Heaven's Half Hour

The show feels very different to the Netflix original whilst still retaining the core elements that mattered. It remains equally as dark and gritty with the added use of CGI and a more acrobatic Daredevil. People will complain about his new fighting style or the use of CGI but this is an MCU continuation of the Netflix series. This is a good adaptation/continuation of the previous show and shows that Marvel can accommodate darker characters into its universe. The first episode is extremely emotional and characters are given room to breathe and develop, overall it is a very promising start to the series. This is a Daredevil that will be seen in other Marvel projects so the ultra realistic Netflix version would not fit the Marvel Universe, I think they have modified his character well enough to fit into this world whilst still retaining his main qualities.

We are back, a quick trip to Hells Kitchen sees Matts life change after a tragedy befalls him. Daredevil is pushed to his line and he crosses it for the first time. Matt hangs up the horns and 1 year later we have no sight of Daredevil and he is in New York in a new firm. Things get shaken up when Fisk is out and plans on running for Mayor of New York.

The first episode is strong but not where it used to be, sure we have violence but the CGI absolutely takes you out of it and yes that's a valid complaint because it's predecessor had little CGI issues from 2016. The backgrounds feel fake, the some of the fight scenes you can tell it's a CG model and not the actors.

The tone is there and even with the above complaint the fight is a good one. The dialogue especially with Matt and Fisk are really strong.

Overall happy to have Daredevil back but it suffers from Disney CGI and I'll never get why, 8/10.

First off, the first fight scene was different than any Marvel fight I've seen. The odd perspectives and lighting, the relentless zinging knives, along with DD's lurching, zombie-like pursuit of Bullseye, captured the Frank Miller Daredevil Marvel comic run from the 1980s better than any previous episode. That 1980s run also featured Kingpin's mayoral race. Good stuff. (It would probably cost a CGI fortune but we really do need to see an entire fight from DD's radar sense perspective.)

The music and score enhance the action by skipping overdramatized score crescendos (think Peter Jackson with LOTR). Some hip new pop tunes help too. Great mood and tone from the soundtrack.

I also enjoy how the dialogue and fights are more understated. The opening fight was mostly shot from a distance, which emphasized action over smashed bloody faces. It was less brutal and instead more vicious and clinical than, say, every single Punisher fight scene. The Kingpin - Daredevil coffee shop face-off was similarly understated, with little melodrama in either dialogue or score. And if that scene wasn't an homage to the De Niro-Pacino coffee talk then I'm Michael Mann.

I'm optimistic. Smart, crisp writing and a consistent score/soundtrack (without any of Marvel's self-parody) will keep me tuned in.

I've never left a review before, I probably won't again. The original is my favorite show of all time.

I believe this episode was good, but it is only good in that it is a passable imitation of something great. Like watered-down wine.

The action, one of the aspects which put the original on the map, is better than recent marvel, but not quite good enough. The relatively obvious (in a bad way) CGI did not completely ruin it, but it certainly took a lot away from the obvious effort that went into it.

The writing is alright, and would not be very engaging if not for the only truly exceptional aspect of this show: the actors. I think they are all phenomenal and I feel very bad that I don't really like the product of their work. It is not at all their fault.

The cinematography and colorwork is much more subjective, but for me was absolutely terrible. Not even a speck of effort to retain the original style which matched the show so well. It honestly looks like something rendered in a graphics engine trying to imitate reality's grey-ness in an attempt for grittiness.

There is nothing authentic and there are no risks of any sort, there is nothing special to this. It is all riding off of the success of the original, with its dynamic camerawork, colorwork, often over-the-top serious writing, and breathtaking action. It is simply a dilution and productization of authenticity.

When the most memorable/interesting scene of the episode is two dudes sitting at a table, you KNOW something isn't quite right. Yikes.

I wasn't impressed at all with the first episode of DD Born Again.

They had a chance to at least do the fight scene right, but nahhh, why do that when you can rely (HEAVILY) on CGI?

The soundtrack is pretty bad too with those very weird and annoying constant thumping tones trying to make you think the episode is "intense" or whatever. Give me a break.

Maybe all this would be acceptable if Born Again wasn't supposed to be a continuation to the great show that was Netflix's Daredevil.

6/10 for episode 1 from me.