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Revell did manage to avoid producing a score constrained by the genre's cliches for Daredevil. On the other hand, he didn't follow the superhero formula with enough consistency to make the score the least bit memorable, either. He attempts to infuse the score with a dynamically ranging title theme, moving in two-note strides that could almost represent the leaps from one tall building to another. Unfortunately, the theme is too long and drawn out in its construction to be adapted easily into action cues throughout the work, causing only three prominent performances of that theme ("Daredevil Theme," "Matt Becomes Daredevil," and partially in "The Necklace"). So anonymous is its construct that you won't be able to hum this action hero theme after the score is over. One predictable avenue explored by Revell is the translation of the theme into a rhythmically cool electric guitar performance in "Matt Becomes Daredevil," taking a page from the methodology of Danny Elfman's Spider-Man. The fight sequences in Daredevil are scored with unorganized orchestral blasts, often in disjointed key and never lasting long enough to build into a listenable experience on album. In "Kingpin" and "Bullseye," Revell stretches the instrumentation into the percussively bizarre, making the villain and his thugs neither scary nor sophisticated. Ironically, for an action film, the highlight of Revell's work for Daredevil is the reflective portion of the underscore. For Matt, this entails floating female vocal solos over a deep, male choral background and subtle, sensitive guitar and piano work for Elektra. The more mystical sequences feature this solid music, and might, for fans of the Daredevil concept, save the album. Absent, however, is the kick-butt action material that you need to hear in scores such as this. Revell employs a large ensemble for the project, including a massive French horn section, as well as the voices and an electric guitar for effect, but that sizeable group never unleashes much harmonic or, for that matter, coordinated force. Ultimately, therefore, this is a score that attempts to rely upon its textures to suffice, and with a bland employment and mixture of its ingredients, the recipe will be a disappointment for most listeners. For collectors of Revell's music, this work is certainly better than his Tomb Raider debacle, but it resides without distinction at the less interesting end of the superhero film music scale.  **   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Graeme Revell reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 2.74 (in 19 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 2.78 (in 17,118 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 40:17