The superhero fatigue has clearly not kicked in yet on streaming, as Amazon Prime have revealed an original which has shot its way to the top of streaming with a recognizable leading man as its grizzled crime-fighting veteran.
Everybody is fully aware of the likes of Batman, Spider-Man, and Iron Man but since 1978’s Superman: The Movie, there’s been a new trend of superhero movies being made that have no comic book counterpart. The likes of Sam Raimi’s Darkman, M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable, and Will Smith’s Hancock. In a quest to have their own, Amazon now has Samaritan.
Starring none other than 80s action hero Sylvester Stallone, the film sees a retired super forced back into vigilantism after years in the wilderness following a loss to his arch nemesis named… Nemesis. Hiding out in suburbia, Joe Smith is discovered by his young neighbour and is pushed back into his old suit.
Stallone is comfortably the only name actor in the cast, but his pull has been enough for audiences as it sits comfortably at number one for Amazon Prime Video this week.
The film has received a mixed reception from critics, but audiences can’t seem to get enough of it. It’s taken a long time for Samaritan to get out of the wildernesses of development hell, with it initially pegged to release in June 2021. 14 months later, it now has a bit of justice on the streaming charts.
Perhaps in time Sylvester Stallone’s attempt at a superhero film will see a sequel, but with critic score of 37 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, don’t hold your breath.