Darkman (Collector’s Edition) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Sam Raimi

Cast: Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand, Larry Drake

Release Date: February 20, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 9/10

Synopsis:

Liam Neeson (Taken) and Oscar® winner* Frances McDormand (Fargo) star in this explosive, action-packed thriller from director Sam Raimi (the Spider-Man trilogy). When the laboratory of Dr. Peyton Westlake (Neeson) is blown up by gangsters, he is burned beyond recognition. Altered by an experimental medical procedure, he assumes alternate identities in his quest for revenge. Colin Friels (Dark City), Larry Drake (Dr. Giggles), Danny Hicks (Evil Dead 2), and Nicholas Worth (Swamp Thing) also star.

Please Note: Shout! Studios provided me with a free copy of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

THE MOVIE/ REVIEW:

The 1990 cult classic ‘Darkman’ tells the haunting tale of talented scientist Dr. Peyton Westlake who finds his life in chaos when his laboratory is blown up by criminals leaving him alive, yet burned and horribly disfigured. Utilizing his failed experiment to create viable skin which he is unable to make last more than ninety nine minutes, he creates new faces to trick his prey and sets out on a quest to reclaim the relationship with the love of his life while enacting revenge on those responsible for his condition.

The favorite comic-inspired horror adventure ‘Darkman’ is directed by Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) from a screenplay written by Chuck Pfarrer and Sam Raimi & Ivan Raimi and Dan Goldin & Joshua Goldin; from a story by Sam Raimi. Sam Raimi does a great job at the helm guiding along this dark, campy and heartfelt tale and his capable work behind the camera is greatly boosted by a notable cast that includes Liam Neeson (The Grey), Frances McDormand (Nomadland), Colin Friels (Dark City) and Larry Drake (Dr. Giggles), along with more who each offer fitting performances for the most part in their respective roles.

‘Darkman’ was first unleashed upon moviegoers in the summer of 1990 and took viewers on a dark, campy and thrilling ride through one man’s quest for vengeance and his hope of retaining the love of his life after a horrid attack and accident leave him horribly disfigured and absent of any feeling which quickly leads to a thirst for vengeance and a willingness to do whatever necessary to reclaim what’s left of his life, plus of course to make those responsible pay dearly.

The film still largely holds up today more than three decades after its initial release, especially if you appreciate Raimi’s campy style and violence which shines throughout and perfectly complements the heart and grief that our (anti)hero suffers; featuring a moving performance by Liam Neeson with plenty of worthy supporting stars to back it up. It’s a fun film that is certainly silly and somewhat over the top at times, but any fan of Sam Raimi’s work knows that the filmmaker has a true talent for making that kind of tone and approach work splendidly.

OVERALL:

Scream Factory brings ‘Darkman’ home once again, this time on 4K Ultra HD for the first time ever. The 1990 cult classic makes its 4K UHD debut sporting a gorgeous new Ultra High Definition video presentation with Dolby Vision (and HDR-10) and sourced from a new 4K Transfer From The Original Camera Negative Approved By Sam Raimi And Bill Pope and it brings the dark and goofy tale home looking far better than ever before (and yes, even far superior to Scream Factory’s previous Blu-ray Collector’s Edition released almost exactly ten years prior in February 2014).

The tremendous new 4K presentation is nicely complemented by a 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack which may not be new but certainly doesn’t disappoint either, and the new release also features a rewarding helping of bonus content featuring some brand new extras such as a new Audio Commentary and 37 minutes of Deleted Scenes. This is the release of ‘Darkman’ that fans have been waiting for and any fan of the film who is fully 4K capable and already contemplating a purchase should have very few regrets (if any) picking up a copy. This new release is highly recommended!

VIDEO:

The Scream Factory Collector’s Edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Darkman’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, with the film’s original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio, featuring a new 4K Transfer From The Original Camera Negative Approved By Sam Raimi And Bill Pope. The video presentation looks spectacular as a whole and delivers a clean, sharp and faithfully filmic presentation from start to finish that’s a substantial improvement over previous releases of the film. It shows rich detail and clarity across the board that’s noticeable on our hero’s scarred face and tattered attire down to the city backgrounds, rooftops and interior settings which all pop like never before; retaining a nice grain structure that stays faithful to the source material.

Perhaps the one downside to the improvements is that certain aging factors become slightly more noticeable such as a few shifts where the quality drops more noticeably than on previous versions, while the edges of a character when backed by blue screen are far more visible now, but these are all elements that are by no means a negative factor due to poor encoding. The Dolby Vision HDR also offers a vividly impressive and upgraded color palette that shines throughout and provides more accurate and vivid colors for this already incredibly colorful movie. Overall, this is a wonderful new Ultra High Definition video presentation that impresses throughout and should absolutely thrill fans.

AUDIO:

The Collector’s Edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack appears to be identical to that included on Shout’s previous Blu-ray but it still does its job quite competently and contributes a crisp, clean and often fairly active audio presentation throughout. It repeatedly takes advantage of all five available channels in order to send the score, along with some action and vehicle effects, plus more whipping throughout the various speakers when appropriate while still making certain that any dialogue or other audio elements that may be occurring simultaneously remain clean and fully audible throughout. Overall, this is a solid 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that may not be outstanding but is certainly no disappointment either and should appease the film’s fans.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Scream Factory Collector’s Edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Darkman’ includes a great collection of bonus material including a couple brand new extras exclusive to this release. The entirety of the bonus content can be found on the included Blu-ray disc, although both commentary tracks are featured on both discs. The two Audio Commentaries include a new ‘Audio Commentary with Filmmaker and Darkman Superfan Josh Ruben’ and a second ‘Audio Commentary with Bill Pope’.

Also included on the Blu-ray disc are numerous new ‘Deleted Scenes’ from the movie (running 37 minutes in length altogether), plus multiple Interviews including ‘Dissecting Darkman with Liam Neeson’ (running approximately 7 minutes in length), ‘The Name is Durant with Larry Drake’ (running approximately 16 minutes), ‘The Face of Revenge with Makeup Designer Tony Gardner’ (approximately 13 minutes), plus ‘Henchmen Tales’ (13 minutes) and ‘Dark Design’ (17 minutes).

We are also treated to some previously released archival Featurettes and interviews including ‘An Interview with Frances McDormand’ (11 minutes), ‘Darkman EPK Featurette’ (6 minutes) and ‘Cast and Crew Interviews’ (9 minutes), along with a ‘Vintage Interview Gallery’ featuring interviews with ‘Colin Friels’ (12 minutes), ‘Frances McDormand’ (21 minutes), ‘Liam Neeson’ (28 minutes) and ‘Sam Raimi’ (23 minutes). The film’s ‘Theatrical Trailer’ (2 minutes) and ’12 TV Spots’ (4 minutes altogether) are also included, in addition to 4 Still Galleries including ‘Behind the Scenes/ Makeup Effects’, ‘Posters & Artwork’, ‘Production Stills’, and ‘Storyboards.’

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Remastered Blu-Ray disc included in the release and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 9/10

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Sam Raimi’s ‘Darkman’ is Now Available to Own in a 2-Disc Collector’s Edition 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Set & Limited Edition Steelbook from Scream Factory!

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You can purchase your copy of the ‘Darkman: 4K UHD Collector’s Edition’ on Amazon HERE or purchase it directly from Shout HERE!