With Spider-Man pulling in monstrous numbers last summer, it isn't at all surprising that studios are now rushing to the comic book vaults to bring famed superheroes to the big screen. This summer will see the release of The Hulk and X-Men 2, but first out of the gate in the year 2003, is Daredevil starring Ben Affleck as a blind lawyer by day, and a blind superhero by night.

Like many heroes of the Marvel and DC comics, Daredevil is a hero driven by rage and a taste for revenge that stems back to a tragic event in his past. His alter ego is attorney Matt Murdock (Ben Affleck), which is rather humorous, because he basically serves as jury and executioner to those who he feels slipped through the justice system. Matt also finds time for romance in the form of the sleek and sexy Elektra (Jennifer Garner). And what would a great hero be without a great villain? Actually, there are two on display here. There's Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan), a bulky crime lord who basically controls the city, and Bullseye (Colin Farrell), an expert marksman with a really bad temper..

Let's start with the performances. Affleck is no action hero, but he certainly fares better here than I ever thought he would. Perhaps that was because of my low expectations. Affleck is unable to completely exude the pain and loneliness of Murdock's world, but at least he doesn't overplay the part. Garner is a beauty to behold and the Alias training certainly helps her here, but there isn't much depth to this character. Duncan really seems to be enjoying himself but there is very little background to his character. He's simply mean for the sake of being mean, but then many comic book villains are the same way. Of the entire cast, it is Farrell that really lets himself go. While Bullseye too, is merely a stock villain, Farrell is a ball of energy and I really enjoyed watching him. I also got a kick out of cameos from Daredevil creator Stan Lee and Clerks creator Kevin Smith.

Daredevil is painted on a much smaller canvas than Spider-Man. This movie is also much darker in tone, although it isn't without it's tongue and cheek moments.

Writer/director Mark Steven Johnson (Simon Birch) wants this to be a character driven piece, and this is certainly more intimate than most superhero flicks. Unfortunately, the film has major pacing issues, and some of the action sequences are weakly executed. The first major fighting sequence in the picture is very muddled and it's virtually impossible to see what's going on. And the courtship between Affleck and Garner in the playground is silly beyond belief. It is poorly choreographed and has no rhythm. Thankfully, things do pick up, and the climax pitting Daredevil against Bullseye is thrilling.

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding Daredevil for months. I really wanted it to be a great movie. I admire Mark Steven Johnson's passion and determination. He fought and fought to get the rights to this project, and it saddens me that he is the primary reason the picture doesn't work. His heart was certainly in it, but the movie just doesn't flow. For me, it suffered in the same way Spider-Man suffered. The pacing is just off, although Daredevil does offer up better CGI work then the webbed one.

Superman and Superman 2 are examples of great superhero movies. They are character driven but offer up grand adventure as well. I also loved the underrated Unbreakable, a film that most people don't mention when talking superhero films. While it is true that that picture was not based on a comic book, it still has a comic book sensibility.

Daredevil was just okay. It certainly felt rushed and the entire time I watched it, it felt as if the studio had a franchise in mind. I have no doubts that this movie will make tons of money, so hopefully, Fox won't rush the sequel.