Hey folks, Harry here... Miss Edith here has been given a peek into the future and has read a novelization that is very close it sounds to the screenplay I've read. And yes, Miss Edith understands just how badass this film could be, as I've been saying for a while now. It's all in the execution now, I've got my fingers crossed... If it works, it'll be the toughest and meanest Superhero film since THE CROW...
Hi Harry~
Long time reader, first time sender, blah blah blah.
I picked up the novelization of "Daredevil" today and thought I'd send my thoughts to you on it and the casting. Will write this in a non-spoilery, spoilery and then casting thoughts format. If you use this anywhere, call me Miss Edith.
NONSPOILERY:
Bottom line - at times the book smacked of how Spiderman's arc unfolded, particularly with a scene where young Daredevil discovers the depths of his augmented senses/powers.
But where Spiderman stays mostly heroic and on the straight and narrow - "With great power comes great responsibility" - Daredevil takes a gritty, unflinching look into the notions of right and wrong and how justice is best served. (Answer: Cold.)
Fight scenes are amazingly well-written and should play out awesome on screen. After reading this book, I'm particularly dying to see the first fight between Matt and Elektra - plays off more sexy in the book - and then the fight between Elektra and Bullseye - lethal to the max. A tricksy one, Bullseye is.
Just questions: How Daredevil's sensitive hearing will be portrayed on screen. Depends on how they do it, but it could become distracting, rather than filling out the role.
Good moments: Matt's father's last fight, the Matt-Elektra fight, the ball, and a scene on a plane with Bullseye. (Bullseye ROCKS.)
The ending is fittingly poignant and powerful and leaves the door open for the future.
SPOILERS:
As I said - it appears revenge and justice are best served cold. The question, sometimes, is where the distinction between the two is.
Daredevil takes on a mob goon that was acquitted of the rape of a client of Matt Murdoch's in a bloody fight that leaves a whole biker bar full of broken and shot bodies, ending with causing the goon to be run over by a train.
He runs to save a child from being hit by a drunken father and beats the father so severely the child sees no difference between this man who would serve justice and the father who has abused him. Neat? Tidy? No. Justice? For us to decide.
It is, as other sources have said, a gritty look into the depths of what a superhero is. Daredevil does indeed take pain pills - opting for Vicodin after a tough night. He sleeps in a sensory deprivation chamber. It's what life in the "real world" would be like for a superhero.
CASTING:
I don't know all of them off the top of my head, but I think the movie is well-cast.
Ben Affleck proved in "Dogma" he can do drama and a relatively physical role. (I'm thinking particularly of the slaughter at the church there.) He's got the proverbial chin for the role and appears to have the physicality as well.
Jennifer Garner is the one I have the most problem with - but purely from the standpoint that she is supposed to be the daughter of a Greek tycoon. She just doesn't have the "ethnic" look I had envisioned for the casting of Elektra. But her martial arts prowess, I think, will more than make up for her not fitting the look I had in my head. The movie novelization is written with Michael Clarke Duncan in the role of
Kingpin, of course, but I don't think I could envision anybody having the size and presence to fill the role nearly as well. It'll be interesting to see a more lethal aura from the man who has so often played the "gentle giant."
Colin Farrell - Mmm. This should be an amazing role for him. The shots I've seen already show a good physicality, and he seems to be able to play lethal and funny just as well.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Daredevil may not have the widespread name recognition among the general population that Spiderman did, but this is an awesome look at a different side of superheros. As the intro to the book says, not ones with Spidey sense or mutant powers - one who just does the best he can with what he has. The book appears to be a good sign of things to come. Now I hope it all pays off.
Thanks!
Miss Edith
