Daredevil has all the elements of a massive hit! Don't believe me? Come see.
Only one month left till the Netflix unveiling of DAREDEVIL. All 13 episodes will be available for all the binge watching your little fan-boy or girl's heart can take! And, as we get closer, we get more and more glimpses into what we're in for. This is the time where the fans sit back and pick apart something they've only seen in part. We all do it. We make conclusions without all the evidence. And, usually, those 'conclusions' are negative. Mine, however, when it comes to Daredevil, are nothing but good.
But, I'm sure before you got this bit of positive, my fellow true believers, you were inundated with all sorts of nervous fans with all sorts of misgivings. Just today I was following several posts complaining that Daredevils Netflix look was much too reminiscent of the man without fear's costume in THE TRIAL OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK from 1989. They saw this as it setting Daredevil back for decades.
Although I can see where they get the comparison, I really can't believe they miss the obvious homage the suit is going for. But more about that later.
Finally, let's get to the positive. Watching the new trailer, I received plenty of reasons to be excited about what Marvel is doing here:
The first thing this new version of Daredevil has going for it is the fact that it is new. The last and first rendition gave the character a black eye and has been nothing but fodder for ridicule for over a decade. In fact, the movie with Ben Affleck has been the poster child for how not to do a super hero movie ever since. SO, to the fan base, at least, anything will be an improvement! The naysayers have a hard time seeing how this new telling of the tale can be any worse than the one and only movie. And, probably, because of the stigmatic stench Daredevil carries, the comic movie fans will probably give this version more of a pass than they would have usually given it. Not a total pass, mind you. They will simply give it a bit more room.
The next thing the trailer and, thus, the Netflix series has going for it is it's many nods to Frank Miller's work on the comic. The whiners cry about the costume being too throwback when they apparently have no idea what it's throwing back to. The fact is the look isn't just reminiscent of the Hulk movie back in the 80s, but it is a direct homage to Frank Miller's rendition of Daredevil. Everything from the dark, shadowy streets to the suit to the cameo by Stick, the martial arts teacher that teaches young Matt Murdock to fight although both are blind all come from the Miller years. In fact, Marvel will beat DC to the punch adapting Miller's style. In a way, it could preempt the whole dark and gritty look although it's on the small screen.
The last point that makes Daredevil look to be a sure fired winner AND will also beat DC to the whole 'more realistic' punch is the fact that they have the whole R Rated going for them. This gives them the green light to show life in Hell's Kitchen in a darker, more 'grittier and edgier' light. What DC is touting as their territory, Daredevil will plant a flag in next month. In fact, this is the only way to do Daredevil right. You must give it the whole MARVEL KNIGHTS treatment. It was one of the shortcomings of the original. Keeping it PG took away the edge of Hell's Kitchen. It, in fact, sterilized it.
Everything is lining up for an amazing story written in the blood of Matt Murdock as he tries to be the 'man the city needs'. Can Marvel out Arrow the Arrow? That is to be seen. But the R Rating may help them pull off what the CW can only poke sticks at.
The court is still out, of course. The proof, they say, is in the pudding. But I'm willing to bet that Daredevil will be a crowd-pleaser that will make the fans forget the past and squeal for more seasons in the near future.
