Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Wrapping Things Up: Darkman

Are you afraid of the Darkman?  Today's film is a cult classic- no doubt.  It was not a big hit in Theaters, however, which is a bit of a shame.  Like with every superhero film that's a hit, Batman's success inspired many followers.  As a lover of the odd and obscure, I already covered the final two films in the 'series.'  Those were the Direct-to-Video ones, mind you, and weren't released in Theaters.  Is the original better than them?  Of course it is!  However, I still feel the need to cover this film, if for no other reason than to give it a little bit of a highlight.  I'll make the Plot Summary brief here, focusing on the notable moments or scenes in it.  Quite frankly, if you don't know the plot know, you obviously don't care.  To find out how random and crazy this film can be, read on...
Darkman is born from an explosion in a lab.  He has the nerves connecting his brain to his pain receptors removed, giving him super-strength (why not?) and making him kind of crazy.  Given this explosion, he's obviously already a superhero for surviving it!
Ted Raimi is in this movie.  You know what that means- Ted Raimi dies a horrible death.  Big shock.
Master of Disguise, Darkman hangs around at a Bus Stop near the building of the man he's copied.  Smart guy.
In one of the craziest sequences that defies all logic, Darkman is cornered in his lab.  He takes one guy out and puts the mask of his friend on him...
...but also puts a mask of his own face underneath that...
...and has the guy gagged under that.  He does all this in about three minutes and with no prep time.  Suck it, logic!  Oh and you're welcome, Mission Impossible 3.
While out in public, Darkman has a rage episode at a Carnival.  Crazy effect, Sam!
The finale takes place on a construction site and doesn't feature Durante.  Kind of odd considering the second film, right?
In The End, Darkman turns over to his vigilante side and runs off to fight crime.  His final disguise: Ash.  Nice touch, considering that the studio wouldn't hire Bruce for the lead.  The End.
Eventually, I wrap up every series- dammit!  This film is fun, well-paced and full of craziness.  If you ever wondered what would have happened if Sam Raimi had made Spider-Man with his '80s mind-set, this is it.  Younger readers may only know his more recent stuff and that's a shame.  Likewise, many people remember the Evil Dead franchise and his newer stuff, but forget what took place in the middle.  Granted- nobody cares all that much about The Quick & The Dead, but still.  The movie is certainly over-looked by a lot of people and that's a shame.  With a quality- but bare-bones- DVD release and a Blu-Ray release, there's plenty of chances for you guys to check it out.  If you ever wanted to see a man with a box full of finger tips, this is certainly one of them.  Before I go, let's all play 'Spot the Director of An American Werewolf in Paris'...
Next up, February begins awkwardly with a trio of films with no relation whatsoever.  First up, Superman fights a Dragon.  Stay tuned...

1 comment:

  1. Another movie reminder that Raimi wasn't always bland.

    ReplyDelete