This movie was severly flawed. I have noticed some very estute IMDB commentators who have remarked on the flaws of the script, and terrible acting, and how it seemed this movie was slopped together. So rather than be redundant, I want to get right to the point of the movie that bothered me the most: the fight choreography.
***SPOILERS***
Having Ben Afleck and Jen Garner performing Kung Fu style fight scenes was a HUGE mistake. It seems to me that the makers of this movie were trying to jump on THE MATRIX band wagon. They believe that with some slick editing, they do not have to have leads who are proficient in Martial Arts to pull off complex choreography. This was the nail in the coffin for this movie. It was very distracting to see these two actors lumbering through their moves. In particular, the fight scene in the park when Ben is trying to get Jen's name. Jen throws some really sloppy kicks at the beginning and she is so slow its just comical. Everybody keeps commenting on how Jen's experience on "ALIAS" has prepared her for a role like this...nothing could be further from the truth. She looked so pathetic up there, good looks aside. And Ben Afleck was INCREDIBLY AWKWARD! At one point, he dodges some sloppy move from Jen, and stands to the side with his arms out, and it looks so TERRIBLE! He really looks like he is staggering around trying to keep up with what is going on. This was really, really bad!
In "THE MATRIX," the cast worked with Yuen Woo Ping and his crew for over 4 months, perfecting only three major fight scenes: The Kung Fu School, The Bathroom, and The Subway. And even at that, they still looked a little stiff, but they pulled it off somewhat believably. Except, of course, for the part where Neo does a back flip out of the path of the oncoming subway train, and he is clearly hanging on to the wires. But in Daredevil, it was obvious the actors did not put in enough effort to learn the moves. It looked like they didn't practice the fight scenes until the day of shooting.
A lot of people have written reviews on the IMDB complimenting the fight scenes, which goes to show these people don't really have an appreciation of what a good fight scene is. For these people, I suggest they start out watching THE MATRIX, and then move on to the real classics, such as DRUNKEN MASTER 1 and 2, OPERATION CONDOR, FIRST STRIKE, SNAKE IN EAGLE'S SHADOW, BLADE, or even more recently SHANGHAI NIGHTS.
Some other complaints on the movie are: why does Matt Murdock possess the ability to jump from building to building with MATRIX-like ability? He gets squirted in the face with a chemical and that gives him super human jumping ability? The physics behind Bullseye's throwing ability were rediculous. The fight in the church...how high up is the ceiling of that stupid church? 500 feet? And the end when Daredevil defeats Kingpin...he kicked him in the back of the knees? Is there some special weakness Kingpin has behind his knees that I am not aware of?
Bullseye was way over the top. The first guy he kills by throwing a paper clip...yes, you read that right, a paper clip. The next person he kills is an old lady...yes, you read that right, an old lady. He kills her with a peanut! Yes, you read that right, a PEANUT! The third person he kills is a guard...he kills him by throwing pencils in to his neck...yes, you read that right, pencils. And then he kills NACHOS by throwing Daredevil's cane from about 100 yard away. The cane was not even sharp, but it impaled him anyway! This was just silly.
One other particularly bothersom scene was when "Electra" was practicing with her swords with those sand bags. First of all, what a messy way to practice! I would not want to have to clean up all that sand. Second of all, once again Jen Garner shows how inept she is with Martial Arts, She needs to seek out some SERIOUS Martial Arts training if she is going to continue making these movies. She looked just ridiculous clauding around up there.
Finally, a note to Ben Afleck and Jen Garner: Two days of Kung Fu lessons is NOT enough. Kung Fu takes PRACTICE and dedication. It takes a lot to be an action star, and those two just don't have it.
***SPOILERS***
Having Ben Afleck and Jen Garner performing Kung Fu style fight scenes was a HUGE mistake. It seems to me that the makers of this movie were trying to jump on THE MATRIX band wagon. They believe that with some slick editing, they do not have to have leads who are proficient in Martial Arts to pull off complex choreography. This was the nail in the coffin for this movie. It was very distracting to see these two actors lumbering through their moves. In particular, the fight scene in the park when Ben is trying to get Jen's name. Jen throws some really sloppy kicks at the beginning and she is so slow its just comical. Everybody keeps commenting on how Jen's experience on "ALIAS" has prepared her for a role like this...nothing could be further from the truth. She looked so pathetic up there, good looks aside. And Ben Afleck was INCREDIBLY AWKWARD! At one point, he dodges some sloppy move from Jen, and stands to the side with his arms out, and it looks so TERRIBLE! He really looks like he is staggering around trying to keep up with what is going on. This was really, really bad!
In "THE MATRIX," the cast worked with Yuen Woo Ping and his crew for over 4 months, perfecting only three major fight scenes: The Kung Fu School, The Bathroom, and The Subway. And even at that, they still looked a little stiff, but they pulled it off somewhat believably. Except, of course, for the part where Neo does a back flip out of the path of the oncoming subway train, and he is clearly hanging on to the wires. But in Daredevil, it was obvious the actors did not put in enough effort to learn the moves. It looked like they didn't practice the fight scenes until the day of shooting.
A lot of people have written reviews on the IMDB complimenting the fight scenes, which goes to show these people don't really have an appreciation of what a good fight scene is. For these people, I suggest they start out watching THE MATRIX, and then move on to the real classics, such as DRUNKEN MASTER 1 and 2, OPERATION CONDOR, FIRST STRIKE, SNAKE IN EAGLE'S SHADOW, BLADE, or even more recently SHANGHAI NIGHTS.
Some other complaints on the movie are: why does Matt Murdock possess the ability to jump from building to building with MATRIX-like ability? He gets squirted in the face with a chemical and that gives him super human jumping ability? The physics behind Bullseye's throwing ability were rediculous. The fight in the church...how high up is the ceiling of that stupid church? 500 feet? And the end when Daredevil defeats Kingpin...he kicked him in the back of the knees? Is there some special weakness Kingpin has behind his knees that I am not aware of?
Bullseye was way over the top. The first guy he kills by throwing a paper clip...yes, you read that right, a paper clip. The next person he kills is an old lady...yes, you read that right, an old lady. He kills her with a peanut! Yes, you read that right, a PEANUT! The third person he kills is a guard...he kills him by throwing pencils in to his neck...yes, you read that right, pencils. And then he kills NACHOS by throwing Daredevil's cane from about 100 yard away. The cane was not even sharp, but it impaled him anyway! This was just silly.
One other particularly bothersom scene was when "Electra" was practicing with her swords with those sand bags. First of all, what a messy way to practice! I would not want to have to clean up all that sand. Second of all, once again Jen Garner shows how inept she is with Martial Arts, She needs to seek out some SERIOUS Martial Arts training if she is going to continue making these movies. She looked just ridiculous clauding around up there.
Finally, a note to Ben Afleck and Jen Garner: Two days of Kung Fu lessons is NOT enough. Kung Fu takes PRACTICE and dedication. It takes a lot to be an action star, and those two just don't have it.