Over the top and ridiculous, but also a lot of fun and entertaining at the same time. I really enjoyed this little gothic character and Sam Raimi's creative use of camera-angels and dark sense of humor which still maneges to amuse me.
Odd film. Thin script, hammy acting and very run of the mill plot. However, it does have that feel of just lifting right off the pages of a comic with little ateration, which makes it fascinating and a sold cult flick.
Before Spider-Man, Sam Raimi made one other superhero film, by way of horror films of course, and that's Darkman. Liam Neeson plays the title role, a Phantom of the Opera type who becomes a vigilante after he is horribly disfigured, and destroys a criminal organization using, among other things, life-like masks that bubble and disintegrate after 100 minutes in the light. In other hands, this might have been a forgettable post-Batman '89 cash-in. But Raimi brings an incredible amount of energy to the proceedings, with cool camera moves, memorable quirks for even the lowliest goon, and a complete embrace of the genre's goofiness, including comic book dialog delivery. A great deal of fun, and the only real flaw I would highlight is the extremely bad green screen work. But Raimi really does know how to make a cheap movie overcome its financial limitations using a full cinematic tool box.
In the first 10 minutes itself, you know that Raimi decided to throw acting as an option out of the window. Both Neeson and McDormand (the latter of whom has shown that she can act) act as if they are thinking out loud in a local theater. Subtlety is never an option, and that applies to directing as well. Fortunately, this works.
Once you are onboard with this style, the film gets somewhat entertaining, because now you are looking at an eerie anti-hero genre, which has 80s Raimi written all over it.
Add your comment
Comments 1 - 8 of 8
neocowboy
"Take it! Take the fucking elephant!"My favourite Liam Neeson quote.
Groovy09
Over the top and ridiculous, but also a lot of fun and entertaining at the same time. I really enjoyed this little gothic character and Sam Raimi's creative use of camera-angels and dark sense of humor which still maneges to amuse me.Liked it alot :)
Lemonball679
Odd film. Thin script, hammy acting and very run of the mill plot. However, it does have that feel of just lifting right off the pages of a comic with little ateration, which makes it fascinating and a sold cult flick.Cassiodoro
The mark of Raimi is evident in some of the scenes, and these are the fragments i love of this movie.Siskoid
Before Spider-Man, Sam Raimi made one other superhero film, by way of horror films of course, and that's Darkman. Liam Neeson plays the title role, a Phantom of the Opera type who becomes a vigilante after he is horribly disfigured, and destroys a criminal organization using, among other things, life-like masks that bubble and disintegrate after 100 minutes in the light. In other hands, this might have been a forgettable post-Batman '89 cash-in. But Raimi brings an incredible amount of energy to the proceedings, with cool camera moves, memorable quirks for even the lowliest goon, and a complete embrace of the genre's goofiness, including comic book dialog delivery. A great deal of fun, and the only real flaw I would highlight is the extremely bad green screen work. But Raimi really does know how to make a cheap movie overcome its financial limitations using a full cinematic tool box.Rohit
In the first 10 minutes itself, you know that Raimi decided to throw acting as an option out of the window. Both Neeson and McDormand (the latter of whom has shown that she can act) act as if they are thinking out loud in a local theater. Subtlety is never an option, and that applies to directing as well. Fortunately, this works.Once you are onboard with this style, the film gets somewhat entertaining, because now you are looking at an eerie anti-hero genre, which has 80s Raimi written all over it.
V012
THEY TOOK MY HANDSDieguito
The beginning of dark heroes