The first of two low budget dtv sequels, 'Darkman 2' is more than passable. Unfortunately it's caught in an odd place as indicated by the 'Return of Durant' subtitle. You know there's no way he should be alive, but actor Larry Drake reprising the same villain keeps things simple. Of course it has to be mentioned Arnold Vosloo has taken the character over from Liam Neeson.
Dr. Peyton Westlake / Darkman (Vosloo) is still working on artificial skin when a fellow scientist is able to break the 99 minute time barrier. Any hope for a permeant fix is quickly taken away however when this man is murdered by his old foe Robert G. Durant (Drake). Who turns out to be very much alive having awoken from a coma after 2.5 years. As Durant proceeds with particle beam weapons, Darkman gets an ally in a news reporter (Kim Delaney) and must come to the rescue of the scientist's sister (Renee O'Connor) after she's kidnapped to draw him out.
'Darkman 2' contains bits of action, mild humor and those makeup effects you expect. Given the lower budget, no elaborate stunt pieces and there's some poor CGI here. Otherwise I felt this was a watchable sequel. Vosloo is fine taking over, Drake is still solid. The story has less of Darkman's inability to control his rage and a preference for being a straight up flick with less of the comic book elements of the original.
Dr. Peyton Westlake / Darkman (Vosloo) is still working on artificial skin when a fellow scientist is able to break the 99 minute time barrier. Any hope for a permeant fix is quickly taken away however when this man is murdered by his old foe Robert G. Durant (Drake). Who turns out to be very much alive having awoken from a coma after 2.5 years. As Durant proceeds with particle beam weapons, Darkman gets an ally in a news reporter (Kim Delaney) and must come to the rescue of the scientist's sister (Renee O'Connor) after she's kidnapped to draw him out.
'Darkman 2' contains bits of action, mild humor and those makeup effects you expect. Given the lower budget, no elaborate stunt pieces and there's some poor CGI here. Otherwise I felt this was a watchable sequel. Vosloo is fine taking over, Drake is still solid. The story has less of Darkman's inability to control his rage and a preference for being a straight up flick with less of the comic book elements of the original.