So I Decided To Watch 2003's Daredevil And Its Spin-Off Elektra, And I Have Thoughts

I consider myself a superhero fan.

I've seen a lot of superhero movies. I'm an active fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I've seen a good amount of DC movies. I've watched all of the X-Men films. And the original Spider-Man trilogy is one of my favorites of all time. But you want to know what I didn't watch? A lot of the earlier superhero movies, the ones that were around when big cinematic universes didn't exist and only a few superhero movies got sequels.

I'm talking about the likes of Blade or even The Punisher. Still, the two I had never thought about were Daredevil, starring Ben Affleck, and Elektra, a spinoff of Daredevil, starring Jennifer Garner. Neither were on my radar, which is strange because I enjoy the Daredevil TV show and can't wait for the Disney+ Daredevil: Born Again series.

But, because of the news that Garner would reportedly return to the role of Elektra in Deadpool 3, I decided to give the movies a whirl, because what kind of fan would I be if I didn’t know all the characters?

And, wow. Yeah. These thoughts are fresh. Let's talk about Daredevil and Elektra, folks.

Yeah, I’m Happy Ben Affleck Didn’t Play Daredevil For Super Long

Let's start by saying that Ben Affleck is a great actor.

While he's had his misses, as many actors have, the man knows how to act. Argo is a fantastic film. I loved him in Gone Girl. He was excellent in Air. You can even remember how great he was in Good Will Hunting all those years ago. He's always delivered.

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But him as Daredevil? No. I don't see it, even after watching the whole movie.

I went into this with an open heart. That's how it was with me and Affleck as Batman. I didn't think he'd be able to pull it off because it was right after Christian Bale's version of Batman, and how can someone beat that? But he did well with the role. I wanted to hope he could portray Matt Murdock well, too.

I was wrong. You can't tell Affleck is acting, per se, but he doesn't capture the smart yet threatening nature that Murdock always has, as well as his strong sense of justice and dry sense of humor. Aside from that, when Daredevil is supposed to be threatening, I could never take Affleck's Murdock seriously. He felt so fake, while Charlie Cox's portrayal in Netflix's Daredevil is accurate.

I believe there could have been something that fans would like here, but at the end of the day, it fell flat.

Michael Clarke Duncan As Kingpin, However, Was A Great Idea

First, rest in peace, Michael Clarke Duncan, because he was taken from this world too soon. The actor was fantastic in any role, and I've been a fan of his ever since I saw The Green Mile for the first time.

With that in mind, I would have given anything to see Duncan as Kingpin again. Choosing him to play the famous supervillain was such a fantastic decision. When you watch him on screen, he intimidates, charms, and is freaking scary because he brings this character to life so much.

This is what I want to see with a character portrayal. Vincent D'Onofrio has done an excellent job portraying Kingpin so far in the MCU, but I would have loved seeing Duncan continue to play him.

The Action Of Daredevil Didn’t Feel As Intense As It Should

Something I've always loved about Daredevil overall is that he's a street-level hero, like Spider-Man, another one of my favorite characters. So, 99% of the time, there isn't this wild CGI fight. Most of the time, it's two characters with knives or fists going at each other, and it's feral and beautifully choreographed and so much fun. 

The 2003 Daredevil didn't live up to that expectation. While it certainly has action scenes, they don't feel well choreographed, and most of them are backed up by strange angle shots, shaky cam, and weird effects that don't need to be there. The whole point of Daredevil is that he's a lethal fighter. I don't need to be wowed by slow motion or fun camera tricks -- just the fighting.

Obviously this wasn’t the filmmakers' intention, but I felt it was lackluster. I genuinely wish I felt differently.

Jennifer Garner Was Legit Killer In Daredevil

Like Duncan as Kingpin, I loved Jennifer Garner as Elektra. The actress has done so many incredible movies during her time in Hollywood, most of which are better than this film, but she was a highlight. She had the spunkiness of Elektra I was expecting, and she was a badass through and through.

Seeing her fight was so much fun because she mainly used weapons, making her battles much more intense. I can see why Elektra received her own spinoff film afterward.

The Movie Elektra, As A Whole, Wasn’t The Best, But Garner Was Still The Best Part Of It

Even with how excellent Garner was as Elektra, her solo film was not the best.

Don't get me wrong – Garner is still the best part of it, and she fully commits to the role, but the rest of the movie falls flat in its action, story, script, and everything else you could possibly think of. It's just not a great movie.

It was revolutionary for being one of the first superhero movies to be led by a woman…I just wish it was better. Maybe I’ll give it another chance at some point, but for now, I’ll probably just stick to my one-time watch.

I Genuinely Can’t Wait For Elektra To Appear In Deadpool 3

Even if Elektra wasn't the best film, I genuinely can't wait to see Garner reprise her in the upcoming MCU film, Deadpool 3. Seeing Wade Wilson's reactions to her will be hilarious, and I'm curious to witness what kind of multiversal storyline we will dive into where she will appear in the movie.

That being said, I also wouldn't mind seeing Ben Affleck reappear as Daredevil. I know I'm not the biggest fan of his portrayal, but with the right direction and movie, he could be a fun little cameo – especially in a film about multiverses, as Deadpool 3 is trending in that direction. I'm eager to see what it brings to the table.

All in all, I most likely won't watch these films again, because the genre of superhero movies is oversaturated as it is. Even so, it was a fun Saturday afternoon – but respectfully, I think I'll stick to Daredevil: Born Again when it releases eventually.