By Zach McMahon in Opinion
“Daredevil” offers a captivating look into a lesser known Marvel property worthy of a binge watch.
The 13 episode season marks Marvel’s first attempt at a Netflix original show. It was an addictive and sometimes graphic look at a not-so-popular Marvel property. The show tells the story of a blind lawyer, Matt Murdock, played by Charlie Cox. Murdock creates a law firm with his best friend Foggy Nelson in Hell’s Kitchen, their birth neighborhood. Despite his disability, Matt fights crime in the night as the undercover vigilante known as “The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.”
Murdock faces off against Wilson Fisk, a villain who tries to take over Hell’s Kitchen. Fisk is played by Vincent D’Onofrio. D’Onofrio’s performance ignites empathy within the viewers for his character. Viewers often find themselves rooting for him.
A big hook for the show is the incorporation of martial arts in the fight scenes. The second episode has a complex fight scene in a hallway. The scene wonderfully executes the use of camera movement and action up and down the hallway.
The series draws inspiration and pays homage to new martial art films such as “The Raid: Redemption.”
The show demonstrates a great detective element as smaller characters unravel the mystery of who’s pulling the strings.
The producers chose to only show how Matt or Daredevil sees the world a few times. Matt describes it as, “A world on fire.” The creators make these moments rare and therefore more memorable.
The series use of creative camera and audio work to show how Matt uses his powers. The camera will push in close to Matt’s face when he is listening to a person’s heart rate to tell if they are lying. The audio track will lower and a slow or fast heart rate will be heard by viewers. Techniques like these create a connection with the viewers to Matt and the story line.
The series is a bold departure from the norm of Marvel Entertainment. It’s the first Marvel television property to get a TV-MA rating. Marvel embraces the TV-MA rating and allows the showrunners to create a grittier, more realistic universe. If the show was neutered down to a TV-14 rating it would have lost majority of what made it worth watching.
In 2013, Marvel announced a deal with Netflix to develop four original series. Netflix will also release an Iron Fist series, Jessica Jones series and a Luke Cage series.
Marvel has confirmed the second season of “Daredevil”, so now is the perfect time to binge watch this addictive show.
