I have seen and liked both versions the first time I saw them. I did not have any problems with Ben Affleck or Jennifer Garner or any other actors or the lack of a better narrative. Now after having re watched Daredevil Director's Cut I have been able to spot more problems with it's execution but still think it is not deserving of all the hate it is getting. Especially since for what they were trying to do it was ahead of it's time compared to other super hero movies that came out before.
The Director's Cut of Daredevil is almost like a completely different movie from the original. For one thing it is 30 minutes longer. It spends more time on where Daredevil is coming from and how he struggles not to cross the line as a hero. His relationship with Elektra gets more exposure but now I do feel that having Elektra in the film was a big mistake. If you are going to do an origins film then the focus should be on the making of the super hero it concerns and not introduce another one no matter how true to the comics. The plot which involves her is a very weak one and only serves as a direct way to put The Kingpin against Matt Murdock. One of the plusses is that now we get to see Matt working as a lawyer and how he genuinely cares of helping the people who are truly innocent. I think it's a very important element that got lost entirely in the theatrical cut. All of these scenes help giving this film a narrative that makes a lot more sense than it originally did.
However of course this Director's Cut won't magically make all the flaws disappear. One of them is Colin Farrel as Bullseye. Strangely enough I liked him as a villain in the original. In the Director's Cut though he falls out of place considerably. He is not taking his role serious at all and hams it up every scene he is in. It's like he interpreted to be in an older campy comic book adaptation and I think it does not match with with the overall tone of the film.
Maybe one of the mistakes or criticisms that could be made is the lack of showing properly what kind of a hero Daredevil is. Somehow they downplay this element in this film and the Netflix show. When a super hero is a little darker as usual you should make it clearer to the audience and keep reminding them of this fact by showing instead of expecting that people already know. Not everyone who are watching these films are comic book readers and fans.
Overall I do feel that this version of Daredevil does more justice to the comic book hero and it deserves a little more appreciation for what it tried to do. Give it a chance. But do make sure it's the Director's Cut. And if you liked it then please do avoid Elektra. It might be a spin off but it is one that will suck the life out of you.
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