Heaven's Half Hour

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.

We all know how intense and gritty the original daredevil show was and this episode puts you right back in that Thrill Ride seat. You usually expect a show to start off slow and slowly build up to a big moment or a major plot twist but this show pretty much doesn't waste any time at all. I also like that there isn't a lot of conversation between characters that doesn't feel necessary the show seems to hit on a very fine pace and doesn't let up. If you are a big fan of the original show then you will be definitely happy to see the show gets right back to where it needed to be and gives you what you needed to see.

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.

The story of the episode was great but the action sequence in the beginning of the episode WAS SOOOO BAD it just ruined my mood for the whole episode. Disney failed to live up to the action sequence quality that Netflix set. Hopefully it will get better as the series continues. I did not like Kingpin on a diet, that is kinda lame. Kingpin is supposed to have a massive presence literally and figuratively. I'm still very excited for this series though and so happy that they brought back Matt Murdock and fit him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hopefully they can bring back some of the other Defenders.

As a big fan of the original series who was devastated by its cancellation, I was incredibly hopeful about its continuation in Daredevil: Born Again. One episode in and it is very clear that, while continuing the story of Daredevil, this show is very much its own stylistically. I cannot help but miss the distinct visual aesthetic of the original show, with such gorgeous lighting and cinematography. Born Again is much more along the lines of other Disney+ Marvel shows visually, with some flashes of the original bursting through.

It is truly a delight to have Daredevil and Fisk back, both actors truly bring their all and I am excited to see what this season has in store for them. However, the show makes a big decision in its opening that I found very difficult to stomach. Ultimately, I recognize that my excitement for the series' return clouds me from making an unbiased decision about the execution of this moment, but I had a quite harsh reaction to the show's opening sequence. I don't want to go as far as to say that it is disrespectful to the original show, although I couldn't help but reject it and expect it to be incredibly divisive. I do, however, understand the choice itself and will wait until some time has passed to see how it sits with me.

The original show is long gone, and ultimately this one is a different beast. Daredevil: Born Again takes bold swings that will likely cause some to love it and some to hate it. I'm still giving it its chance and looking forward to the rest of the season, because ultimately there is a lot to appreciate and enjoy inside of this first episode-even if some elements left me with a bitter taste in my mouth.