Darkman (1990)

Directed by Sam Raimi. Starring Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand, Colin Friels, Larry Drake, Nicholas Worth, Ted Raimi, Dan Hicks, Rafael H. Robledo, Jessie Lawrence Ferguson, Nelson Mashita, Jenny Agutter. [R]

A scientist (Neeson) is grievously injured in a lab explosion, becomes disfigured and impervious to pain. Afterward, he goes into hiding, trying to create a synthetic skin mask that will make him look normal again while also plotting revenge against the criminals responsible for his brush with death. Raimi’s in-your-face directorial style enlivens this live-action comic book, featuring a tortured superhero of his own creation (based on a short story he wrote). Full of frenetic camera zooms, overboard acting, cartoonish violence, and exaggerated visuals; the story may be be as thin as the characterizations, but for those with attuned sensibilities, it’s a lot of fun. The wild, relentless special effects are uneven, but even the cheesiest displays have a certain goofy charm to them. Danny Elfman’s music sounds like leftovers from his Batman soundtrack (in a good way). Bruce Campbell has a cameo at the very end. Followed by two direct-to-video sequels.

76/100