DARKMAN

Is Darkman a horror film? I don’t know, maybe. It’s got a guy who puts on masks of other people’s faces, so close enough to Halloween I guess. My wife’s interest didn’t last all that long (she diverted herself with Pinterest), and I think I like the film for the reasons she didn’t. It’s a ‘90s mash-up of classic Universal monsters, late ‘60s Marvel Comics and BATMAN, slapped together by whatever unique genius that makes Sam Raimi Sam Raimi.

Liam Neeson chews scenery like it’s going out of style in this one. The cool, controlled customer you see in the TAKEN movies spends a majority of this flick screaming at the heavens or prancing around with a strainer on his head, wondering aloud if he’s a freak. The plot echoes ROBOCOP to the point of plagiarism (capital driven villains “kill” the hero, science puts the hero back together, there’s some kind of future city being built over a decaying one). Raimi seems to be in full Raimi mode with the flying cameras and dramatics.