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Michael Steven Johnson's Daredevil is this year's first attempt to bring a comic book to the big screen, a few strides ahead of Hulk, X-Men 2, and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. He seems to have pleased fans of the comic, but few critics came away enthusiastic about what they saw.

Ben Affleck stars as a Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer who dons a red leather costume at night and ventures out to fight crime with his enhanced senses. As he deals out violent judgment for getaway crooks, this not-so-handicapped hero is torn between the desire for revenge and justice.

In this episode—you can bet this is the beginning of another franchise—Murdock experiences love at first "sight" with a neighborhood girl named Elektra (Jennifer Garner). A rather hasty and athletic courtship, one that rushes from violent sparring on a playground to a quick tumble in the sheets, leads Murdock into participation in Elektra's personal quest for vengeance. They have two mutual targets. Kingpin is a Herculean crime boss played by Michael Clarke Duncan, master of that menacing bad guy chuckle. Kingpin's zany assassin Bullseye, giddily over-played by Colin Farrell, is an expert at throwing sharp pointy things into other people's necks and foreheads. A series of violent confrontations and a flurry of bad one-liners ensue.

So, is Daredevil a hero to admire or just another vengeful egomaniac in tights? Religious press critics lined up to offer a wide range of opinions this week.

Gerri Pare (Catholic News Service) says, "the message is mixed in that Matt agrees seeking vengeance is wrong, but ends up back in his red get-up, declaring he is the city's 'guardian devil.' His character is clearly well-intended but continues to rationalize taking the law into his own hands."

Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) responds to the film's assumption that it carries some sort of religious significance in its array of Roman Catholic symbolism. "Any biblical standard which might have been seen was overshadowed by the vigilante aspect of the title character. Johnson never really takes the time to let us care about his characters or what happens to them. He keeps the camera so close to the action that, while it looks like something cool is happening, it is difficult to tell what it is, much less appreciate it."

Holly McClure (Crosswalk) was surprised at the level of violence: "This is definitely a movie mature teens to twenty-somethings will probably enjoy the most, but adults who are into the comic book heroes will get a kick out of it as well. Sadly, there will be many parents who will take their young children to see this movie, because they think the PG in the rating means it will be 'kid-friendly.'"

Bob Smithouser (Focus on the Family) is even more troubled by the violence: "Daredevil is no Spider-Man. It's darker and considerably more objectionable. The violence is … quite explicit in places. Aside from the hero's moral turmoil and some cool effects … Daredevil is a comic book cliché that's most noteworthy for its abuse of the PG-13 rating." Similarly, Shaun Daugherty (Preview) concludes, "Daredevil has a dark, chilly tone with little comic relief. Substantial violence, a brief sexual encounter and objectionable words earn it negative acceptability marks."

Taking a pro-Daredevil position, Steven D. Greydanus (Decent Films) calls the film "a triumph of screenwriting redaction and well-utilized effects over weak characterization and generally uninspired casting."

Also somewhat impressed, Tom Snyder (Movieguide) says that Daredevil is characterized by "a strong Christian worldview." But that worldview is polluted, he adds, by "Romantic, pagan and satanic elements and symbols." He concludes, "The best part of the movie … is the way in which it resolves the moral conflicts within Matt/Daredevil's own soul. Matt eventually decides to take his priest's admonitions about justice versus revenge to heart, despite the personal tragedies he undergoes during the story."

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February (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47