Review of Darkman (1990) by Martin B — 18 Feb 2009

Back in the nineties Sam Raimi wanted to do a superhero movie, but unfortunately he couldn't get the rights. Not being one to take no for an answer, he creates his own "hero", Darkman. Of course, 12 years later he'd make Spider-Man and the rest is history.

Darkman is pretty much classic Sam Raimi, and you can see a lot of what would later resurface in Spider-Man. You have montages, over-the-top action sequences, and a hero who sees his power as a blight in addition to a boon. The parts are well-acted (Liam Neeson doesn't dissapoint) and the action is put together quite well. It's rather hammy, not taking itself very seriously at first, but I think this is forgiveable seeing as this is Raimi's own creation and not a beloved character with over 40 years of history (Spider-Man 3, anyone?).