How great it is to see the original cast of the series back, including Charlie Cox, Elden Henson, Deborah Ann Woll, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jon Bernthal, Wilson Bethel, and Ayelet Zurer. One thing I want to highlight is that Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk had already appeared in other recent Marvel series, but they had lost the essence of their characters. This series brings that essence back, and as a fan of the Netflix version, I'm truly grateful - even though their characters were heavily affected by their appearances in other shows.
Before I continue my review, I need to mention that this series was released after many Marvel productions that lost their potential, so its release feels important. I hope it sends a message to everyone in the company - and to the entire film industry.
Continuing the review, it's really hard not to compare this Marvel series to the Netflix one. One thing I liked in this version was the fight scenes - they feel more epic and continue to be brutal. However, I still prefer the old series because the fights there felt more natural and realistic. Despite my preference, I enjoyed the action scenes in this series too - they're not bad at all. But one thing that bothered me a bit was that many of the best fight scenes take place in the dark or in smoke, which can make it harder for the audience to follow what's happening.
As for the screenplay, I felt it was very slow and lacked a clear purpose until the last two episodes. That lack of direction can especially be seen in the Muse arc - he's a great villain, but in my opinion, he was underused. Another thing I really disliked was how long it took to explain the lack of connection between the old and new series. Even by the final episodes, there was no clear explanation of why Poindexter did what he did at the beginning of the series, or how Fisk is free and has become the mayor, after being accused of killing Agent Nadeem in season three.
Despite the short number of episodes, I liked the arc involving the corrupt cops and I'm interested to see how they'll be dealt with in the second season. Still, it felt strange not to see other major heroes involved in such an important storyline - especially Spider-Man.
An honorable mention goes to Hector Ayala, portrayed by Kamar de los Reyes, who sadly passed away. Even though his screen time was limited, his presence was powerful and meaningful to the story. I really liked his character and wanted to see more of him. I especially enjoyed the courtroom scenes and his relationship with Matt, as well as his motivations. Overall, even with short time, he made a big impact, and as fans, we should honor him. May he rest in peace.
So, this series is great, but compared to the original, it still has some areas that could be improved - though I'm not sure if those issues were caused by the reshoots. Still, it's a good series to watch, and I'm definitely looking forward to the second season.
