|
Reviewinator |
| Starring |
Ben Affleck
Jennifer
Garner
|
| Director |
Mark
Steven Johnson |
| Official Site |
Link |
| US Opening |
February 14, 2003 |
| Rated |
PG-13 |
| Genre |
Action/Fantasy |
| Dead Bodies |
0 |
| Explosions |
2 |
| Weapons |
Toxic waste, fists of fury, handguns,
kung-fu fighting, swords, shuriken, flying pencil, grappling
hook, night sticks, Colin Farrell's Eyebrow of Power. |
| Voice Over |
Yes |
| "In a world where..." |
"In a city ruled by fear. " |
| Spoilage Factor |
20% |
| Geek Factor |
75% (comic book superhero, special effects,
butt kicking babe) |
| See Trailer? |
Yes |
| See Movie? |
If you can't wait for Spider-Man 2 then
yes. |
Hollywood trailer producers love to borrow musical scores from recent
movies and use them in new releases, so they can induce a positive
feeling about the current film by leeching off the good will of the
old. Like using the score from Requiem for a Dream in The
Two Towers trailer, or the Driving Miss Daisy theme for Boogie
Knights. But, unless it's a parody not many trailers borrow direct
imagery - then comes Daredevil. A trailer without fear when
it comes to paying homage to the favorites of cinema. The P-Diddy,
if you will, of the preview genre.
First, I forgive the similarities to Spider-Man. Daredevil and Spider-Man occupy
the same universe. Both are based on Marvel comics from Stan Lee.
But, did they really need a to borrow the Tobey Maguire-Kirsten Dunst "kiss
in the rain" scene like the Spider-Man trailer? I guess
we can be thankful that they didn't have Daredevil hanging upside-down.
Next, I looked at the credits and they don't mention Jack Nicholson
anywhere, so I can only guess that Affleck is doing a great impersonation
of Jack as the Joker in Batman when he says, "Time to
give the devil his due." Affleck's voice had to be digitally
altered - "Ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight" Ben?
Every action movie these days draws from the fantastic special effects
work in The Matrix. I would die happy if I never saw another "multiple-mid-air-kicks-with-panning-camera" shot.
Thankfully, Daredevil only uses the "lunging-away-from-slow-motion-bullets" sequence.
Those who want to scream "Daredevil is avoiding shurikens not
bullets! It's completely different fuzzlebrain!" rest assured
that they are both avoiding digitally created pixels on the screen
and thus the stunts are identical.
 Now
at last, the masterstroke, Colin Farrell and the Eyebrow
of Power do a great impression of Alan Rickman and the Goatee
of Power falling off a building. Alan's face while he's falling is
one of my favorite movie images. If I ever fall off a building that's
what I want my face to look like.
Borrowing from other creative works is not necessarily a bad thing.
Each artist builds on the work of others in some way. It is an unavoidable
aspect of the creative process. Unfortunately, in this trailer it
was done to the point of distraction..
Not all is lost, or stolen, in this trailer. Joe Pantoliano, who
has had roles in some of my favorite movies (The Fugitive, Bound, The
Matrix, Memento), has only a small role in this trailer,
but makes the most with a cool toss of his cigarette.
 |
|
Nice
Pair
of
Images From Daredevil
|
 |
The rest supporting cast of Jennifer Garner, Michael Clarke Duncan
and Colin Farrell do an ample job. They provide lots of action and
laughs including Farrell's hilarious "I want a costume" line.
Finally, we arrive at Daredevil played by Ben Affleck. Who can blame
Affleck for wanting to have sight when the heaving bosom of Jennifer
Garner is in your face, but there were many scenes where it just
didn't seem like he was blind - another distraction this trailer
could've done without.
Conclusion on Trailer: In the end, all trailers should be
graded on how much they make you want to see the movie. This trailer
did an above average job, but barely. It played too much like Spider-Man
1.5: Batman Dies Hardest in The Matrix, but not as well done.
This trailer does receive some spots for using "In a city..." sure
it's not "In a world..." but what the heck it's the closest
we've gotten in the trailers we've reviewed so far. Five and a half
spots out of eleven.
Conclusion on Movie: The movie has definite potential, but
Ben Affleck seems about as heroic as Gomer Pyle.
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