Darkman

With this opus and his later Spider Man movies, Sam Raimi documents a decade of technical and intellectual development of comic-book adaptations. A dynamic story, the existential suffering of the main character, his love for The Woman, the depiction of the villains, the amount of great directorial ideas – all of that remained; the “only” improvement lies in the development (digitization) of the technical aspect, more emphasis on logic and continuity in the script and the elevation of pure entertainment to entertainment with a realistic dramatic dimension. (02/20/2010)

A comic book film adaptation from the days the phrase “coming book film adaptation” carried well-deserved negative connotations. (06/23/2011)

When I saw Raimi's gory horror Evil Dead, I asked myself how the same man could have made Spider-Man. While watching Darkman, it finally dawned on me. I'd say Darkman is kind of a bridge between Raimi's zombie and comic book era. That's not to say that's true, but it seemed that way to me. I’ve heard people saying that Liam Neeson does not fit at all into the role of a disfigured hero seeking revenge for his mutilated body. Personally, I would say that's not true. That’s because not every hero has to be a muscular tough guy who delivers hard blows. Peyton is a smooth, likable guy. That is, until they burn his face off. The script is somewhat naive, but it has occasional gritty twists. Like the guy lying dead on a car, and a somewhat similar guy sitting next to him on a bench. If I were in the shoes of the woman who saw it, I don't think I'd understand either... :-) But Raimi can patch up even the worst script with his impeccable direction. Together with cinematographer Bill Pope, he makes action films of a really high standard that are still impressive fourteen years later. And when the action is complemented by Danny Elfman's music, there's really nothing more to discuss. I confess that if I didn't know that Sam Raimi directed the film, I probably wouldn't have watched it. And after watching it, I would have given it a below-average rating. But it's a Sam Raimi movie. And "Sam Raimi" is a concept that must be respected. (11/14/2004)

Raimi's colorful hyperkinetic imagery and Elfman's thunderous orgasmic score make Darkman one of the most "comic book" movies ever, which is interesting since it's not based on a comic book at all (the comic came later, though it's not well known). (11/25/2004)