Review of Daredevil (Director`s Cut)

Introduction

The current love for film adaptions of comic strips shows no sign of abating. There are lots more projects waiting in the wings, including the new Superman film. Daredevil was unleashed on the world 2 years ago, with a theatrical cut that angered many fans, and which largely failed to win over a new audience.

This new director`s cut (which was supposed to be included with the original DVD, but was axed for slightly suspicious technical reasons), is a much longer version of the film, with about 30 minutes of new material added. Some scenes have been removed from the theatrical cut, which make this quite a substantially different film.

For those of you that don`t know this particular superhero, here`s a quick summary. Matt Murdoch (Ben Affleck), was blinded by chemical waste as a child, but like all good superheroes, this toxic soup had its advantages - his other senses got upgraded at the same time. He grew up to become a lawyer by day, defending only men he knows to be innocent (and he has his own method for checking if they tell the truth). By night he is the fearless "Daredevil", fighting evil wherever he finds it. Right now, "The Kingpin" and his criminal gangs are taking over the city - can Daredevil protect the innocent?

Video

A nice big 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer helps to bring another director`s vision to the screen. But I often found it just a bit too dark. I`m sure some of the darkness is there to make a point, but it just seemed odd at times. So this is not a totally stunning transfer, but it is a reasonable effort for a big blockbuster, and maybe I`m just getting overly picky in my old age.

However, with this director`s cut, there are various scenes where you can actually see the joins, and I did find this a little annoying given that this is a recent film, and there`s so much technology available to stop this kind of thing being visible to the viewer. Perhaps I`m over-sensitive and was looking out for it too much?

Having a character who can`t see, but who has super advanced hearing means that the digital effects team get to go to town on realising this effect so that the audience know what`s going on. And they do a top notch job of it, presenting several scenes in "Dare-o-vision". However, they do take it a bit too over the top sometimes. We`ve worked out that this is how he sees, no need to keep ramming it down our throats.

Audio

A choice of big, booming and banging soundtracks - either DD5.1 or dts. Both tracks are pretty good, with the dts just having the edge in various places along the way.

And as you would expect from this big comic book blockbuster, it`s an audio riot, with lots of action, gunfire, fighting, atmospheric sounds and more. Given that our hero cannot see and relies on his hearing a lot, there are plenty of chances to demonstrate this to the audience, and the sound designers don`t pass up the opportunity. Lots of excellent sound placement make this one to show off to your friends.

The accompanying musical soundtrack is your usual choice of hip hop and dance, blended with some "rawk" from Fuel, The Calling and Evanescence.

Features

Only 2 extras on this DVD, you`ll have to buy the original DVD release of the theatrical version if its extras you`re after.

Here we get the commentary featuring Mark Steven Johnson (director) and Avi Arad (producer), and they go into masses and masses of detail about the changes in this version, alternate scenes, original drafts of the script, and also the reaction of audiences to various versions of the film. An interesting track and well worth a listen.

The other extra is a 15 minute featurette about the making of this director`s cut. Various crew members talk about the reasons behind releasing the director`s cut, they also discuss the theatrical cut and a few other bits too.

Conclusion

Ok, let`s get the cynical bit out of the way first. This could have easily been released on the original DVD with various soundtracks and branching to different versions. Just ask the makers of the T2 Ultimate Edition who squeezed 3 versions of the film, with 3 soundtracks plus a commentary, without sacrificing quality. So, the feeble excuse offered in the featurette doesn`t wash with me. Releasing a whole new DVD (carefully minus the original extras) means that collectors are faced with the problem of whether to stump up again. Just watch those $$$ signs lighting up in the eyes of studio executives.

Cynicism aside, this DVD was worth releasing because it`s made Daredevil a much better film. It`s still hugely flawed in certain aspects, but this is a much better film than the cut down "bangs and whizzes" version the studio put out in cinemas. The additional scenes help to flesh out all of the characters, and they don`t really hold up the pace enough for you to complain, except at the start of the film, as it now takes even longer to get going. As well as these additions, various scenes have been cut to change the way the film plays, and the effect largely works. You also get more screen time for the good actors (Joe Pantoliano, Jon Favreau).

If you like your comic book action hero films, then you`ll probably enjoy this version of Daredevil, as there`s so much more to it. If you still haven`t seen the film in either form, watch this one as it`s much more satisfying. The DVD itself features excellent sound, a picture that could have been better, and a removal of extras from the previous release. But if the main feature is your only concern, this disc will do you fine.

If you want to watch the best version of the film with loads of extras then you`re going to have to buy both discs I`m afraid! This one`s worth a rental at least.