Marvel's Daredevil Season 3 (2018 Netflix Series)

The first two seasons of Daredevil have been about as good as TV can get. And Daredevil: Born Again is one of my favorite comic book stories. So I was so excited for seasons 3.

Marvel's Daredevil Season 3 is a 13-episode Netflix original series based on the comic book by Frank Miller and Dave Mazzucelli. It is rated TV-MA for language, violence, and blood and is appropriate for older teens and up.

The Good

Bullseye. I've never really liked Bullseye in the comic. He just seemed too silly and flat. But this show gave his such a great origin story and made him such an interesting character. The actor nailed the portrayal. The action scenes with him using ordinary objects as deadly weapons was so well done.

Story. Once the story got started with the fourth episode, I was hooked and by episdode eight I couldn't stop watching.

Action. The action scenes got better as the story progressed. The first half of the season was disappointing, but the second half delivered everything I was hoping for.

Sound Design. Sound was so effectively used in this show. The sound is used to illustrate Matt's abilities unlike the visual "fire" of Season 1. It was subtle but so effective. And the sound of buzzing to show Bullseye's madness illustrated that perfectly without going too far.

The Bad

Pacing. The first two episodes were sooooo slow I almost couldn't get thru them.

Depression. I understand why Matt was so down and depressed and doubting his faith, but it got old fast. That's not what's interesting about the character. That's not why I watch the show.

Visuals. The first two seasons had a really unique look. For some reason this season lost that and looked like every other show on TV. I really missed the unique look.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish they had cut moping Matt to just the first episode and then get on with the story instead of waiting for episode 4. I also wish they had started out with an announcement that Kingpin had been released and then investigated to find out what happened instead of building to it.

Overall

Marvel's Daredevil Season 3 started out slow, boring, and weak, but got better with each episode until I couldn't stop watching. The new villain Bullseye was so well cast and done with a great origin story and brilliantly filmed powers. The action scenes in the first half were terrible, but by the second half were were as good as in the first two seasons. I got tired of mopey hopeless Matt, but I loved seeing the old team get back together at the end. I give this show 4.5 out of 5 remotes.

     

TV Show Review: Marvel's Defenders (Netflix Original Series)

When I heard about the Marvel's Defenders TV series from Marvel, I couldn't wait for it to arrive. After watching the masterpiece that is Marvel's DareDevil, I became even more excited. So how did the reality match up to my ridiculously lofty expectations? Fortunately, the other Marvel series were pretty disappointing and tempered my excitement.

Marvel's Defenders is an 8-episode 2017 Netflix Original Mini-series based on the Marvel Comics superhero characters of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and Power Man. It is rated TV-MA for language, violence, and gore and is appropriate for older teens and up.

The Good

Characters. The best part of this mini-series was the characters. While Daredevil was the only character strong enough to carry his own show, as a team all the characters work well and are likable. I also appreciated how all the major characters from the previous mini-series were included in this, several having fairly large roles.

Lack of CGI, Wirework, Green Screen, and other Special FX. I love how down to earth and real this show looks. There are no cgi Hulks or green screen battle scenes or wirework flying or other special effects one sees in almost every superhero adaption that look mediocre now and will look terrible in ten years. This all looks very real, and will hold up for years to come while other superhero adaptions will just get sillier and sillier as time moves on.

Tying up Previous Threads. I was concerned about how the producers would be able to stuff all four characters and their stories from five 13-episode series into one 8-episode mini-series, but they did it. All of the storylines and conflicts from the previous Netflix Original Series were tied up nicely with the characters set up to start new stories. And it was all done very satisfactorily with nothing feeling rushed or short changed.

Colors.  The first two episodes make use of each character's unique color (Daredevil - red, Jessica Jones - blue, Iron Fist - green, Luke Cage - yellow) in the background to signal who was being featured at the moment. It was subtle, but a nice touch.

The Bad

Pacing.  The first two episodes moved very slowly and dragged. Too little happened both plot wise and emotionally. The story didn't really pick up and get going until halfway thru the third episode.

Fragmented Story Telling.  The producers made a very deliberate effort to give each character equal screen time and not wait too long to show the next character. This caused the first few episodes to feel like brief vignettes that felt very disjointed and unconnected.

Scope / Gravitas.  Other than the earthquake early in the series, the stakes never felt very high nor the danger very real. Almost all the peril came from characters saying this was series, but the audience never saw it on screen and so never really felt like the stakes were very high or New York was in that much danger.

Production Design.  The previous series had beautiful visuals in set design and action scenes. This mini-series lacked the grandeur and beautiful visuals I've come to expect from these shows.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the story had been stronger by focusing on one or two main arcs instead of fracturing the plot so everyone had equal screen time and things to do. I also wish the show had looked as nice as the previous mini-series with better sets and other visuals.

Overall

Marvel's Defenders does an excellent job of bringing these four very separate heroes and their stories together and tying up all the threads and storylines that have been playing out during the previous five series. While it begins a little slow and fractured, by the third episode, the story kicks into high gear and holds your attention. I'm excited for Phase Two. I give this show 4 out of 5 remotes.

TV Show Review: Marvel's Daredevil Season 2 (Netflix Original Series)

I've been not so patiently waiting for the second season of Daredevil, at times wondering if it would ever come. I was a little nervous--actually A LOT nervous. I mean, how often does a sequel live up to the hype and expectations created by the original? And what about the new characters? I'm not a big punisher fan, and I've seen Elektra done both well and about as far from well as one can get. So how would this new season stack up? Fortunately all my fears were for not and my expectations shattered.

Daredevil is a 2016 Netflix original series from Marvel Studios. It is a 13-episode action drama about a blind lawyer with uncanny abilities and mad fighting skills based on the comic book published by Marvel Comics.

The Good

Returning Characters. I really enjoyed the characters from the first season, and they did nothing to change that opinion. Each one was still very likable, very true to who they were in the first season, and yet we saw growth and expansion in each. I even liked the Kingpin this time. In the first season he was very disappointing, but this season he was much more in line with the comic book version and the deadly schemer worthy of Daredevil.

New Characters. I was nervous how Elektra would be handled and whether Punisher would be compelling. Electra took me a couple of episodes to warm up to, because this is a slightly different spin on her than I've seen in the comics, but it was a good spin that worked in this universe and context. I've only read a few Punisher comics and wasn't a big fan of the character, but I'm a big fan of this version of him and would gladly watch a Punisher series if they decide to create one.

Story. The story could not have been better. Even thought there were actually two stories going on, they flowed from one to the other seamlessly. Both grabbed me by the collar and wouldn't let go until the very end. There was so much going on when the final episode began I worried they would rush it, but they didn't. It happened at just the right pace.

Pacing. The pacing was a lot better in this season. It never moved too fast so every scene had maximum drama and impact, and yet it never seemed to drag which is impressive considering it runs for over 12 hours. I watched the first 6 episodes and it felt like maybe an hour or two had passed, not 6.

Same but Different. This season looked and felt like a continuation of the first season. It didn't look like some reinvention had happened in the intervening months. And yet everything was different and new. Nothing was a rehash or a back remake of the first season, something I've never seem before (yes Star Wars, I'm talking about you). It felt like the same world, but a different corner of that world.

Easter Eggs. For a comic book fan like myself, I always appreciate little nods to the comics and other versions of the characters, and this season supplied them in spades from the pulp-styled poster of the gladiator hanging on the wall that looked awfully similar to a Frank Miller/Dave Mazzucelli cover to several nods and direct swipes from Frank Miller's run.

The Bad

The Red Suit. The red suit still looks stupid. Early in the season Daredevil's suit is damaged by the Punisher, and he is forced to ask the Gladiator to fix it. I was hoping they would use this opportunity to put Matt in the black and red suit from the current comics, but no. Maybe season 3.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

This time around I was completely satisfied with everything. I never found myself wishing they had done anything differently.

Overall

Overall, I loved this series. It had me hooked from the first minute and didn't let me go until the last. I didn't mean to watch all 13 episodes in one day, but I couldn't help myself. The characters, the story, the acting, the action, the tight plot, and the faithfulness to the comics made this a true classic. The Punisher and Elektra both added to the story and gave up great versions of each character. I highly recommend this series and give it a solid 5 out of 5 remotes.

     

TV Show Review: Marvel's Daredevil (Netflix Original Series)

I've been a fan of Daredevil ever since I first saw him in the TV movie The Trial of the Incredible Hulk. I don't think I had ever heard of the character before, but when I saw that I said to myself, "Self, that is the coolest superhero ever! (Next to Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman, that is.)" A few years later I picked up the comic book during the Fall From Grace storyline and was hooked. While I haven't always enjoyed the direction Marvel has taken with the character, I've always loved the character and his potential. (I even liked the Ben Affleck movie--director's cut, of course.) When I heard Netflix would show an original series, I was excited. This was the proper venue for a Daredevil story.

Daredevil is a 2015 Netflix original series from Marvel Studios. It is a 13-episode action drama about a blind lawyer with uncanny abilities and mad fighting skills.

The Good

Charlie Cox. When I first heard Charlie Cox had been cast, I looked him up online, because I'd never heard of him. He didn't seem like an obvious choice for the show. But after the first episode, I was sold on him as both Matt Murdock and Daredevil. He really made me feel for him and his struggle. I believed he could do all the unbelievable things he does.

Writing. The writing was top notch. The dialog was believable, plot lines made sense, characters (even the minor ones) were well developed, and events flowed into the next seamlessly. Very little felt contrived or convenient. Almost everything that happened contributed to the overall story.

Pacing. This show is very deliberately paced, but unlike similarly slow-paced shows like Mad Men, this never seemed to drag. The decompression was used to its fullest like a well planned dramatic pause to give the viewer time to savor what was happening and take the enormity of it all in.

Black Suit. Every review I've seen has pointed to Frank Miller and John Romita Jr.'s Man Without Fear miniseries from the 90s as the inspiration for the black suit, but it actually made an appearance a decade earlier in The Trial of the Incredible Hulk tv movie. It makes sense that this is what someone would go out in to fight crime, and I like how ineffective it was in protecting him justifying another suit. It was a distinct look that the viewer would never confuse with all the other thousands of characters dressed in black that is a cliche of so many movies and tv shows. I really appreciate the costume designers bringing something new to the table.

Fighting. The fighting style was really unique which I appreciated. I love it when movies bring something new to the table, and this style was definitely something I hadn't seen before. I also like how many fight scenes there were and how long they take. Too often the hero is able to subdue his adversaries with a few punches and walks away with a bloody lip at most. These fights actually took enough time to feel like someone received a proper punishment with all parties receiving series injury. I like how Daredevil's suit was regularly ripped and how many times he needed stitches and couldn't even get up or walk after a few fights. It made the world feel that much more believable and the stakes that much higher.

Kingpin. The Kingpin isn't introduced until the end of the third episode. Before that he is a voice on a phone and a whispered mention. It was very effective technique to make his seem larger than life and a true menace, one that reminded me of Orson Welles in The Third Man. It's a shame they had to ruin it and actually show the character.

Rosario Dawson. It's nice to see how superheroes get patched up. If you really did go out there and fight crime, you're going to need stitches and bed rest. The nurse Rosario played was a really likeable character. The writers did an excellent job showing her struggle in deciding to help Daredevil even though the idea is ludicrous. There was really chemistry between her and the title character, which the series needed.

The Bad

Ben Urich. I've never been a fan of Ben Urich in the comics, and this show only made me dislike him more. He is the token "blackface" character Marvel puts into each of their projects (a white character cast as a black character for no reason other than to have another black character). And in this version he was an annoying old man that did little more than antagonize the main characters. He wasn't smart. He didn't do much investigating. He didn't break any big stories. He did little to move the plot along. The show could have worked just fine without him. I actually cheered when he died at the end, glad he wouldn't be returning.

Wilson Fisk. While the character was interesting and showed a lot of interesting backstory and emotion, he was portrayed as an emotionally damaged man controlled by his feelings and not his brain. He was his own worst enemy and did more to take down his empire than Daredevil. I never bought that he could run an empire or strategize to take over the criminal organizations in the city. And his sudden shift from good samaritan to thief along the road seemed contrived. He was much more interesting before we saw him. And his whole romance never made sense. We never saw why he was interested in Vanessa or her in him.

The Red Suit. While I appreciate the red suit made an appearance and Daredevil did more than just pose in it on a rooftop as the last scene, I was hoping they would introduce it earlier in the series so we could see him do more in it. That is until I saw it. It was a strange design with a really ugly mask that doesn't change the shape of Charlie Cox's head enough to make you believe it could hide his identity. The Ben Affleck suit form the movie was really a good look that was both true to the comic book and made sense in a practical world being based on biker gear. They should have stuck more closely to it.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

While I thoroughly enjoyed the show, this is not at all the approach I would have taken with the series. I would have preferred a different art style. While I think Alex Maleev is a talented artist, I just don't dig his style. His run on Daredevil was my least favorite artistically. I would have preferred less yellow and more noir in the vein of Frank Miller's run or even John Romita Jr.'s style. And the casting was not at all how I imagine the characters, but they still made for an enjoyable ensemble.

Overall

Overall, I loved this series. It had me hooked from the first minute and didn't let me go until the last. I had originally planned to watch it over three days, but once I started I couldn't stop. The characters, the story, the acting, the action, the tight plot, and the faithfulness to the comics made this a true classic. I highly recommend this series and give it a solid 4.5 out of 5 remotes.