Within the first 20 minutes of revisiting Daredevil, I found myself grabbing my phone to download the soundtrack to the film, and it brought me back to when I was 11 years old. Having songs from Evanescence, Nickelback, Seether and Fuel, it felt like jumping into a musical time machine. Surprisingly, I did not revisit this film when Daredevil series premiered on Netflix but with the return to Disney+ on March 4th, it was time to revisit this film that many have negative or complicated feelings about. But I am here to defend this film. Beyond the music, this film is a love letter to comic creators with some questionable costume designs and action scenes.

Upon researching a little bit about the film, I found it funny that Mark Steven Johnson would go on to direct Ghost Rider after directing this and by the way he directs, it is obvious. Johnson not only directed but also wrote this film and before diving into this review of Daredevil, I have to say that the Director’s Cut is the better version. The Director’s Cut adds an additional 30 minutes with new characters and better character moments.

We have been used to Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, who has been the character since 2015 and Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Snyder’s DC universe. But Ben Affleck plays the Man Without Fear in this film and I believe that he plays a better Matt Murdock over Bruce Wayne and a better Batman over Daredevil. When placed in non action scenes and not in the leather costume, Affleck is a good Matt Murdock. This is noticeable in the Director’s Cut, as we spend more time with Murdock, Foggy Nelson (Played by a pre- MCU Jon Favreau) and a drug addict played by Coolio in a courtroom. It seriously feels like a different movie with the courtroom element and helps out Ben Affleck’s performance.

What about the support cast? It’s really a mixed bag of casting and performances. Jennifer Garner as Elektra Natchios is the perfect example of this, she looks great as the character in scenes but compared to Elodie Yung’s performance in the Netflix series, Yung is stronger as the character. The relationship between Elektra and Matt does feel rushed in this film and if it was slowed down a little bit, the story could hold some great emotion throughout the film. Up until Vincent D’Onofrio’s masterful performance as Kingpin in the Netflix series, I always felt like Michael Clark Duncan was the perfect Kingpin. By the end of the film, I wanted to see more of Duncan in the role as Kingpin, the look and overall performance was believable for a character that is larger than life.

A pre Grey’s Anatomy Ellen Pompeo plays a forgettable version of Karen Page, but does provide an awesome easter egg for comic trivia night. Pompeo does share a common trend in this film with good actors in forgettable roles, Jon Favreau as Foggy is there for comedic relief but nothing like his role as Happy Hogan in the MCU franchise. Colin Farrell plays a cartoonish version of Bullseye that aged like milk compared to his performance in The Penguin twenty years later. And finally you have Joe Pantoliano as Ben Urich which in my opinion is good casting for a character that was written poorly; Pantoliano is an actor that works best as a sarcastic character much like his role in the Bad Boys franchise.

So how does a film with outrageous action and mixed portrays of characters become redeemable? Simple: it loved the source material and for a comic fan it contained direct fan service. Right from the start we are hit on the head with comic easter eggs, the boxer that Matt’s dad faces in named after John Romita, with the following names mentioned as boxers “Miller, Mack and Bendis.” This was a tribute to Frank Miller, David Mack and Brian Michael Bendis, all who created fantastic stories in Daredevil’s history. A Stan Lee cameo during a montage of a young Murdock discovering his powers after going blind, Quesada is on trial, which is a tribute to Joe Quesada. Finally, the last homage to the comics comes with Kevin Smith playing “Dr. Kirby.” Kevin wrote a popular story arc for Daredevil and he is playing a character that is named after Jack Kirby.

Does that redeem the film? Yes. In my opinion, it gives the film charm that I never noticed until rewatching. It is a product of the time and the nod to the comics warms my comic loving heart. If you haven’t watched Daredevil in a while, I recommend checking out the Director’s Cut as it improves a comic film that I did not like originally.