Director – Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Drag Me to Hell)
Starring – Liam Neeson (Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace, Gangs of New York), Frances McDormand (The Twilight Zone, The Butcher’s Wife), and Colin Friels (Seven Deadly Sins, Dark City)
Release Date – 1990
Rating – 4/5
UHD Release – 4/5
My middle school and high school years were defined by George A. Romero and Sam Raimi. I discovered Romero when I was a kid staying at my grandmother’s house and I rediscovered Raimi in middle school when I bought the Evil Dead trilogy on DVD when I was starting my collection. I had realized that Evil Dead II was a film I had watched as a child when my mother was still around. I fucking loved Raimi’s approach to film and had never seen a film of his that I didn’t like.
During my high school years, I was rabid for other films from both filmmakers, and it was here that I was introduced to the Darkman trilogy. I had picked up the DVD release of all three films at Walmart and binged them when I got home. While they do drop in quality as the trilogy progresses, I still found myself enjoying them greatly. Fast forward almost 20 years and here I am reviewing the new UHD release from Scream Factory. I want to thank them for sending this one over and allowing me the opportunity to reminisce for a minute.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a scientist working on a synthetic skin in his lab at his apartment when he is left to die by a gang of thugs looking for a document that his girlfriend had obtained. He survives the attack but due to the massive number of burns that his body has received, the doctors are forced to severe his nerve endings, so he is not in a constant state of pain. Using his synthetic skin and no pain tolerance, he sets out to seek revenge on those that tried to kill him. **Spoiler alert**
Darkman is one of the better superhero films pre-Blade and one that I can watch over and over again without tiring of it. It’s a cleverly written action film with a lot of memorable characters that I always made me want to immediately toss in the Dick Tracy live action film. Many may argue that this one is not horror, and they could easily win that argument, however, its horror influence is very evident from the make-up effects to the death scenes.
The acting in this one is fucking amazing. We have Liam Neeson, the late Larry Drake and Danny Hicks, Frances McDormand, Ted Raimi, and a cameo from Bruce Campbell. Fans of the genre and cult cinema will truly appreciate this cast and how amazing they are in these fantastic characters. The supporting cast is just as great, creating what is one phenomenal well-rounded film. The story for this one has a great twist that you really don’t see coming, some well-placed action scenes that holds the viewer’s attention, and some developed characters. This is clearly not a film that was approved and rushed into production. The way the story is told combines action, crime, noir, and horror elements to create something that is still enjoyable all these years later.
Finally, the film has iconic make-up effects along with some seriously impressive action scenes that really pulls the whole film together. We do have a little blood but don’t expect a bloodbath or gore in tune to Saimi’s previous films. Overall, Darkman is a must-see action/crime film that charades around as a superhero film. Raimi does not disappoint and neither does this UHD release. Check it out.
Special Features:
NEW 4K Restoration From The Original Camera Negative In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible) Approved By Director Sam Raimi And Director Of Photography Bill Pope
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0
NEW Audio Commentary With Filmmaker And Darkman Superfan Josh Ruben
Audio Commentary With Bill Pope
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):
NEW 4K Transfer From The Original Camera Negative Approved By Sam Raimi And Bill Pope
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0
NEW Audio Commentary With Josh Ruben
Audio Commentary With Bill Pope
NEW Deleted Scenes
“Dissecting Darkman” – An Interview With Actor Liam Neeson
Interview With Actor Frances McDormand
“The Name Is Durant” – An Interview With Actor Larry Drake
“The Face Of Revenge” – Interview With Makeup Designer Tony Gardner
“Henchman Tales” – Interviews with Actors Danny Hicks and Dan Bell
“Dark Design” – An Interview With Production Designer Randy Ser And Art Director Philip Dagort
Vintage “Making-Of” Featurette – Featuring Interviews With Sam Raimi, Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand, And More…
Vintage Interviews With Sam Raimi, Liam Neeson And Frances McDormand
Theatrical Trailer
TV Spots
Still Galleries – Posters And Production Stills, Behind The Scenes, Make-Up Effects And Storyboards
