Not what it could have been

Rating: 6/10 (26 May 2009)

I haven't read any of the comics, or particularly any that feature him... or "it"... at all. I certainly wouldn't mind doing so. Now... I like Mark. I think he did a very nice job on Daredevil(most of the less-than-great in the theatrical version was fixed in the Director's Cut). Realistically, I don't fully understand why he was given another chance, as that didn't do all that well, and it's very unfortunate that his next effort wasn't any better than this is... frankly, in a lot of ways, this is inferior to DD. Let's get the good said. Cage isn't half bad. Neither is Mendes, though their chemistry is questionable. Those playing the young versions of the two leads are reasonable. Humor in this is decent enough, in amount and fun factor alike. Pacing is fairly even, and I definitely wasn't bored during this. The music is almost invariably cool and fitting. The Penance Stare is quite nicely done. From there, it all goes downhill, at a speed the Rider would envy. The acting is, at times, lacking, including for the names who have proved themselves elsewhere. Dialog, as with other areas of the writing, holds clichés. There are holes in the script and plot. Any movie has the right to make up its own logic, but it is then under an obligation to remain true to it, unless there is a point to it not doing so. The CGI is OK, and some of the visuals are attractive, although this has next to nothing memorable to it(that refers to this as a whole, sadly). Honestly, while this is an origin story, there could have been more action, and what there is, varies. The villains were interesting, however, they were defeated in dull and unimpressive ways. I was also not sure what the limits to the powers were, and I didn't always "get" the intentions of characters... including the hero, and that probably has to do with his lack of eyes. The similarities to the Spawn flick in no way help this. There is little, if any, language in this, the horror, disturbing material and violence are relatively mild(I agree with the PG-13 rating for this), and there is no sex(beyond a tad of eye-candy). I recommend this to those who watch every graphic novel film, and/or fans of the subject of this, who want to see him depicted on the silver screen, whether or not it's the best portrayal. Oh, and motorcycle enthusiasts, they may get a kick out of it. 6/10