10 Massively Underrated Movies From The 1990s
9. Darkman
The Tobey Maguire Spider-Man trilogy propelled director Sam Raimi to worldwide acclaim, but that wasn't the first time he dipped his toes into the superhero pond.
Based on an original character created by Raimi (after he failed to secure the cinematic rights to Batman and The Shadow) 1990's Darkman isn't a conventional comic-book movie by any means. Liam Neeson's title character is less of a stars-and-stripes hero and more of a deranged vigilante, mercilessly hunting down the crooks responsible for his disfigured appearance.
What's awesome about Darkman is that it's very much a Sam Raimi movie. It's gritty and violent, has gory makeup and effects, and packs in tons of those strange camera flourishes that are unmistakeably his. There's beauty in the horror, a fine balance that few directors could successfully pull off.
Despite the insane popularity of superhero movies these days, Darkman is rarely discussed among fans of the genre - a cruel twist, considering that Raimi is one of the filmmakers who helped usher in that popularity in the first place. Go check out the original... but please ignore the direct-to-video sequels.