DAREDEVIL Season 1 Review

It was a major surprise when Marvel Studios announced they would be doing some Netflix-exclusive shows set in what is known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For many it was an interesting move. (Or unfortunate if one did not have the streaming service.) The main reason was of course the characters announced. It's always exciting when we find out the company has the rights to a character they didn't have for awhile. In this case, Daredevil's movie rights were owned by Fox. He had one film 12 years ago, and a spin-off...and then that was it. Now to be fair, the 2003 movie was actually pretty good. It successfully captured what the character was all about. But, as Marvel has demonstrated with the Hulk, they just know how to make better stories for their characters. Instead of a film this time however, they decided to do a series. Here we have 13 episodes for the first season. Since it's actually the highest rated show on Netflix currently, it doesn't even have to go without saying it's good, right? But just how good is it? My friend, if the first season is any indication we might have what is the best live-action comic book show.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the series in comparison to the Marvel movies is that it's a lot darker. While in almost every Marvel film where much of the dialogue is used to make the viewer laugh, here the writing is more focused on getting the story told. While the films are rather family friendly, the TV-MA rating here is quite the opposite. Considering the gritty world the Daredevil comics reside in, it wouldn't have made sense to have a tone similar to The Avengers. This shows that Marvel can do serious stories. It's much like back in the day with the Marvel Knights line. The mainstream comics were more for all ages, but the Marvel Knights told darker stories. So, I have to give credit for Marvel for actually doing something dark in their cinematic line. It's a refreshing change of pace, and showrunner Steven S. DeKnight delivers with every episode.

What separates Daredevil from shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Gotham is that those two in particular are very TV-centered. What I mean by that is they're built heavily on cliffhangers and dialogue/things to shock the viewers. Many of the characters in Gotham for example are very interestingly written...in a bad way. For example, in one of the later episodes a character spoons out her eyeball. This scene, even considering the context, doesn't make sense. It's literally just there to shock the viewer without considering the lunacy. Agents of Shield is built heavily on keeping the viewer glued with cliffhangers, many different plots, and charisma from the actors/actresses. There's nothing wrong with these things, but when you run into Daredevil, it's just on another level of storytelling.

How does Season 1's story pace? With just 13 episodes, there's no dragging on. Every episode gets to the point. There are some great flashbacks, such as with Matt and Stick, and later with the former and Foggy. These backstories nicely deepen the relationships in the modern day. The main conflict is of course against Wilson Fisk, whom there is definitely a lot to say about. But first, it's important to give praise to Charlie Cox for an absolutely stellar depiction of the title character. Marvel is usually great with casting, and I'm inclined to say this might be their best yet. He has a level of seriousness of classic Daredevil and humor from the more modern comics. He's perfectly developed as the episodes go on. An ongoing plot point is that he constantly wrestles with whether or not it's right to kill Fisk. He brings this up to his Catholic priest, which invites some great dialogue. These scenes were very good, and it was greatly disappointing that there was nothing in the final episode with it. It felt like it was missing.

It took a bit for Eldon Henson's Foggy Nelson to grow on me. For about the first half of the season he was easily the most overacted character, but by the final episode it's hard to not want him around. Despite being only 13 episodes, somehow the friendship between him and Matt is greatly established. That's why you can feel Foggy's anger when he discovers Matt had been basically lying to him all that time. Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page was solid throughout. The three of them share a great amount of chemistry. If there's one thing to be said perhaps in a negative light it's the romance. First, there's a romance slowly blossoming between Foggy and Karen. Then in the final few episodes that's pushed to the side as Foggy suddenly goes back with his ex. If this had been a few more episodes, maybe this could have handled better. Still, it won't stop the positive score.

The romance established between Wilson Fisk and Vanessa happens rather quickly. I don't think two people can get so close like that in such a short amount of time, but it works for the most part without feeling too rushed. Now, for the Kingpin. This guy has been Daredevil's primary nemesis for years in the comics. He was also in the 2003 film, and Michael Clark Duncan delivered a great portrayal there. Unlike the film's version though, the show's adaption gives him more humanity. Like Norman Osborn in the Dark Reign comic saga, you actually do feel like sometimes he actually wants to make a difference for New York. When a writer can make a villain who decapitates someone with a car door sympathetic, you know we have good writing present. Part of the reason is also the fantastic flashback to when he was younger. It's dark, frighteningly realistic, and adds even more dimension to the character. He could have been just a corrupt businessman who wants to rule, but Vincent D'Onofrio gives us the most engaging portrayal of the Kingpin yet.

Arguably the most important dynamic in a story is the conflict between the hero and villain. While Matt and Fisk don't have too much interaction, when they do it's great. The final battle in Episode 13 was easily the best scene in the show. With Fisk shouting, "I wanted to make this city something better. You took that away from me! You took everything!" the viewer can feel his hatred for "the Man in the Mask." The fight scenes in general are some of the best from Marvel. Considering there are no super powers, the company can let loose with the street-level type of combat. Every single fight scene is amazingly choreographed. From Daredevil's battle with Nobu to the final conflict, they deserve praise. When a show has fantastic writing and incredible battles, you know we have a winner.

In just 13 episodes, the series introduces quite a few notable side characters. Arguably the most important is Ben Urich. After a few episodes, the viewer really begins to like him as we see he is truly a man of integrity and conviction. Vondi Curtis-Hall delivered a fantastic portrayal. It is surprising that the show decided to kill him off, considering he's a bit of a major character in the Daredevil & Spider-Man universes. Still, it was effective in getting the viewer to feel genuinely sad. The other notable character is Claire, (Rosario Dawson) whom is the first to learn of Daredevil's secret origin. She's a nice character and has solid chemistry with Matt, but later she disappears. I assume she'll be brought back in the second season, but it would have been nice if she appeared in the final episode.

Besides Fisk, there are other notable villains. Gao is interesting since we don't see many "grandmother" type of antagonists in comic book shows. Leland was perhaps the most fun with his constant sarcasm. Some might find him annoying but he often gave me a good chuckle. Wesley as Fisk's right hand man was great. Unlike in a lot of media with right hand men, you can really feel the bond these two have, which is another thing furthering the human aspect of Wilson. Stick was interesting, and he'll most certainly be back for Season 2. There are quite a few unresolved plot points, but since Season 2 is already confirmed there's no reason to go into them.

Daredevil's costume is very good. It's somehow different than what we've seen before while also being similar. At first I was dismayed that the iconic "DD" wasn't on it, but it hit me afterward the costume was made before the newspaper dubbed him "Daredevil." So while disappointing, it makes sense and hopefully in the second season it'll be added. The soundtrack is solid throughout. Each theme matches its corresponding scene. The intro theme is very good and nicely sets the mood for every episode.

Overall, Season 1 of Daredevil is the definition of a perfect Marvel comic book come to life on the small screen. Matt Murdock and his war on the Wilson Fisk's reign in New York is amazingly done in just 13 episodes. We have writing which surpasses the quality of anything seen in the Marvel movies. The fights are choreographed to perfection, and the major character relationships are fun to watch. If "The Avengers" revolutionized comic book movies, I think Season 1 of Daredevil should revolutionize comic book shows going forward.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2: The Video Game Review

Movie video-game tie-ins aren't as abundant as they use to be. You rarely see any console ones now,  they're usually for the mobile device. (Godzilla is a great example of this.) Perhaps it's for the best, because they have an infamous reputation. Poor gameplay and sub-par graphics are just a couple of the usual complaints. Developer Beenox however is a little different. Having made the fun Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and the criminally underrated Edge of Time, fans were hyped since they would be the ones doing the game adaption for The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012. It sadly wasn't as good as the aforementioned games. Still, its gameplay was leagues ahead of other movie cash-ins. Also sadly, the story was incredibly dull. The Amazing Spidey 2 game received a lot of hype from the developer. Interestingly, they said the game would actually diverge from the movie, becoming its own thing. This was a controversial move, but it could be interesting.The Amazing Spidey 2 suffers in a quite a few areas unfortunately. Despite that, it's still a much more fun game to play than the first.

The story stars Spidey, who is after the Carnage killer, the Kingpin, and trying to help his friend Harry. All of these plotlines for the most part nicely work together. This is a story-based game, but sadly a lot of the writing is pretty poor. The opening scene is the biggest offender. It's a flashback to when Peter walked out of the grocery store in the first film. Sam Riegel, the voice actor for Peter, does a sensationally awful job at this moment. The part where he said in response to the cashier, "Not my problem" was so terrible I was convinced this wasn't actually Peter. Once Uncle Ben was seen however, my greatest fear became realized: the writing of the story was not going to be good.

Thankfully, the rest of the game didn't quite sink that low. A contender however would be Electro. His story is so poorly handled. If the writer wanted the player to sympathize with Max, it didn't work. Electro comes off as one-note, and his lines are so melodramatic it's laughable. While Electro was awful, some of the other villains were nicely introduced into this universe. Shocker, Kraven, and Chameleon were all introduced into their roles very well. The Black Cat also makes a return from the previous game. I really like how her character fits into this universe. It's a shame she was in this story so briefly. That's the interesting thing about this game, it sets itself up for a sequel. So the Black Cat and the Kingpin will surely come back in #3. Sadly like Electro, the Green Goblin feels completely rushed with no build-up. Perhaps the best part of the story is how the Carnage Killer, aka, Cletus Kasady was introduced. It was brilliant how they incorporated him into the plot, and emerging as the final boss. It added some much need pizzazz to the cast, something the first game didn't have at all.

The gameplay is identical to the first game's, with mild improvements. For one thing, you can use Spidey's right arm and left arm to swing, a concept that surprisingly hasn't been used until this point. While the gameplay is still sup-par compared to the more superior Batman Arkham series, it's still pretty fun. Some of the boss fights are pretty innovative. The Goblin fight was unique and interactive, and the Carnage one was climatic. The graphics sadly suffer the movie cash-in syndrome, it looks like a late PS2 game at best. This is not something we should be looking at in the year 2014. The soundtrack is surprisingly very good, you'll be enjoying it as you go through the campaign. One of my personal favorite features is the costumes. Early on you unlock many different ones to play as. From classic to Miles Morales, it's a nice diversity.

Overall, while there are quite a few factors holding back this game, it's still a solid Spidey experience. Carnage is a major highlight, but sadly also shows just how boring most of the other antagonists are. The gameplay isn't anything groundbreaking, but it's still not bad. The story ends on a cliffhanger, so needless to say Beenox has big plans for this universe. While not technically rising too far above the infamous movie cash-in reputation, it's still a fun play.

3/5