Buckle up, folks, this is long. For the uninitiated in the comic book world,
here is the deal: Matt Murdock is a young boy who is bullied practically nonstop. His father, an ex-prizefighter, urges him never to get into fights. One day Matt Murdock watches as his father beats up a man for his money, and in sadness, runs off and accidentally crashes into a forklift holding toxic waste. When he awakes, his eyesight is gone, ruined from the toxic waste, but every other sense in his body is amplified to superhuman levels beyond normal capacity. He can touch a book and be able to read it without help, he can hear a heartbeat from a mile away being able to detect when someone is lying and can hear a bullet being cocked in a gun from ten feet away, he can smell perfume from a mile away and smell the perspiration on a thug, and most of all, his vision has become heightened to the point it's become sonar-like activated by sound. He can't see basic features or words, but he can make out shapes and motion with the help of Bat-like radar that hones in on his prey. His father is killed after refusing to lose at a boxing match, and at that moment, Matt makes an oath to fight for justice and defend the people who can't defend themselves; he is Matt Murdock attorney at law by day and at night he becomes "Daredevil" a masked crime-fighter who roams the streets of "Hell's Kitchen" undoing the wrongs committed using his superhuman senses that have been amplified by one-hundred percent. He must now go up against the evil kingpin of crime, Wilson Fisk (Michael Clarke Duncan  Planet of the Apes, The Whole Nine Yards) who has discovered Daredevil and hires an evil psychotic assassin named Bullseye (Colin Farrell  American Outlaws, the Recruit) to take him out. Now, Daredevil must defend himself against the two while attempting to fend off against the warrior Elektra (Jennifer Garner  Alias) who blames him for her father's murder. Can he take on the challenge?
    Now, first of all, I am a fanboy, for the record; and I love the Daredevil comic books; so when this came out in the theatres, I was foaming at the mouth. Daredevil is not a household name like Spider-Man or Superman, so it's a challenge trying to make this appeal to a wide audience. Many people compare this to spider-man, and in a lot of ways, the marketing and advertising is almost identical, but it's unfair to compare the two. Spider-man is a light fun action-packed romp, while Daredevil is more deep, complex, and incredible. I was rather upset at the casting choices for each of the characters, but I decided to give it a chance. I was breath taken by this movie. First off, Ben Affleck is incredible as Matt Murdock. I'll admit, I didn't think he would do good to the role, but he was able to pull it off without flaw. Ben Affleck is great as the humble and often cold Matt Murdock. This is a hard role, because Ben cannot use his eyes to charm people, so he must rely on other body movements and such. I was amazed at how Ben Affleck was able to be a charming Lawyer and switch to the cold dark hero named Daredevil with such finesse. Daredevil, unlike Spider-Man, is a dark hero who is constantly conflicted by his personal demons. He hates being the masked superhero, but it is a necessary evil he must ensue night by night. He has his home as his lair where he stores his costumes and weapons and sleeps in a Sense deprivation chamber to better hone his abilities. At one point, he stands in his shower, picking his teeth from his mouth from a brutal fight. This gave daredevil, the persona, a very human feel as we see he suffers from the battle wounds, yet he continues the war. Matt is a character who is constantly haunted by his memories and often isolates the people he cares for. The costume is dark and cold striking fear into the hearts of all criminals. Elektra is very well played by Jennifer Garner who has experience in martial-arts from her hit television show Alias and she pulls the character in the movie off without flaw, as well. She and Affleck have excellent chemistry together, and they constantly challenge each other.
    Colin Farrell is electric as Bullseye, the assassin with sharp reflexes. In the comic books, he's a cold manipulative psychotic master assassin, in here he is a tough Irish brawler who is also psychotic. Colin Farrell pulls his character off well, and makes him a force to be reckoned with. Michael Clarke Duncan is phenomonal as the Kingpin, constantly standing aside and letting his minions do battle as he orchestrates everything in the shadows, I thought he was very intimidating and pulled his character off well. John Favreau (Made) and Joe Pantoliano (The Matrix, The Sopranos) are excellent supporting characters, constantly helping the movie move along, each conveying their own presence. The movie isn't entirely faithful to the comic book, which I forgive, including the major changes in costumes and characters. I didn't mind they altering Daredevil's costume, nor did I mind them making the Kingpin, a white character in the comics, into an African-American. Mark Steven Johnson's directing is unbelievable as he displays New York City once again as a huge war zone with many interloping skyscrapers which Daredevil uses on the prowl. The camera angles are fast, intense, and very dark, conveying true skill with a noir-ish yet futuristic feel. The movie's plotline is basically an introduction into the dark mind of this superhero who must fight justice as a vigilante whether he likes it or not. Lo and behold, this is a superior movie.

Unfortunately, there are some aspects of the movie I didn't like. First off, in the comic books, Matt the boy learns how to fight by a fellow mysterious blind warrior named Stick who helps him to master his abilities, yet he is never featured. Michael Clarke Duncan is underused in this movie, rarely making any appearances, but it's powerful when he does. Colin Farrell is a bit over the top as Bullseye, making him comical at times, with his flinching and growling. But, of course, I'm just nitpicking.

Don't compare this to Spider-Man, people! This movie is much better!
The characters are deeper, the special-effects are better, and the plot is much more complex. Give it a shot, and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Did you know? In the movie there are numerous references to the comic book. The three boxers named Bendis, Miller, and Mack are references to past Daredevil writers/artists Brian Michael Bendis, Frank Miller, and David Mack. Jose Quesada played by Paul Ben-Victor is named after Marvel Comics' recent editor-in-chief Joe Quesada. The boxer John Romita is named after Daredevil creator John Romita. The old man who is saved by blind boy Matt Murdock is Legendry Marvel creator Stan Lee who created Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. The medical Examiner Ben Urich sees halfway through the movie that examines Daredevil's Billy club is played by cult comic book writer and ex-Daredevil alumn Kevin Smith.

My Casting Choices for the Daredevil movie: Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Christian Bale- he pulled off the suave lawyer type in American Psycho and the dark brooding character in Reign of Fire), Foggy Nelson (Oliver Platt- He was goofy and loveable in Lake Placid and Foggy is a goofy yet loveable character), Bullseye- (Alec Baldwin-  he was dark and intimidating in the Shadow so he could have pulled it off well), Elektra (Kelly Hu- She was cool in Nash Bridges, and is starring in X-men 2, plus she's race appropriate), Stick (Lance Henriksen or Gabriel Byrne- Lance Henriksen is age appropriate and can pull this role off well, Gabriel Byrne is dark and mysterious in his roles so he would fit it well) I didn't have a problem with the kingpin. You find me a huge white bald actor, and we'll talk.