Daredevil: The Man Without Fear

With this being my second exposure to the awesome works of Uncanny Antman, following on from T3 the Coming Storm, this edit is as slick as they come.

The origin/prologue sequence is beautifully done, as are the opening credits. The restructuring of the narrative is to dramatic effect and feels as though it should have always been this way. There are perhaps a few transitional scenes missing but this can't be helped and thankfully it doesn't leave the film feeling choppy. I love how the relationship between Matt and Foggy plays out. The directors cut did this well also but everything was too padded out. Action sequences are wonderfully edited to appear more realistic and thank goodness the worst of the CGI is gone.

Some reviewers have commentated that the removal of Daredevil's fight with Bull's Eye leaves the ending feeling a little hollow. I didn't have this problem as it puts all the focus on Matt's loss and him tracking down the Kingpin.

My only complaints and bear in mine these are minor. The film has a slightly depressing vibe. Possibly as a result of one too many humorous moments removed and some soundtrack choices. The Terrance Stamp cameos seem unnecessary and I'm not at all keen on the post end credits sequence. The subtle ending with Matt pondering over the charm was a nicer way to end things.

Overall though this is a fantastic fan edit and now replaces the Director's Cut as my go to version.

OK, how do I even start this review... I promise, I was not paid to write this :) This is an ASTONISHING edit!!! It's an amazing technical, visual and auditory accomplishment. The chronology has been majorly and meticulously restructured with great success. The cuts have been chosen carefully and with precise intent. New music have been added which really adds to the atmosphere. Even special effects have been revised and improved! Uncanny Antman had a crystal clear plan and it shows. I hope to be half as good one day for my next fan edits! SPOILERS will follow...

Right from the start, after the customary credits , the professionalism and quality of the edit reveal itself. The original introduction with Matt Murdock dying in the church has been removed and the movie begins instead with an important part of our hero, his relationship with his father as a kid. This is a great way to introduce our main character and prove that you don't have to use flashbacks to be interesting.

Judicious cuts have been made throughout the prologue to remove the cheese and create an interesting drama we're invested in. Those smart cuts continue all the way to the very end of the movie. The training montage was an highlight for me and the choice of music was excellent to set the period and the mood. The prologue ends with an interesting choice as the big baddy is not responsible for creating our hero. It's a really refreshing idea.

We now go to the movie titles. I'm telling you, I watched it two times in a row, it's that good! The music was superb, the titles were amazing, the imagery revealing Matt's fight training with a known mentor, it was awesome. And then, the main story begins with a bang and a few surprises. Bad CGI scenes have been removed without compromising the flow of the story and... there are no voiceovers! I liked Ben Affleck in the role, he has a passion for the character, but I thought his voiceover lines were pretty bad and his delivery was poor.

OK, I can go on and on with nearly every scenes of the edit but I should wrap-up this review. Uncanny Antman really shuffled a lot of scenes with great efficiency and the movie becomes much more interesting in the process. I only have two less positive comments. You tend to notice very little things when dealing with a nearly flawless edit such as this.

Firstly, when Daredevil kicks Bulleye from his motorcycle, the CGI is really, really bad. Maybe by cutting before the CGI character hits the ground and then switching to the character rolling on the road would have hidden the CGI a little bit more. Lastly, when Daredevil is looking for Bullseye on the roof, we have the cliché bird (or sometimes the classic cat) appearing on the other side of the sheet, surprising our hero just before being attacked by Elektra. I think the birds could have been removed entirely and it would have given the impression that Elektra surprised him.

All in all, I'm repeating myself but this is an ASTONISHING edit!!!

You can be very proud of your work Uncanny Antman!

Having seen Spence's edit of Daredevil, I knew Daredevil was a film that was able to be salvaged. I had originally trolled the Internet looking for Uncanny Antman's Daredevil the Man Without Fear, but was sorely unable to find it. Having mentioned this in my review for Spence's edit of Daredevil, I promptly received a PM from UA a few days later on how to obtain this truly technically advanced fanedit. Having seen both gives me a little bit better perspective on what sorts of things the Daredevil movie could've been and the sort of things it just simply wasn't.

Overall the visual effects of this edit are truly stunning. The frame by frame details, the removal of the floaty wire work, the recoloring of the devil vision; all of it was truly inspired. The action was greatly cleaned up and the narrative streamlined. The Kingpin's involvement has been made more clear than it was in Spence's edit and overall there is a fair amount of resolution to be had.

Of the things I didn't like, the only thing that was really noticeable was a complete lack of resolution with the Bullseye storyline (though if a sequel had been made, this sort of inconclusiveness would have made a for a great lead in where Daredevil and Elektra go after Bullseye). I realize that the church fight scene is terrible and in most ways I'm happy that Uncanny Antman didn't even bother to try fixing it. I don't think that fight scene could have been saved, though I do think there was a way to have Daredevil confront Bullseye and then work his death scene in somehow (but again, as a lead in for an imaginary sequel the lack of resolution with Bullseye works quite well). I think it's completely justified to remove it entirely and while the church plays an important role in the movie and Matt's talks with the priest are included, we have been spared the organ fight scene. After watching this I ended up watching the Elektra movie which sadly doesn't have a fan edit though honestly it's pretty standard run away from the kidnappers faire and it was really not a particularly good movie. Overall I think a Daredevil/Elektra edit combined could work fairly well though it would have to be done in such a way as to not detract from the otherwise good parts of Daredevil (and is not a project I would want to take on, I honestly just don't think the source material from these two movies is enough to make a satisfying movie for BOTH characters). A few scenes from Elektra were incorporated into this edit mainly the training scenes with Terrence Stamp, as well as some of the Elektra revival stuff. The training scenes were actually nice to have as there was more or less no explanation as to how Matt becomes so good at fighting (I mean every superhero movie needs some kind of training montage no?). The only other thing I felt was lacking was the finale of the court case which felt a little rushed especially towards the end. Though honestly as viewers were not terribly invested in the case anyway except that Kingpin decided to frame somebody which gives Daredevil the clues he needs to find him.

In short, technically astounding, narratively better, but not even this truly inspired edit completely saves this movie. The action is remarkably better and simply for that I would check this edit out if you have any interest in DD. At just 90 minutes the pain has been minimized and the best parts of this movie have been compiled into something that's worth more than the theatrical or director's cuts.

Let me start by saying, I am one of the few fans of the original theatrical version of Daredevil. I also enjoy Evanescence and their particular brand of what I call "drama rock." Then the director's cut came out and addressed some of the problems with the original, but it still wasn't ideal. Finally along comes Uncanny Antman with "Daredevil: Man Without Fear." If Marvel or 20th Century, whoever owns the rights to this film currently, were smart they would enter into negotiations with UA in order to release this cut as a "for profit" venture on DVD. It is that good. The editing, music editing, credits, and effects were as professional as any movie I have seen.

I will say this movie, the way it was cut by UA may have those not already familiar with Daredevil scratching their heads a little bit, thinking they are missing something. But if you are familiar with DD, you are in for a real treat.

my below comments contain some spoilers.

The handling of the murder of Jack was much better with him being shot, presumably by Falcone instead of having Kingpin do it (too on the nose). The interactions with Foggy were left mostly intact. I always felt the back and forth between Matt and Foggy was well played in this film. I liked the insertion of Matt's nun mother and Stick in short dream sequences, revealing glimpses into Matt's past. UA effectively ditched most of the bad wirework and CGI from this cut, leaving the action with a pretty gritty feel. All of the added soundtrack was great, but I was also happy to see some of the Evanescence tracks left in place. The rearrangement of the scenes was very well thought out and the film flowed very well. I was very happy with most of the material cut, including the subway killing of Quesada. All of the credits were incredibly professional looking and the placement of the opening credits was well thought out. It was good to see S.H.I.E.L.D. get due credit for its assistance in the making of this film in the end credits.

Now as far as nitpicks go, I would say I could have done without Matt's vision of the murder of Lisa Whatsername. Also, I am maybe the only guy on earth that prefers seeing Matt stay with Electra instead of running off to beat some people up. To me it makes him more human and gives their relationship along with her later feelings of betrayal and shock more impact. Finally, the showdown with Kingpin loses its connection and meaning due to the story rearrangement. It kind of leaves the viewer wondering why Matt is so pissed off at the Kingpin when 'twas Bullseye that killed his lady love. No real solid evidence is left in the film that Kingpin ordered Electra's killing. To me, the Kingpin comes off as a profit motivated gangster who will eliminate anyone in his path, but any connection to Electra's killing is merely circumstantial.

Technically, this cut seemed perfect. I didn't detect any problems at all with the video or audio edits. I've only seen the avi so far, so I can't comment on the menus and special features.

It took UA a long time to complete this edit and it took me a very long time to get it downloaded, but by God it was definitely worth the wait. UA, I seriously think you could do film editing for a living (if you don't already). What is the release date for Daredevil: Return of the Kingpin? It looks like a great sequel.

Uncanny Antman has done something I never thought possible: gotten me to watch Daredevil again. I have always considered this particular Superhero movie to be an unsalvageable garbage film; then I read halfway down the cutlist for this edit and decided to give it another shot. So much has been done that the finished product is almost unrecognizable. And that is a very, very good thing. This is some seriously professional editing work, flawless in-scene cutting, perfect transitions, lots of subtle tweaks that didn't give themselves away even on second viewing, and some really well-thought-out and effective repurposing of footage. The new structure works great, the new songs were all terrific additions, and that Marvel Knights logo at the beginning was killer. The only thing that didn't really work for me was Elektra. Without the atrocious playground fight, there's nothing to suggest that she's a martial arts master, so when that Evanescence song kicks in and she starts doing her crazy training routine, it comes out of nowhere. Between this sudden shift and the song (oh, that song), I couldn't take it at all seriously. That's my only real issue, though.

All of this is not to say that I consider Daredevil: The Man Without Fear a good movie. I do not. There are far too many thinly written characters and loose threads when the credits roll. I wouldn't change anything though, and here's why: Daredevil is NEVER going to be turned into a decent movie; the script and the direction are just not good. However, this does feel like successful feature-length pilot for a Daredevil television show, and an above-average one at that. Were this meant only to introduce the main players and set the tone for an upcoming series, the fact that many of the characters (Urich, Bullseye, Elektra, Kingpin) don't have fully formed arcs wouldn't be a problem at all. The only character we would really need to understand would be Daredevil, and by the time the end credits roll, I feel like we do. Another factor that led to this conclusion is the way it looks. The director , Mark Steven Johnson, lifted his style whole-sale from Alex Proyas, but he has neither the skill nor the budget to pull it off effectively, leaving Uncanny Antman to tone town these stylistic choices whenever possible. Divorced from the zany angles and poorly-rendered special effects, the remaining film has a rather flat, low-budget look that wouldn't be uncommon on television. And if that is the first place we saw Daredevil: The Man Without Fear, I believe we would be looking back fondly on a decent (but likely short-lived) Daredevil series instead of one of the worst superhero movies ever made.

I highly recommend this fanedit, if only to marvel at the editing skill on display. I watched the SD AVI file, which looked and sounded just fine for what it was. It came with a trailer for an imaginary sequel which Uncanny Antman has put together out of completely unused footage, which was also great.