Daredevil: Born Again

Historians of the far future looking back at our era will note that streaming media had an early, unstructured, rule-breaking phase which ultimately evolved into what we have today -- old fashioned TV productions "pretending" to be radical and chic. During that first phase, Marvel took big chances and produced some oddball shows. The best of the bunch was Daredevil, and Charlie Cox was one of the best casting decisions in the history of the medium. Having the series rebooted is a miracle. Seriously, call Rome and let them send a team to investigate. Not perfect, perhaps, but still amazing to have that character back, like finding an old friend you thought you would never see again. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

I didn't watch the Netflix series before because it didn't catch my interest. Now I regret that. This show is a continuation of that story, and I only know the main events from those three seasons. I was too busy to watch the old show before this one started. Actually, I couldn't even watch this one on time either. Now I finally finished it, and I really liked it. It was great. The atmosphere was very dark and intense. Many people say the original Netflix series was even better, which makes me more curious now. If I enjoyed this one, I'll probably like the old one too. I think the characters were amazing. I also liked the music, the dark mood, and the fight scenes. Everything felt well made. For me, it's one of the best Marvel shows so far. I'm really looking forward to season two. Some viewers said there wasn't enough action, but I didn't mind that. Watching Matt Murdock deal with his thoughts and emotions, and his decision about becoming Daredevil again, was interesting to me. I enjoyed the drama and the psychology behind it.

I can't tell you how glad I am that Daredevil and The Punisher are back and finally part of the MCU. As a huge fan of Marvel I'm a little biased because I pretty much like everything they put out. My bias aside, Daredevil was universally loved and thought of as being the best of all the Marvel shows. Daredevil: Born Again picks up right where the original left off and that's being an incredible show. It's actually my favorite Marvel show, with The Punisher a close second. All you have to do is read through the reviews to see how loved Daredevil and The Punisher are. Even the critics loved them. Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio were born to play Daredevil and Kingpin, as was Jon Bernthal to play The Punisher. Those three are absolutely the best part of the show. Now that they've brought back Daredevil and The Punisher, they need to bring back Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist into the MCU somehow. If you're a Marvel fan then Daredevil: Born Again is a must watch.

I don't even know where to begin in describing how much I loved this show. I've watched it all the way through twice now and can't find anything wrong. The original Netflix Daredevil might be my favorite superhero show of all-time so I was worried this wouldn't love up to that. I'm so glad they decided to bring back the Netflix characters and integrate them in the MCU. They're now bringing Jessica Jones back for the second season too and hopefully Luke Cage and Iron Fist aren't far behind. The second season can't get here fast enough.

Daredevil: Born Again was announced several years ago, shortly after the character's cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Since then, this series has undergone a very troubled and very long production. Several episodes of the original show, which had no connection to the Netflix Daredevil beyond a few central actors, were filmed before a massive creative overhaul was ordered. This led to reshoots and revisions, turning the show into a sequel to the Netflix installment.

All this to say, it's clear that Born Again is two shows stitched together. Especially with the first episode, which squeezes probably a good two or three episodes work of plot into one in a desperate attempt to introduce the new elements of the show and refit the original story. This is the show's main problem, along with some of the elements of what would appear to be the original ideas not being very interesting or fitting with the tone of the reshot material. One story is a procedural drama, the other is Daredevil Season 4. Also brought with this new direction are a couple questions, such as how did Kingpin get out of jail after Season 3, and how does the whole Hawkeye/Echo story fit into all this?

Despite this, and some poor use of new characters (the villain Muse in particular), there is still a lot to love. Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, Wilson Bethel, Jon Bernthal, and Ayelet Zurer play their characters just as well as ever. Cox and D'Onofrio in particular are extraordinary. Kingpin running for mayor leads to great suspense, as you keep waiting for the moment he'll crack and return to his old ways. When he finally gives in, it results in the single most brutal scene I've ever seen from a Marvel or DC property. I thought I was watching The Boys for a second.

Despite some tonal whiplash, Born Again is without a doubt some of Marvel's best post-Endgame content, and I look forward to Season 2, where a singular vision from the show's creative team will hopefully fix most of Season 1's issues.