Darkman: Raimi Before He Was Spidey-Man

Okay, so I just re-watched Darkman the other night, and man, it still holds up in a wonderfully cheesy, pre-MCU kind of way. Liam Neeson, way before he was growling about his very particular set of skills, is Dr. Peyton Westlake. Dude gets his face fried and his life ruined by some truly awful gangsters, led by Larry Drake, who you might remember from L.A. Law. This movie is peak Sam Raimi. You can see all the seeds of what he'd later bring to the Spider-Man films, but with a much darker, grittier edge. Think The Shadow meets The Elephant Man with a dash of Phantom of the Opera, but with more exploding heads. What really struck me this time around was the practical effects. They're so gloriously over-the-top! The makeup on Darkman is gnarly, and the way he melts is both horrifying and kinda hilarious. And the action sequences...that helicopter scene with Darkman dangling underneath? Totally bonkers! It's the kind of stuff that just wouldn't fly (pun intended!) today, but it's so much more fun than CGI. Frances McDormand is also great as Julie, Westlake's girlfriend. She really sells the heartbreak and fear of the situation. Honestly, the only real knock I have against the movie is that the plot gets a little convoluted towards the end. I mean, synthetic skin that only lasts 99 minutes in the light? It's a bit of a stretch, even for a superhero-esque origin story. Still, for pure, unadulterated 90s comic book mayhem, Darkman is a total blast. It's worth a watch if you need a reminder of a time when movies were more interested in being fun than being "important." And let's be real, that final line? "I am everyone and no one. Everywhere. Nowhere. Call me...Darkman." Come ON. So good.