My Top 10 Dream Sequences in movies

When we dream, it’s almost like watching a movie that’s only meant for one person to see. There’s just no limit or telling what kind of bizarre and creative imagery can come to one’s subconscious mind when they fall asleep. This gives filmmakers the chance to be very crafty when creating dream sequences in movies, they can be scary, artistic, beautiful or just plain odd and here are my personal top ten favorite movie dream sequences. Just a heads up, I’m not including movies that take place in a dream world, so don’t expect “Inception”, “Little Nemo” or any of the “Nightmare on Elmstreet” movies to be on this list. Also, I’m not including day dreams like the ones seen in “A Christmas Story” or “The Fast Times at Ridgemont High”, the character actually has to fall asleep in order to count as a dream. With all that said, here’s the list. 

         

                                       

#10 Dream Sequence from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo”

Alfred Hitchcock was a visionary mastermind like no other, and who better to artistically show the mental deterioration of someones obsessed mind. After our lead character named Scottie looses the love of his life in an accident, he slowly loses his sanity and begins slipping in and out of his own consciousness, this results in a trippy dream with flashy effects, stylish direction, impressive animation and a hypnotic feel that literally puts you into a trans while watching.    

#9 Dream Sequence from “The Simpsons movie”

I’m convinced that “The Simpsons Movie” represents the best that the Simpsons ever had to offer, including a hilarious and all around insane dream scene. After Homer Simpson gets lost in the mountains, he stubbles across a voodoo lady who gives him a spicy beverage that sends him into this trippy hallucination where he's trapped within a maze of his own mind. With an artistic design directly inspired by Salvador Dali’s paintings, specifically “The Melting Stop Watch”, lots of funny jokes and an unbelievably cool Spider-Pig theme composed by Hans Zimmer, this dream sequence has it all.  

#8 Dream Sequence from “The Big Lebowski”

Now here’s a dream sequence so awesome that it even gets its own title sequence. It’s almost like a serial music video from the 1980’s, with a rocking soundtrack, chicks in mini-skirts, elaborates sets, wild costumes and plenty of hummer. This is one up beat dream sequence that no amount of alcohol will ever make you forget.

#7 Dream Sequence from “An American Werewolf in London”

You’d think that a dream sequence in a horror film would go straight for scary imagery, but this flick decides to mix its horror elements with wildly over the top events that only your subconscious mind can dream up. This includes running in the woods with a pack of wolves, visits from the ghost of your decayed best friend, cameo’s from the Muppets and Werewolves dressed up like Nazi’s that invade a house, now that’s crazy. These dream scenes are darkly comedic, but shockingly frightening and a perfect fit for the list. 

#6 Dream Sequence from “All Dogs go to Heaven”

This is a very controversial children’s movie, featuring themes and subjects that are very adult for kids. It also makes great use of one of the most frightening nightmare sequences ever seen on film. As our hero named Charlie cheats his own death, he’s told hell never be able to inter heaven, leading to one inevitable conclusion, he’s going to hell. There’s no subtlety in what kind of demonic imagery appears in this dream, fiery brimstone, violent monsters, scary faces, lakes of lava, it’s all really intense but awesome. It’s a chilling nightmare that’s shore to give your children nightmares.      

    

#5 Dream Sequence from “Peewee's Big Adventure”

Count on a visionary artist like Tim Burton to deliver a dream as wild and creepy as this. The bumbling Peewee Herman is out on a journey to find his stolen bike, in his sub counties he fears he’ll never see it again, leading into a crazy dream involving devils lowering his bike into a boiling caldron, a giant clay-motion T-Rex and a bunch of scary clowns dressed up like plastic surgeons. The overall set design of this dream is brilliant, with the background being pitch black and everything in the foreground being bright and colorful.

#4 Dream Sequence from “Brazil”

What’s cooler then a dream sequence in an artsy movie, how about several in one film. This is the story of a man who wants to be set free from the controlling government he’s stuck in, so during his down time he dreams about being free. Flying through the sky and rescuing the love of his life, however the all controlling society is dogging at his heals and interring his subconscious as well. Not only does this lead to some creative imagery, and incredible visual effects, there also very captivating and full of atmosphere. It actually gets to the point in which you begin to feel like your dreaming yourself.  There just fascinating to watch, and you get plenty of elaborate dreams in this film.  

#3 Dream Sequence from “The Prince of Egypt”

This is perhaps one of the most artistically brilliant dreams I’ve ever seen. After our lead hero named Moses dynes the truth of his heritage, he has a nightmare that shows in full detail, his real origin and a secret that had been kept from him his whole life. What’s truly brilliant about this scene is how it’s displayed through hieroglyphics and Egyptian style paintings. It’s all very artistic but it also has a strong atmosphere, chilling musical score, dramatic elements and some incredible visual effects, it truly is one of my favorite dream sequences I’ve seen in a motion picture.

#2 Dream Sequence from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Spellbound” 

With Alfred Hitchcock’s film-making talents and an art deco design by Salvador Dali, the 1945 motion picture “Spellbound” delivers one of the most elaborate and abstract dream sequences ever put into film. With lots of tilted angles, creepy eyes that are floating all around, a faceless man holding a bent wheel and scenery that’s strait out of any classic Salvador Dali painting, this is one twisted dream that’s wilder then anything Tim Burton could ever dream up.  

  

Before I reveal my number one pick, here are my Honorable Mentions: 

Dream Sequence's from“Cat People” (1942)
Dream Sequence's from “The Fly” (1986)

Dream Sequence's from  “American Beauty” (1999) 

Dream Sequence's from “The Bear” (1988)

Dream Sequence's from “Rosemary's Baby” (1968)           

Deam Sequence's from “Joseph King of Dreams” (2000)

#1 Dream Sequence from “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”      

  

This is perhaps the most disturbing dream sequence ever seen in a movie, it left such an impact on me that it had to make the number one spot. For those of you not familiar with the movie, Sara Connor is one of our lead characters and she’s learned that in a couple years, everything will fall victim to mass nuclear bombing. Having such knowledge has kept her in a state of fear and paranoia, she can’t even sleep without having a horrific nightmare about the upcoming tragedy. This whole scene is such a real and terrifying perspective of a civilization being nuked, with intense images, an ominous overtone and a glimpse of the innocents that get got in the blast. It leaves me with chills every time and it’s the most unforgettable dream sequence I’ve ever seen in a movie. 

                          Sweet dreams everyone! 

Disney's Alice in Wonderland (1951) (Movie Review)

  Back when I was just a little kid, I was obsessed with Disney animation, with just about every classic on home video, and my feelings for them were mostly universal. However, there were some I liked less then others, and the one Disney classic that I remember liking the least as a child was the 1951 classic “Alice in Wonderland”. I certainly didn’t hate the movie, but I found it frustrating to watch, and back then I just didn’t understand it at all. Things have certainly changed over time, as I’ve gotten older, and I’ve read the original Lewis Carroll novels, which puts me in a focused mindset on how to view the film. Also, after watching Tim Burton’s 2010 “Alice in Wonderland” ... which I found very mediocre and forgettable … it’s gotten me interested to look back at the original Disney classic through a different perspective. Will it be superior to what I remembered as a kid, or will my feelings on the film remain the same … lets jump down the rabbit whole and find out.

  As the movie begins, we get one of those classic old-Disney opening credit sequences, set to a theme song, and paired with still phots serving as a backdrop. I for one miss these original opening title sequences, as they always felt like a teaser trailer for what you'll be seeing, and who we're going to meet on the journey to come. We quickly meet the young Alice, who … unlike most other leads … doesn’t have any real dreams or ambitions, she just wants to escape from the familiar for a little while. She has a song called “In a World of my Own”, which is her figurative “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, and the song puts you in a mind-set of traditional Disney charms … right down to her singing to a blue bird. Things change when Alice spots The White Rabbit, who oddly enough is dressed in a coat, and is apparently late for something important. With her curiosity peaked, she follows The White Rabbit down his hole, and finds herself lost in a strange and peculiar world, with even more oddball characters, and zero logic to anything. Determined to catch-up to The White Rabbit, she sets off on a journey through wonderland, only to have one strange encounter after another. In essence, the film is less about narrative, and is more like a twisted road trip, as you go from one oddball sequence to another goofy highlight, with Alice acting as our figurative avatar along the way. It’s the kind of premise that will have varying effects on viewers … as some may be open to just experiencing something different … while others may want a layered story with deeper characters.    

  On the one hand, no mater what the movie, I always go in for the experience first … so a movie that’s nothing but an experience should be right up my ally. However, I also feel that I’ve experienced movies with a similar premise, which still had more substance to offer. “The Wizard of Oz” for example is one of my all-time favorite movies, as it was more than just a simple diversion in a fantasy setting, it was also a story about growing-up, while discovering the magic that’s right there at home, and as Dorthey matures, the audience in turn gains something of substance. 

Alice by contrast doesn’t really gain anything from this experience, as she simply slips into this world, comes back out, and the audience in turn doesn’t really have much to take away from this. On the flip side of this, something like Tim Burton's “Alice in Wonderland” had such a generic story, and stock characters that it made me appreciate the animated film for at least being something wholly unique and even memorable in its own right. It certainly gave me a meaningful lesson warning me about “stranger danger”, which stuck with me through my whole childhood. Yeah … there’s a curious detour in which we hear the tale of a family of cute little Oysters, who all get leeward away from home by a nasty character called The Walrus ... and they all get eaten. That messed me up as a kid, and I have to give credit to Disney for not changing things to a happy outcome. As such, the moral stuck with me, and I was always cautious to be around strangers. Every time I had an encounter with someone I was unsure of, I always imagined the wicked grin of The Walrus behind their face. 

   

 Thematically this is one of the darkest Disney movies, and was frustrating to watch as a kid. Unlike Dorthey, Alice doesn’t have any friends to comfort her on the journey, and every time you think Alice will finally experience something positive, it always turns out wrong. The talking flowers for example are introduced singing “Golden Afternoon”, which is this beautifully detailed and colorful sequence, but the second it ends, the plants turn on Alice, call her names, and treat her like garbage. 

There’s the famous tea party scene in which Alice meets The Mad Hatter and The March Hare. This scene again starts as something positive, with these charming little teapots whistling, and there’s a catchy little “Un-Birthday Song”, but the longer she stays at the table, the more frustrating it gets, as the two simply ramble like loons, and poor Alice isn’t allowed to drink a simple cup of tea. The characters of Tweedledee & Tweedledum are the closest Alice gets to a friendly encounter, and as a kid, I so wanted them to be the figurative friendly companions to go with her on the journey. The most unsettling part of all is when Alice gets lost in the woods, and has a big cry, as she fears she’ll never get home again. This in a nut-shell is why I didn’t like this movie when I was a kid, as it just seemed so joyless when compared to other Disney offerings. However, I’ve come to respect the films atmosphere and tone as being consistent with the spirit of the novel. On that note, despite leaving out a number of sequences and characters from the book, this movie captures the tone and spirit of the novel better than most other adaptions.

  Just as a side note, “Alice in Wonderland” holds the record for the most songs contained in one animated Disney feature, with fourteen total. However, the songs themselves are so short, that they’ve never left too big an impression on me ... although, “Painting the Roses Red” is still kind of catchy. As far as animation is concerned, this is all around one of Disney’s best-looking 2D pictures. Not only are the designs creative, but for a film that came out in the early 1950’s, the artistry on display has aged incredibly well. Some of my favorite designs are all the odd forest creatures Alice encounters when she gets lost in the woods. Also, the animation reflects the dark tone of the movie with its bright Disney presentation. The backdrops are mostly black and empty, while everything in the foreground is bright and colorful, which allows the imagery to leap off the screen. One of my favorite animation highlights is a sequence with an army of playing cards, and still to this day, the visuals during their little dance are fascinating to watch. My favorite scene of the whole movie … by far, is when Alice first descends down the rabbit hole. This sequence is rich with atmosphere, absorbing imagery, and it captures a haunting sense of euphoria … like your descending into a mysterious dream world.     

  Most of the characters do leave a memorable impression, and have a charming appeal on their own. Even some of the smaller characters like The Doormouse and the bird named DoDo have a distinct charm that stick with me. 

The character of Alice may be simple on the surface, but the inflections through her body movements, facial expressions and a solid vocal performance from child star Kathryn Beaumont help breath so much life and charm into the character. Still to this day, Alice remains one of the best child characters from Disney’s animated line-up. It’s no wonder that Kathryn Beaumont would go on to voice Wendy in Disney’s "Peter Pan" after this. Ed Wynn was another great reoccurring talent for Disney at the time, and I don’t think any other character is more affiliated with him then The Made Hater. The Caterpillar, despite being one of the biggest jerks in the film, in another really fun character to watch, with his smokey breath, and fast spoken dialogue. Of course, my favorite character of all is the mysterious and mischievous Cheshire Cat. Unlike the others, Cheshire Cat seems fully aware of just how insane he is, and has fun with it. He’s like the wild card of the bunch, always leading Alice down a different path, and usually to his own selfish delight. Sterling Holloway was yet another reoccurring vocal talent for Disney, and I think his portrayal of Cheshire Cat is his best by far. He’s crazy, he’s unpredictable, he has a zany attitude, and as a result he’s just a tone of fun to watch. 

  As we reach the third act, Alice’s determination to go home drives her to ask for aid from The Queen of Hearts … big mistake. 

While just as crazy as the other characters, the Queen is also the most dangerous, as her short temper with people can get them axed-off ... which is kind of dark by Disney standards. For all the evil witches and malevolent Queens to come from Disney, none scared me more as a kid then The Queen of Hearts. While the others may have looked more threatening, I always felt the heroes at least had the ability to fight back, or had someone at their side. Alice by contrast is alone, completely at the mercy of this unhinged psychopath, and is facing some high stakes. With that said, looking back as an adult, I forgot just how funny this character is. She’s like an overblown child, governed by her unstable emotions, and only wants things to go her way. It’s hilarious to see her act comb and collected in one moment, only to freak out and loose her temper in the next. I love character’s that just can’t control themselves, and The Queen of Hearts implosive nature makes her equal parts threatening and hysterical. The movie builds to a climactic court room scene in which Alice is put on trial, and its a brilliant sequence all around, with all the characters coming together, and some great interplay. As things escalate, the land seems to unravel around her, and locations seem to merge together, making for a trippy finale.     

    When all is said and done, “Alice in Wonderland” is a wild ride, with some colorful, imaginative highlights and a lovable lead character guiding us through the journey … but I still can’t bring myself to call this a favorite among Disney’s collected works. Even Disney himself wasn’t the biggest fan of the movie, claiming it lacked the heart of his early works. Still, the film has become a classic over time, and fans of the source material seem to view it as the best representation ... certainly the most famous. For me, while I enjoy the movie fine, I can’t help but see it looming in the shadow of other films that feature a similar premise, but gave me more. Personally, my favorite movie to utilize this formula is a spooky little animated picture from 2009 called “Coraline”. While the concept was very similar, with a girl venturing into a dark, twisted fantasy world, I also felt it did a better job balancing its scary content with some uplifting moments, a deeper character journey, a heartfelt ending, and it just felt like the more satisfying experience ... at least in my opinion. Still, “Alice in Wonderland” has its place in the realms of memorable animated ventures, and while it’s not an absolute favorite, I’ve certainly come to admire the movie more than when I was a kid.     

Thanks for reading my review of Disney’s 1951 animated classic “Alice in Wonderland” … and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!  

DareDevil (2003) (Movie Review)

     It’s no secret that the 2000-teens have become a great golden age for comic book movies. At least four come out every year, and for every terrible one, there are at least six superhero classics waiting to be discovered. While superhero movies and comic book movies have obviously been around for years, they didn’t really gain ground until the early 2000’s. This is when superhero movies like “X-Men” and “Spider-Man” left their mark on cinema, and launched the modern age comic-book genera. However, many films at this time were still struggling to find an identity of their own, and emulated what past films had succeeded at. 

Case in point is the 2003 super-hero movie “DareDevil”, which sadly failed to create an identity of its own, and was clearly capitalizing on the success of previous hits like “Batman”, “Spider-Man”, “Blade”, “The Sopranos”, and especially “The Matrix”. Now speaking personally, “DareDevil” was one of the very first superhero movies I had ever seen, in fact I saw this before I had seen any of the previously mentioned films like “The Matrix”, “Spider-Man” and so forth. So for a time, “DareDevil” was a special event that helped get the ball rolling for me. Also, I’ve only seen the theatrical version once, I grew up watching the extended directors cut, and because of this, I’ll probably be giving this film a little more credit than it dissevers. Never the less, let's swing back to 2003 to see if one of Marvels earliest superhero movies has any merits, or if it dissevers the shaft.  

    Before I had seen this movie, DareDevil was already one of my favorite Marvel branded superhero’s, and one that I found to be very underappreciated. Just about every comic book character becomes a superhero by gaining something, whether it be super strength or Spider-powers, but DareDevil is a rare case in which someone becomes a hero after he loses something. For those of you unfamiliar with the character, DareDevil is a man who lost his sight at a young age, and has to rely on his heightened senses to see things better than he did before. 

In his own exaggerated way, DareDevil is an example of taking a disadvantage and turning into your greatest strength, which makes him feel more like a good role model more than other comic book characters. The movie begins with your basic origin story, a boy gets into an accident, has a fall out with his father just before said parent tragically dies, and our hero takes on a dual life of attorney by day and vigilante by night. Over the course of his present day crime fighting, he finds himself falling in love with a woman who’s family is stuck right in the middle of a crime ring, ruled by a mighty tyrant only known as the Kingpin. It’s the basic principles of the character, and the story is intriguing enough in spades, while the rest of the movie admittedly looses itself in spectacle and clichés.     

     There’s a lot that could have been done with DareDevil on a smaller scale, but instead of doing something awesome in a grounded way, the movie makes this character leap from unbelievable heights, swinging through the city like Spider-Man, and it’s all for the sake of spectacle that’s not needed. To be fair, the effects, and stunt work for DareDevil’s jumping around is mostly good, and I think even better than the first "Spider-Man" movie, because it feels like there’s more weight to the character. With that said, it’s still kind of ridicules to see what DareDevil can pull off in this film. He’s so good, that I find myself forgetting he’s blind, with the exception of some select moments. There’s a great little scene in which DareDevil tries to catch a sharp object, but a nearby explosion keeps him from sensing where it is. The movie needed more little touches like that. Our hero is played by Ben Affleck, and he’s perfectly serviceable in the role. I think he’s a better director then he is an actor, but I found this a fitting role for him. 

    Now let’s talk about the villains, who are without a doubt the most entertaining characters in the movie. The late Michael Clarke Duncan was casted perfectly as the mighty Kingpin of crime. This character was originally a Spider-Man villain, and was even the main reoccurring antagonist in the classic 90’s "Spider-Man" cartoon ... which subsequently introduced me to the character DareDevil in the first place. Over time he’s become DareDevil’s most recognizable foe, and personally one of my favorite comic book villains in general. Michael Clarke Duncan of course was a great talent, and shined in just about every one of his roles. His portrayal of the Kingpin is no exception, and arguably one of his more memorable parts. He has the perfect look, and presence of the character, but he also adds his own charisma to the role. My only complaint is that the Kingpin kept getting side lined in favor of the films secondary villain, who ... is a mixed blessing to say the least.

   Colin Farrel plays the Kingpins personal assassin named Bullseye, and he’s about as generic as they get. This is a villain whose super ability is throwing sharp objects that never miss the target, which is kind of silly, but it works for one reason ... and that’s Colin Farrell himself. I swear, he is having the time of his life in the role, and his performance is so over the top goofy that can’t help but enjoy him every time he’s on screen. It’s just like when Willem Dafoe played the Green Goblin in “Spider-Man”, which was an equally hammy villain, but the performance was just so enjoyably cartoony that it just fit the films comic book setting. This is also a rare case in which the villain off-sets the films dark brooding tone, and in this regard it does make his presence all the more welcome. 

    Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the secondary hero of the film, Electra played by Jennifer Garner. While this character at least works as a love interest, her superhero persona in the film ... kind of sucks. A lot of the marketing for this movie shows Electra at our hero’s side, like their an awesome team, but they never actually “team-up”. Electra doesn’t even go into warrior mode until the third act, in which she fights Daredevil for a little, and then dies shortly after. It’s sadly wasteful, especially when the character offered so much potential.  

To her credit, Jennifer Garner's performance is fine, she looks firkin amazing whenever she’s on screen, and she even has some chemistry with the hero, but that mostly comes from the actors, not the writing. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner would obviously become an item after this film, and while their relationship on screen makes little sense, I can at least feel something between them. I will also admit that they share one really good romantic scene in the rain, which honestly puts Spider-Man’s popular upside down kiss to absolute shame. Daredevil is a blind superhero, but the vibrating sounds of all the falling rain allow him to see his girl friend Electra in a unique, and beautiful way. It’s really cool because we rarely see superhero’s utilize their powers in a romantic setting like this. The pacing, build-up, and execution of this rooftop scene was also handled very well, with a soothing musical melody adding to the moment. 

     Let’s address the overall direction and look which characterizes this movie. “DareDevil” is clearly aiming for a dark, gritty look and feel, but it’s so dead seat on a brooding nature, which creates this joyless atmosphere at times. Let’s compare this to the dark visual style of Tim Burtons “Batman” for a second. 

That movie also had a dark makeover, and film noir style, but the setting had its own personality, and felt like it was one with the character. “DareDevil” at times feels needlessly dark just for the sake of it, and not to enhance the story or characters. I will say that from an esthetic point of view, the movie dose look very good. The gothic visuals are captivating at times, and there are some select elements that stick with me. For example, the special effect of DareDevils “blind vision” holds-up especially well, and is one of the precious phew original qualities the film has to offer. I also think this could have been a potentially cool comic-book world to explore in other films, and I do like all the smaller characters that make this setting feel more alive. I really like Jon Favreau as our hero's best friend Foggy Nelson, and it's cool to see him in this role before he both directed, and acted in the "Iron Man" movies.

   One thing that really dates this movie is the soundtrack, which is comprised of some of the 2000’s worst Nu- Metal bands. 

Back in the early 2000’s, most action movies, particularly superhero movies all had the same Nickelback, Creed, boy-band kind of sound. “DareDevil” was the movie that probably exploited this cliché the most, but I have to admit it’s kind of amusing, in a dated, corny sort of way. There was I time I loved this style of music, and there are even select songs from this track that I still enjoy out of pure nostalgia. It’s embarrassing to admit, but back in the early 2000’s, I was a big fan of Evanescence. I listened to their tracks all the time, and their 2003 album “Fallen” was my favorite by far. Two of their more memorable songs from the album, “My Immortal” and “Bring me to Life” were also from the “DareDevil” soundtrack. Dated or not, I just can’t bring myself to say I dislike their music. Other slightly memorable songs from this track include “For You” by The Calling, and even “Won’t Back Down” performed by Fuel is memorable, just for how obvious a cliché it is. Every other song on this track is either generic or ridiculous.  

   

     Of course, no super hero movie is complete without its big action sequences, and in this regard, I actually think the film has aged better then it’s been given credit for. The battles in the film are done in a style clearly inspired by “The Matrix”, and to be honest, it’s so much nicer then the over-the-top “Jason Born” style action we get today. There’s a battle in a bar, which is very chaotic and busy, but its shot and edited in a way that’s mostly easy to follow. It never becomes too over the top that we can’t tell what we’re looking at. While there’s obviously effects and spectacle on display, a lot of the fighting is still mostly in camera, with real sets, props, and stunts. 

The set-designs are also utilized very well with the fighting choreography, which I’ll always love over the big CGI superhero battles we get all the time today. There’s a stand-out scene in which DareDevil and Bullseye duel on a giant church organ, which is a great set-piece, and it’s awesome to see these guys climb all over it. While the action is perfectly serviceable, I will admit, I don’t think it was spread out enough. The first two acts of the movie have very little fighting, and then when we get to the third act, it's nothing but fight sequence after fight sequence. There really needed to be more of a balance between the plot and the action, because too much of the same thing can get dull. The climactic final duel between Daredevil and Kingpin is mostly good. It’s very simplistic, but it’s also intense, making the resolution perfectly satisfying.      

   When all the action is said and done, Kingpin is put in prison vowing vengeance against our hero, and we also see that his assassin Bullseye survived. So there was a lot left open for a possible sequel, but unfortunately for this film, it never had a follow-up of any kind. Jennifer Garner did reprise her role in an “Electra” spin-off movie, but it had no direct continuity with this film, at least not explicit. That movie was also a complete disaster, and silenced any further “DareDevil” related plans. Michael Clarke Duncan at least continued to be the voice of the Kingpin in “The New Spider-Man Animated Series”. Of course, there’s the new live action “DareDevil” series on Netflix, which is firkin amazing, and puts the movie to absolute shame. This show has its own continuity, is a near flawless adaption of the character, and just a solid series in its own right.

    Now let’s talk in a little more detail about the extended directors cut, which is far superior to its theatrical counterpart. 

If you have any interest in seeing the 2003 “DareDevil” movie at all, make sure it’s the director’s cut, which fixes many of the films problems. While this doesn’t make the movie a sudden masterpiece, it’s at least a better alternative. Many of the films key scenes are organized much better in the director’s cut, and we get to see more of what our hero is like when he’s not in costume. There’s an important subplot revolving around a man (played by Coolio) falsely accused of murder added back into the film, which leads into the discovery of who Kingpin’s identity is. This subplot also highlights our hero as both a lawyer and a detective. Plus, it gives John Favreau’s character of Foggy Nelson more to do in the plot, rather than just being a comedic relief. This cut also has an R rating, and gives fans a pinch more gritty material. Best of all, the battle scenes are so much more satisfying without any moments cut, unlike the theatrical version which really took their scissors to the action content. To be honest, the “DareDevil” directors-cut is one of the best I’ve seen, and adds far more to the movie, as opposed to other films, in which case a director’s cut diminishes what was already perfect.     

    In the end, dose “DareDevil”, extended-cut or not work as a good stand-alone superhero movie? Well, I’d personally say yes, it works fine, but in a very average way. While the criticisms aimed at the movie are perfectly fair and justified, I don’t think this is a terrible movie by any means ... I don’t even think it’s that bad. It just doesn’t bring anything new to the table, utilizing a basic origin story plot, and action scenes that, while fine on their own were already done better in both “The Matrix” and "Spider-Man". 

That’s where my personal feelings for the film differ from the general public. Like I said in the opening, “DareDevil” was one of the very first superhero movie’s I’d ever seen, and introduced me to several of the clichés and familiar story telling that has become classic for me. So, the film will always be a little special to me, while the common audience would see this as just another “origin story” that’s even more tired, and been done ... especially with the abundance of comic book movies we get every year. Personally, I find that the film holds-up for simple, derivative viewing pleasure, but for anyone else, there are obviously better super hero movies out there to watch instead ... heck, I’d really just recommend the DareDevil TV show instead.

Thanks for reading my review of the 2003 Comic-Book movie “DareDevil” ... and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!