Archenemy
'Homeless man believes he is a superhero from a parallel world’ sounds like an article you might have read on VICE. In the third feature outing from Daniel Isn’t Real director, Adam Egypt Mortimer, this concept is brought to life. Archenemy focuses on the could-be superhero Max Fist (Joe Manganiello), whose traded heroics for dumpster-diving since he was blasted from his own universe and into ours. With powers gone, he sets out to find his archenemy, Cleo, proving to himself and the world he’s not as crazy as he seems.
Despite the off-brand Superman slapped on the poster, the heart of the story is found in the camaraderie between Skylan Brooks’ Hamster and Zolee Griggs’ Indigo. Their mutual dependence stokes the narrative fire, while Manganiello steps in to crack skulls. Fist may be a washed-up street dweller to the naked eye, but Manganiello carries him with a magnitude that electrifies every frame. It’s night impossible to deny that watching Fist gear up in Punisher-esque body armour fills you with anticipatory glee. Mortimer’s action sequences may not be pulse-pounding but are uber-stylised, flawed and sometimes clumsy in a way that feels tangible. It’s a direct rejection of impeccably choreographed Hollywood setpieces, for better or worse.
Multiple animated ‘flashbacks’ to Fist’s life on homeworld Chromium are scattered throughout the runtime. They’re a refreshing method of delivering the exposition this story so heavily relies on, and inventive ways of cost-cutting. More importantly, the Jack Kirby colouring and far-fetched lore never let the viewer forget the fabricated nature of this story.
An opening animation with Manganiello’s Dark Knight-style grumblings narrating over top are indicative of Archenemy’s satirical ambitions. It is intentionally subversive of the superhero genre in a variety of ways. Picture an Iron Man suit-up sequence, but with Tony Stark putting a rusty bucket on his head instead of his hot-rod red armour. Paul Scheer’s hyperactive drug pusher seems like a direct pastiche of Jared Leto’s Joker, complete with the word ‘jenius’ inked on his forehead. In a particularly on-the-nose exchange, Fist emphasises “No, I didn’t kill anyone. That was the rule” before snapping someone’s neck in the next scene. This could all be considered overkill, yet the film somehow avoids descending into a series of cheap shots. It’s very easy to make fun of other movies. What Mortimer has understood so well is that this only works when the film that criticises these flaws is superior. For the majority of Archenemy, it’s impossible to gauge whether Fist’s backstory is genuine or simply the improvised ramblings of a drunkard looking to score a six-pack. This ambiguity is a welcome change of pace in a genre almost wholly devoted to delivering otherworldly spectacle.
Mortimer introduces us to this world through the juxtaposition of small-time criminals mixed in with gentrified quaternary developments. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins employs handheld camerawork to give the film a dishevelled documentary feel that aligns nicely with Hamster’s journalistic intentions and the subtler commentary on urban decay that consistently rears its head. Archenemy has a washed-out look. It’s dirty, and almost intentionally un-cinematic. Whilst that seems to be the point, the modest budget is reflected when meshing its animated interludes with live action in a way that feels cheap.
Mortimer and Passmore’s script is snarky and cynical in all the right ways, brimming with bizarre interactions that achieve a darkly humorous tone. However, it does feel as though the film doesn’t nurture the focal relationship between Fist and Hamster enough to justify certain actions towards the ending. The finale itself is undercooked, devoid of the energy and personality that propelled the remainder of Archenemy so well. It’s a lengthy conclusion that comes off as far more conventional than the rest of the film. As a feature designed to deconstruct the superhero genre, it seems to wrap up in the very same manner as the movies it mocks.
Archenemy joins the ranks of James Gunn’s Super and Peter Stebbings’ Defendor as a satirical take on what has become the genre to take over the world. A lot of material has amassed over the years ripe for ridicule, but Mortimer’s priority here is the creation of a good film; a goal that has certainly been achieved. Complete with Glenn Howerton’s villainous Manager hamming it up on the sidelines, Archenemy earns the status of being both a stellar satire and superhero film in and of itself.
