Movies
[Review] Stylish ‘Archenemy’ Offers a Violent, Gritty Deconstruction of the Superhero Genre
There’s a very niche subset of superhero films in which a well-meaning but very clueless human imagines themselves to be a superpowered, self-appointed hero capable of taking down entire crime syndicates on their own. Outside of the blue-collared and unintelligent protagonists, this subgenre of superhero film features hyper-violence and a reality-based world where actual superheroes don’t exist. The latest by Daniel Isn’t Real’s Adam Egypt Mortimer offers a new spin to this genre subset, bringing his distinct style and voice. Archenemy is an ambitious comic book-like effort set in a seedy, urban underbelly, though it struggles to maintain its high energy level.
Hamster (Skylan Brooks) aspires to make a living as an influencer creating viral videos. At the same time, his sister, Indigo (Zolee Griggs), keeps them afloat by working for the local crime boss, The Manager (Glenn Howerton). While Indigo asks for a promotion, drawing her further into the drug trade and sleazy inner workings, Hamster encounters and makes a homeless drunk the subject of his new video series. The more Hamster buys the man drinks, the more he reveals his past- he’s a superhero from an alternate dimension named Max Fist (Joe Manganiello). Max lost his powers once he entered a rift that left him stranded on Earth, and it aged him in the process. Through Hamster, Max finds his purpose again once Indigo betrays her crime boss.
Archenemy takes a while to find its focus. Bouncing around from Hamster’s pursuit of his dreams to Indigo’s navigation of the city’s seedy underbelly to Max’s drunken shenanigans, it’s tough to find footing in the story. It doesn’t help that it’s all presented in a rush of manic energy. There are many setups to get through with these three characters living different lives, and it’s relayed in dizzying speed with varying styles. Max may be a filthy mess of a man now, but his flashbacks are told via animation sequences with a neon palette. The bright bubble gum pop-art world of Max’s past holds a far more alluring promise of escapism than the harsh, grimy reality he’s living in now.
Director/writer Mortimer, who shares story credit with Luke Passmore, uses Hamster as the audience proxy into deciphering Max Fist. The driving mystery seems to be whether Max is every bit the delusional street dweller presented, or if there’s a semblance of truth to his tall tales. It’s Max’s story that proves the most interesting, especially as Hamster’s development seems to cease the more Max finds his confidence. Manganiello is more than up to the task of playing Max. His physicality alone makes him a plausible Superman type, but it’s when the actor can dig into the flawed parts of the character that Max feels multi-dimensional. The sloppy Clark Kent is far more compelling than the single-minded Superman, and Manganiello handles both well.
Outside of Mortimer’s style and a keen eye for composition, the cast is Archenemy’s biggest asset. Brooks is the plucky gateway into this world, Griggs nails tough-yet-vulnerable, and several supporting characters threaten to upstage them all. Howerton always nails sleaze, but he dials up the danger levels just a smidge here. Paul Scheer’s loose-cannon Tango throws a monkey wrench into Indigo’s plans, delivering a welcome jolt in the process. Amy Seimetz also makes an all too brief but mesmerizing appearance.
There are many moving parts to Archenemy, and Mortimer brings a frenetic energy to his high concept. Instead of making his fallen superhero the centerpiece, he tries to disperse the focus between three central characters with varying success. In trying to cast specific plot points in an ambiguous light, it fails to live up to its title; Max does have an archenemy from his previous existence, but there’s nothing that bridges that conflict from minor animated flashbacks to the present. When Max does make his last stand to aid Indigo and Hamster, the emotional weight of it falls a little flat.
Archenemy doesn’t pack nearly as strong of a punch as it intends to, and it struggles to find a rhythm amidst its rage-fueled energy. Mortimer’s latest doesn’t work as well as a whole, but its various components and concepts are enough to keep things interesting. Manganiello’s approach to this fallen Superman character would be worth the watch alone, but the rest of the cast matches him with their engaging performances. Mortimer does attempt something new with his gritty deconstruction of superhero fare, with entertaining action sequences and dark humor, and that should be enough for fans of this subgenre.
Archenemy releases in theaters and on VOD platforms December 11, 2020.
Judging from the unprecedented box office success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation, you’ve likely already seen the liminal horror hit that managed to make audiences afraid of empty hallways and bad wallpaper. And now that so many of us have already entered the yellow labyrinth (some of us more than once), the time has come to discuss the spoiler-filled details that make the movie so fascinating in the first place.
And if there’s one element here that makes the Backrooms movie stand out from any previous lore/mythology, it has to be the genius addition of the Still Life entities. Warped recreations of real people that somehow wandered into the Complex, these misremembered creatures are responsible for some of the most disturbing imagery of 2026 – as well as laugh-out-loud memes created by one of the film’s very own concept artists.
However, true to Parsons’ word that the movie would rely heavily on practical effects, each of these distorted monsters was brought to life by real actors under heavy layers of makeup and prosthetics (with the occasional splash of CGI enhancements). While Anora and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You actress Ivy Wolk wasn’t among these performers, despite what Letterboxd might have you believe, the creature cast did benefit from veteran players with plenty of genre experience.
For starters, Alien: Romulus alumni Robert Bobroczkyi (who previously brought that film’s horrific Offspring to life during its most memorable sequence) plays the flick’s main antagonist, the Still Life version of Captain Clark. And though there was some obvious CGI involved in making the character’s peg-leg and nightmarish face more believable, Bobroczkyi’s monstrous performance and his natural 7’7″ frame helped to make that final chase sequence a clear highlight among this year’s genre offerings.
The film’s Texas-Chain-Saw-inspired “dinner” scene also features a freaky collection of less-aggressive Still Life creatures in the form of the Bearded Man, the Red-Headed Woman and, strangest of them all, the cheekily named “Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life” (who earned this title among fans and crewmembers as a reference to his apparent affinity for lamps).
While this was the first major horror outing for both Patrick Baynham (The Bearded Man) and Dana Mahmood (Archibald), Rhiannon Roberts has worked as a stunt performer in everything from Yellowjackets to HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation – which is probably why The Red-Headed Woman is the most active out of Clark’s impromptu “family.” That being said, the Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life is my personal favorite of the bunch simply because his anachronistic outfit suggests that the Backrooms phenomenon might be a lot older than the Async Foundation. I also love how hard he tries to be helpful with that little light of his!
That might be it for the Still Life entities, but I think horror fans will also be pleased to hear that the film’s Found Footage prologue stars none other than Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star Avan Jogia as Naren Warne – and American Mary herself Katharine Isabelle also shows up in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at Mary’s house party towards the middle of the story (though I have a feeling that she originally had a bigger part that was likely cut for time).
At the end of the day, Parsons’ Backrooms may have been an auteur-driven project motivated by the young director’s unique take on the classic creepypasta, but film has always been a collective artform, so it’s fun to see just how many talented performers it takes to bring this kind of supernatural nightmare to life in a way that connects with so many people.
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