Darkman Review

Most people don't have the time, money, or energy to watch a lot of movies, so when you do get a chance to watch something, you want it to be good. That's why Rotten Tomatoes exists: to give a snapshot of whether a movie is worth your time. But does it always work? I'll be watching all of Rotten Tomatoes’ Certified Fresh movies from this Wikipedia list starting in the year 1990, the decade I was born, and we'll see if these movies are really worth the hype.

Movie 16 of 1990:

Darkman, directed by Sam Raimi, feels like it is pulled straight from a comic book. This is funny because it isn't based on a comic; it's a Raimi original. We start with our hero, Peyton (Liam Neeson), who is living a happy life as a scientist with a long-term girlfriend, Julie (Frances McDormand). When criminals target his lab, he is burned beyond recognition. a synthetic skin project he had been working on, and a medical procedure removing his sense of pain turned him into an unhinged, revenge-seeking seeking superhero-like being.

The direction here is entertaining and acts as a good precursor for Raimi's later Spider-Man movies. There is a sense of love for older comics in every frame. The way the action moves, and especially the editing, evokes a feeling of reading through each panel. All of the design elements here are great and add to the overall vibe of the movie.

Each actor gives a committed performance, which can be extra difficult with something that isn't really serious. If everyone isn't fully committed, the project won't work. Neeson is particularly good here because he knows how to balance the serious and unserious nature of the story. He also really sells when the character goes off the rails, which are highlights.

I can really appreciate how original this story felt. Living in the current age of superhero movies, it's often easy to forget about the predecessors from decades past. This felt like a breath of fresh air compared to the near-identical superhero films we often see now. I'm glad to be revisiting this decade because I had certainly never heard of Darkman.

As someone who isn't immediately drawn to action movies, I found this one to be rather enjoyable. Every element was firing on all cylinders, and it wasn't afraid to be a little lighthearted. This was a very original take on a pretty oversaturated genre, and the whole thing really felt like a labor of love from the creatives.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

Is it worth the hype?:

It is! This felt so much like a comic book, but I was surprised it wasn't based on one. The commitment to the stylization is incredibly commendable and makes the whole film work. Give this a watch if you want an original take on superheroes.