It’s no secret that I love superheroes.
If the number of reviews I’ve written about the genre doesn’t give that away, the comics lining my bookshelf and my ability to quote almost every movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) will.
So, when I found out my favorite of the six Netflix original series in the MCU — “Daredevil” — was getting a revival seven years after its finale, I was ecstatic. The series lived up to everything I dreamed of, and April 15’s finale of “Daredevil: Born Again” concluded the series in a sensational bloodbath that would make the original proud.
From the first episode, I was hooked by the cinematography. Though the series is set in a dark New York, “Daredevil: Born Again” follows the MCU’s trend of engaging and successful lighting — a breath of fresh air among the barely-visible films that fill action cinema.
Not only is the show a masterpiece of lighting, it is also beautifully written. Over the course of nine episodes, “Daredevil: Born Again” explores government corruption and the questionable ethics that come with being a hero. The show delicately balances an enthralling plot with meaning still relevant today, reminiscent of the Fox series “Gotham.”
But the true star of the show is the literal one: Charlie Cox brings the necessary darkness to Daredevil and an intellectual heart to Matt Murdock. Playing his rival, Kingpin, Vincent D’Onofrio is a charming devil wrapped in a suit. Though the characters spend a majority of the show keeping tabs on each other from afar, in which the audience hangs onto their every word, it is in the face-to-face interactions that the actors truly shine. Forget about being on the “edge of my seat” — I had completely fallen into the world Cox and D’Onofrio brought to life.
The only mediocre part of the show was Cox’s portrayal of Murdock being blind. Though he always had his cane, there were scenes where it looked like he could see just as well as anyone else. The scenes were off and on: sometimes, Murdock’s blindness was in the viewer’s face, and other times, it was forgotten entirely.
Nevertheless, this show lives up to the expectations set by “WandaVision,” “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” and “Agatha All Along.” It brought a dark New York City back to life, and I cannot wait to see Cox’s Daredevil further foray into the MCU.
