Daredevil: The Complete Second Season - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Daredevil: The Complete Second Season

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
I didn’t get a chance to review season 1 of Daredevil, but I binge watched it on Netflix back in 2015 and was INSTANTLY hooked. It was a breath of fresh air for Marvel TV shows, as Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. was probably one of the most frustrating TV shows to watch, and DC was dominating over on The CW. Well, with Netflix rising in popularity the push for more Netflix original content opened up the door for Marvel to take some of their other superheroes and give them a life of their without the confines of broadcast television standards and ratings. Thus Daredevil became the litmus test for these types of mini TV seasons (many of them one offs) that are allowed to push the envelope in much the same way that Cable TV shows like Game of Thrones or Dexter did (just without the mass nudity). The first season of Daredevil was simply fabulous, giving us an almost R-rated origins story for the devil of Hell’s Kitchen, and became the crown jewel of the Marvel TV universe.

Season 2 follows up the hit series with a bang, and actually slightly increases the quality as well. Matt Murdoch (Charlie Cox) is still tearing it up as the Daredevil, and he and his lawyer partner Foggy (Elden Henson) along with secretary Karen (Deborah Ann Wolf) are holding down the fort (just barely) at their little tiny law firm. I say just barely because Matt is more than willing to give their services and take whatever payment his clients can afford. Which usually ends up being bananas, Rhubarb pies and other bartered goods being that they only go for the innocent and downtrodden instead of taking on the rich ones. The Kingpin, Wilson Fisk, is finally behind bars and a power vacuum has been created. The Irish mob has moved back in, but there is a new player in town. A rogue warrior who is taking out gangs and criminals with impunity. While The Daredevil and the police have no idea who this vigilante is, the audience has been clued in since the trailer. It’s the one man wrecking crew himself. Frank Castle….The Punisher (Jon Bernthal).

As Matt and Frank are duking it out over dominance in Hell’s kitchen, a new set of problems move back into town. The first comes in the form of Elektra Natchios (Elodie Young), an ex flame for Matt, who creates her own set of problems, and the second being a mysterious criminal organization known as The Hand. Even with his particular set of skills the Daredevil is in over his head, and he needs some help in the form of a Punisher alliance and even some begrudging help from his old mentor, stick (Scott Glenn).

They say that justice is blind, but in this case it really is. Matt Murdock as Daredevil is a HUGE leap over that painful Ben Affleck movie, and the casting choices, even though they’re TV quality, are much more in line with the traditional comics that that fateful movie ever was. What makes the show actually WORK is the fact that it takes the brutality of the blind vigilante and keeps it true to character, even his softer and more innocent side as a lawyer. Matt Murdoch is a dichotomy that takes close study to understand. He’s a man of law and order, but also a man of justice. Even when that justice flies in the face of traditional law. We all love the idea of super heroes, but these guys are just vigilantes. Even if they’re fighting for a just cause. Which is especially ironic when you’re dealing with a man who’s day job is traditional court room law and order. The inclusion of the Punisher is another link in that chain, allowing to ask the questions like “what is REALLY the difference between Frank Castle and Matt Murdoch?”. Both men are vigilantes. Both act outside the law and mete out justice, and both of them use violence to do so. The distinction is really more a matter of tactics and how far they’re willing to go to complete a mission if you actually think about it.

The first season of Daredevil was a well regarded success, so the show runners had big shows to fill with the second season. I personally think they succeeded in upping the ante, as everyone has really fit into their respective roles and gotten the groove down. Matt has finally upgraded to his full costume and we have some great comic book story lines that really hit hard. The Punisher, The Hand, Elektra, all of them seem like they could over stuff the short series, but really they flow together well and create one over arching story that just WORKS. Even the fight scenes and choreography is better. The martial arts fights with Daredevil have really gotten smooth, and there is a stairwell fight scene that is absolutely jaw dropping. And I mean REALLY jaw dropping. Rivaling even the one in Captain America: Civil War or Atomic Blonde. I won’t say the show is perfect, as there is some filler and cheesiness, but Daredevil maintains its status as the BEST of the Marvel Netflix shows out there for good reason.




Rating:

Rated TV-MA




Video:

Daredevil: The Complete Second Season offers a very pleasing 1080p Blu-ray that offers a noticeable improvement over the Netflix streaming copies that have been available for the last year. The show is bathed in shadows, but unlike like Jessica Jones the daylight shots are much more common. Shadows are bathed in the traditional deep blue, and shadow detail is exquisite. There is some mild banding due to the copious shadowy fight scenes and dim lighting, but it’s not really that big of a deal and only really noticeable once or twice. Colors are warm and inviting out in the daylight shots, and even the darkness is privy to the maroon red of the devil of Hell’s Kitchen’s famous leathery outfit. Contrast is evenly balanced, but there is a slightly dull look to facial skin tones some time. Fine detail is exemplary, although some digital noise does obscure it here and there. A good looking transfer, and one that really shines above the compression ridden Netflix stream.




Audio:

While Jessica Jones is a crime drama with a superhero vigilante at the helm, Daredevil is a pure action fueled adrenaline fest, with the devil horned vigilante going toe to toe with gangsters, criminals, bikers, and the Punisher himself, so be certain that it is a wildly aggressive track. Surrounds are used extensively with Matt Murdoch using his extra sensory perceptions to sonically locate villains, or the general hubbub of New York City itself. LFE is clean, deep, and VERY impactful, adding a nice heavy weight to the marital arts combat scenes, as well as the gunfire laid down. It’s a great sounding track and even slightly better than Season 1’s, which I felt was a little anemic in the bass department.







Extras:

Final Score: ​

Season 1 of Daredevil was a long time coming to home video (Netflix exclusives don’t always get a Blu-ray or DVD release), but season 2 was almost guaranteed after Season 1’s excellent sales. I have to say that I’m even more pleased (only by a small margin) than I was the previous year, as the series has matured and grown into its own in the second season. Even though Wilson Fisk is out of the picture (mostly), the addition of The Punisher as a sort of half antagonist was pure brilliance. It gave us some awesome fights, and both of them taking on the Hand was well worth the wait. I can now only hope that The Punisher finally gets his own show (something that has been in the works for a couple years), as Bernthal was fantastic as brutal assassin. Audio and video are great, but once again, Extras are literally zilch. A bit disappointing there, but I have to say, don’t let it deter you from checking out the series on Blu-ray or Netflix. Well worth the watch.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Jon Bernthal
Created by: Drew Goddard
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, German DTS-HD HR
Studio: Disney/Buena Vista
Rated: TV-MA
Runtime: 704 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: August 22nd, 2017

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I agree, this is a great series.