10 Awesome Movies With Disappointing Sequels

10. Darkman

The best comic book movie not actually based on a comic book, Darkman is exceeded only by Spider-Man 2 as a showcase for Sam Raimi’s visual style and storytelling skills. Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson) is a memorable creation, a horribly disfigured scientist who uses synthetic skin both to reunite with his fiancée and to take revenge on the thugs that left him for dead.

Neither Raimi nor Neeson returned for the sequels, which were shot back-to-back and sent straight to video. They’re pretty much what you’d expect from 1990s DTV fodder: made quickly and cheaply in Canada, they don’t have the money or the wit to match the original.

Darkman II: The Return Of Durant brings back Larry Drake as the villain (who died in the first movie) but Neeson has been replaced by Arnold Vosloo, who does what he can with the material. He returns in Darkman III: Die Darkman Die, but with their rushed staging and TV movie scope, these pictures can’t hope to match the scale of the Raimi's vision.