stories. With DD there would have been to many sub-plots and explanations to try and explain the timelines that it would become tiresome and dificult.

I agree DD isn't perfect but they obviously followed the x-men movie when it comes to costumes. If you look at Bullseye's costume in the comics it would have looked retarded in the movie and not translated as well. + I don't think Farell (sp?) was a good choice for the role, but he did appear to have fun with it. I do think the movie would have been MUCH better in theater's with the DC.

My $0.02

 

[Doug Schiller]

Rick,

I know all about that Frank Miller storyline. I have no problems with that explanation.

Do you think they are going to go with it in the movie???
I'd bet my house against it.

From what I have seen from the trailer, they probably chose to go with a prequel from the DD movie (they show her as a young girl in training). Maybe the events of DD haven't happened yet.
Then, if they make a sequel, they will convienently forget about the mortal wounds she wound up with in DD.

Doug

 

[Ray H]

This was in the comic? How did it work out since Aunt May didn't even find out about Peter's identity until a few years ago?

I'm thinking Elektra's gonna be a sequel because there are some rumors that Affleck's making a cameo. They could say that Elektra survived. The thing about the brail necklace at the end of the first film was kinda ambiguous. Did she survive and put it there or did she leave it there before the fight?

I know they shot a moment after that scene where Matt turns and sees Elektra standing on a rooftop but they didn't go for that. I suppose since the timeline's pretty short at the end of the movie, she could've made it out alive. Her heart could've stopped but the medics could've revived her.

 

[Citizen87645]

I disliked the theatrical so much I didn't even bother to look at it in the lineup, until I saw it at Target for 12.99 and the bargain hunter instinct took over . Thanks for the review Micheal, I may get this one after all.

 

[Scotty_McW]

Doug,

On apple's trailer page there are some featurettes on the making of Elektra. I think the first one shows them reviving her in an ambulance.
Based on that, I think it's not really a prequel to DD.

 

[Ray H]

Just watched the Director's Cut. Very good!

 

[Chris Farmer]

Well, for what it's worth, even the trailer says "After you come back from the dead, things are never quite the same" or something like that. Even still, modern medicine can work miracles. A stopped heart is no obstacle to survival anymore with rapid medical attention, and the police and medics were there almost immediately.

 

[Chris Farmer]

Man, I just got a chance to watch my copy of the DC (damned med school tests are screwing up my entire schedule for the next two weeks, I'll even have to wait a day or two to see the EE of RotK); what a revelation. Daredevil had always been a movie I enjoyed for reasons I couldn't explain. Watching I would sit there and pick out flaw after flaw and see all the movie's faults (and there were many), and yet when it was over I'd still have had a hell of a time. I don't understand it, but there you go.

The DC, on the other hand, was an absolutely great movie. Some of the faults are still there to some degree, but many more are reduced. In addition, the extra running time really manages to flesh out the characters and bring a lot more depth to what's going on, as well as make the movie's world far more vivid and interconnected. I always figured there was a pretty good movie underneath all of DD's problems, but the end result was absolutely shocking to see. I highly recommend this new cut to anyone who wasn't sold on the first one, and if you did enjoy it you're gonna be amazed at how much better it is.

I do have one question for fans of the comic book. Daredevil does seem in large part to draw a lot of inspiration from Bat Man, but one thing I found interesting in the movie was that DD kills, while it's one of Bat Man's inviolate laws that he never does. This is doubly interesting given Matt's Catholic faith (which both cuts bring out, although the theatrical has him as more of a practicing Catholic then the DC), so I was just wondering if the comic book DD ever killed, and if it was as big a part of him not too as it was for Bat Man, or if that was a change made for the movie. If so, that's a serious fault, given that the decision to make Bat Man a killer in the movies is one of its most unforgivable sins in my mind (sure you're allowed to make changes to the source material, but some aspects are inviolate, especially defining character traits).

 

[Tim Glover]

Good review Chris. I've been hesitant with this one. I've been on a kind of negative slant against Ben Affleck lately. He's starting to irritate me. I know I'm letting some bias affect me. :frowning:

Also, I'm a big Jennifer Garner fan and one of the reasons I liked the Theatrical version was her role. If indeed it's diminished, then I doubt it will work as much for me.

Is her role reduced alot???

 

[Lou Sytsma]

That is a big copout. You cannot gloss over fundamental issues like that. If you do not want to explain it, then do not give the characters that ability.

 

[Mark Maltais]

I was a big fan of the DD comics ever since about issue #80, Back then I also was buying old issues until I pretty much had the entire series. I stopped collecting them around issue 250 I think. I DON'T remember DD ever intentionally killing anybody though (I haven't read an issue for over 15 years :frowning I could be wrong. I'd have to open up the box and re-read the series....hmmmm maybe I'll do that soon

 

[DustinPizarro]

You make an excellent point Lou. It is a copout but as I also mentioned later that both Daredevil and Elektra were trained by a blind martial arts master to battle a ninja cult called the Hand. While I have loved to see that in the movie I doubt that the producer/director would have added it since then it would change the direction of the movie. There was simply too much backstory to add to a 2+ hour movie and do it justice.

As far as DD killing anybody? I don't think he's ever come to that. My memory is kinda spotty. But he has been driven to kill many times by the Kingpin but refused because of his belief in the law.