Liam Neeson and Sam Raimi’s Darkman Is Completely Misunderstood

What comes to mind when you think of superhero movies of the ’90s? Is it the continued dominance of Batman at the box office, the zany antics of The Mask, the blood-soaked action of Blade, or perhaps the gothic classic The Crow? All these movies played a vital role in crafting the landscape of the superhero genre from the ’90s onward, but one movie is often overlooked: Darkman.

Directed by Sam Raimi, 12 years before he would see significant success in the genre with Spider-Man, the Liam Neeson-led film had moderate success but has mostly stayed hidden in the shadows. Yet, this film has been re-analyzed by fans and critics alike, with the story of a dark and brooding superhero being seen as misunderstood and ahead of its time. We will take a closer look behind the mask and tell you why you must watch Darkman.

Darkman Is a Unique Tale of Revenge

Darkman follows gifted scientist Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson), who is on the verge of a breakthrough that will revolutionize the health industry: synthetic skin. Yet his plans are cut short after his girlfriend Julie Hastings (Frances McDormand) uncovers the corruption of real estate developer Louis Strack (Colin Friels), which leads to Louis murdering Peyton and destroying his experiments. However, Peyton survives by melding with his synthetic skin project and takes on the mantle of the face-changing Darkman to seek revenge. Peyton slowly begins to lose his grip on reality, bringing into question the moral validity of revenge.

Darkman was directed by Sam Raimi, who is known in equal measure for his contributions to the horror and superhero genres with The Evil Dead films and his Spider-Man trilogy. Unlike many other superhero films of the era, Darkman was a wholly original character conceived by Sam Raimi. The movie starred Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand, and Colin Friels, but it also had cameos expected of a Raimi movie of the era, including Bruce Campbell and Ted Raimi. The film also boasted a score from Danny Elfman.

Darkman’s Box Office Performance

Sam Raimi’s Darkman first appeared as if it would be a hit when it landed at the box office. It boasted a solid opening weekend that saw the film take in $8.05 million and land the top spot. However, the steam behind the production started to die down, and by the end of its theatrical run, the movie brought in $48.88 million.

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It was an impressive feat from its modest $14 million budget, but compared to Tim Burton’s Batman, which came out a year prior and made $400 million at the box office, the original superhero did not match up. Throughout the ’90s, the superhero genre started to thrive with other hits, including The Mask (1994), which brought in $351.6 million, and Blade (1998), which grossed $131 million. Darkman was enough of a success to garner two sequels, which did not reach nearly the same heights as the original, but the movie is not as synonymous with ’90s superhero films as others.

Critics were mostly positive about the movie, praising its dark take on the superhero genre, its blending of genres, and Sam Raimi’s visual style and direction. At the same time, others found the movie to be convoluted, and not everyone embraced Neeson as the dark hero. The movie now sits favorably on Rotten Tomatoes, currently sitting at 83% Fresh with 63 critic reviews. Fans were a bit harder on the movie, with the Popcorn meter sitting at 59%, while IMDB has it at 6.4/10.

Sam Raimi’s Darkman Was Ahead of Its Time

For a long time, Darkman existed as a relic of the 1990s. It had enough presence for many to remember that it ‘was a thing,’ but not enough to hold it in high regard, making it one of the many overlooked superhero movies of the era. While some critics picked up on Rami’s mashing of the genre, it was not perceived by the audience or appreciated on nearly the same level.

At that point, the superhero genre was still evolving, with only a handful of superhero movies released in the ’80s, paling compared to the following decades. The superhero genre was not really at a point where audiences were looking at mashing up other genres with it. Visually, Sam Raimi also captured the comic book aesthetic with dynamic camera work and vibrant color palettes, which was outside the norm for the growing superhero genre.

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All these elements put Darkman ahead of its time, with many fans looking back on it as a precursor to telling more dark and complex hero movies. The Crow, Blade, and Spawn, all movies more well-known than the Sam Rami flick, owe much of their success to Darkman‘s modest success at the box office, which showed that audiences were willing to embrace more complex and psychological superhero movies. Sam Raimi’s Darkman may not have gotten the love it deserved at the time, but the film has since become a cult classic, with many considering it one of the most underrated works of the prolific director. You can stream Darkman on AMC+.