Trailer Review: Archenemy

Archenemy Will Hopefully Break The Mold Enough

I read the basic premise of Archenemy, and it felt so generic. A washed-up superhero? Please! Hancock came out in 2008.  Superhero fatigue is real, and new superhero movies need to be something unique or special to matter much anymore.

I was almost completely dismissive.

But then I saw the trailer.

This seems like something different.

And I could not put my finger on why until I thought about how it was made by the Color Out of Space producers. And then it clicked: it’s an alien story, not a superhero story.

From the visual choices to the way the main character speaks of his old world, it’s clear this is cosmic fiction—with gritty violence. And that’s fairly new. I’ve not seen those genres blended before and this could be refreshing.

Assuming they don’t mess things up.

The danger I anticipate is that Archenemy will ignore that hook, that premise, and be another crime thriller. Because the main hero is powerless, he’s essentially just a knowledgeable drunk facing down an organized crime ring. And, even if he does get his powers back at some point, I’ve also seen too many movies about organized crime plus superpowers.

But if they lean hard enough into the weird, if the story is about more than survival or revenge or protecting someone, then it might be good. If it’s not just badly shot shaky-chaotic-action gunfights for half the film, then it has promise. I’m not sure it will ever see widespread popularity, but the people who like cosmic stuff will love it.

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