Daredevil Born Again review: Barely five minutes into the first episode of Daredevil: Born Again, a wave of nostalgia hits you like a sledgehammer. And yes, this wave of nostalgia has no softness in it. A single-shot staircase fight sequence, as the clock ticks, reminds you just why the OG Daredevil was the finest long-form title in the extended Marvelverse. Born Again has a high bar to reach and it comes in swinging, even threatening to come close. It does not quite deliver the knockout punch but still ends up as a worthy successor to the original show. To the fans, it is cathartic; to casual new viewers – it is still one of post-Endgame Marvel’s best titles.
Where does Daredevil: Born Again fit in the MCU?
Daredevil: Born Again begins with a sucker punch to the gut, a character death that you do not see coming. That sets the tone for the show. It is set a few years after the events of Daredevil season 3 (and Defenders), with Wilson Fisk (aka Kingpin) becoming the Mayor of New York and Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) giving up his alter ego. How the Daredevil and Kingpin collide once again, despite all their efforts to suppress their alter egos, forms the beautifully and philosophically crafted crux of Born Again.
What works
The USP of Daredevil was always that it focussed on themes of absolution, forgiveness, ambition, and religion. It was about a clash of philosophies and ideals and not merely costumed heroes kicking butt. That elevated it above other drivel going around. Born Again keeps that intact. Fisk and Murdock’s first interaction in a diner is reminiscent of THAT scene from Heat featuring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in treatment, if not the level of performances.
It never really veers off its course, staying true to telling a cohesive story that had been the hallmark of the Netflix-Marvel shows (barring Iron Fist and I refuse to talk about it). Within two episodes, Born Again can touch upon concepts like racial profiling, police brutality, political corruption, and the debate about capital punishment. And nowhere does it look like it’s cramming too much into the narrative. It all fits because these issues are very much a part of our reality. Born Again attempts to hold a mirror to that reality.
The background score works. It is different—new yet evocative of the OG show—and it fits the new tone the show takes. The cinematography and colour grading are different, too. They are not exactly the vibrant MCU colours but a bit different from the original series. All that gives Born Again a separate identity while retaining familial ties with its legacy.
Fisk’s rise to Mayoralty as a divisive figure that half the city loves and the other half hates is very evocative of the new US President, Donald Trump. That the show manages to ground itself in such reality without making too much of it deserves credit.
The performances are great yet again. Vincent D’Onofrio shines as Wilson Fisk. Despite having seen his brutality and carnage, he managed to convince the audience that Fisk has changed, reformed. And in that convincing power lies the true beauty of his performance. He is vulnerable and intimidating at the same time. D’Onofrio was born to play this role! Charlie Cox is seamless as Murdock. How much we have missed a good Marvel superhero in the last 5-6 years becomes evident as we watch him on screen episode after episode. He hardly misses a beat.
Ayelet Zurer shows a new dimension of Vanessa Fisk, who is now darker and sterner than even her husband. The actor brings that transition quite smoothly. Margarita Levieva, as Heather Glenn, a psychiatrist, brings the stillness this crazy ride needs. Her humane touch acts as a foil to Matt Murdock’s rage. But the show stealer among the newer entrants to the cast members is the late Kamar de los Reyes. As a man wronged by the system, he gives a moving performance, balancing rage with mistrust. It is sad that it is the actor’s final performance.
What doesn’t work
Born Again fails on a few occasions, mainly when it tries to ’emulate’ what has been done in the past. In the scenes where it wants to give a tribute to the original series, the shortcomings spring at you. It all feels more sanitised and shallower. But as soon as the makers rid themselves of that compulsion, the show and the audience can both breathe. Yes, there are cracks in the facade, mainly in how some incidents have been plastered over and some loose ends never tied. The writing is no longer as intricate. But Born Again ‘fails’ only by the lofty standards of the original series. In isolation, it is a wonderful watch that should serve as a teaching tool for the writing rooms of MCU (do they really exist anymore)?
Daredevil: Born Again is streaming on JioHotstar in India with a new episode dropping every Wednesday.