Ryan Shoots First: Archenemy
Archenemy presents a very interesting take on the hero genre. It stars Joe Manganiello as Max Fist. In another universe Max was the top super hero on the block. Protector of his home planet in a battle with his arch nemesis he was sucked in a black hole which of course spit him out right here in our world. With the source of his powers non existent in our world he was left powerless wallowing in a pool of self pity regret and whisky. Cause Space Whisky is better. On the streets Max meets Hamster and Indigo. Two kids just trying to stay above water in a tough, crime riddled neighborhood. Is Max the hero he says he is and can he help save Hamster and Indigo?
Manganiello brings it no doubt. I truly don’t know throughout the movie if he is a raving lunatic or really a God now stripped of his power in our world, broken. That question is what the movie really rides on, playing with your doubt but also our expectations of the hero story after hero story we see all over. Outside of Big Joe the film has a pretty recognizable cast with The Manager played by Its Always Sunny’s Glenn Howerton, “guy from a bunch of stuff” Joseph Reitman and comedian Paul Scheer.
At about the halfway mark of the film I really felt it was moving too slow, I could see what they were framing up and I liked the idea but I wanted the film to just get on with it. Then the third act hits and by the time the movie was over I appreciated the restraint. The film hinges on the question of if this is all real and we’ve grown accustomed to modern hero movies laying everything out in a rather tidy fashion. I won’t spoil the payoff but the film having the balls to drag it out really paid off by the finale.
Stylistically I enjoyed the dynamic difference between the two realities. Our world is grunge, dark and ugly while the world of Max’s origins is typically depicted in animation with bright neon purples and blues. It helps sell the paranoia and the stark contrast between the two realities. Archenemy has a quiet confidence about itself, that it knows what it is doing and that it has a story to tell. It could be tempting to throw so much at the wall in the first act to keep you interested but it’s so much more rewarding to hang in there and receive the payoff at the end. Writer/Director Adam Egypt Mortimer is in full control of the narrative and if you’re willing to let him take the wheel you will not be disappointed. Archenemy doesn’t have the biggest CGI budget, it has no giant sky beams that bend realities or legions of alien armies but what it lacks in blockbuster appeal it makes up for in confidence and execution of a core concept.
