Archenemy

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1:58

Archenemy

2020

1h 30m

Action

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

76%

Tomatometer

54 Reviews

45%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Max Fist (Joe Manganiello) is a local drunk who claims to be a superhero from the planet Chromium. He tells anyone who will listen that he was pulled into a wormhole, falling through time and space, and dropped to earth without any of his powers. No one pays any attention to Max except a teenager named Hamster (Skylan Brooks) who can’t get enough of Max’s stories. When Hamster and his sister (Zolee Griggs) get in trouble with a vicious drug syndicate led by The Manager (Glenn Howerton), Max takes to the streets as a brutal vigilante hellbent on proving himself as the hero no one believes him to be.

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Critics Consensus

Archenemy fails to follow through on some of its more interesting ideas, but Joe Manganiello's lead performance and the picture's infectious raw energy make for a fun action-adventure.

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Leslie Felperin

Guardian

Feb 17, 2021

3/5

Small, imperfectly formed but quite entertaining all the same...

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Richard Whittaker

Austin Chronicle

Dec 12, 2020

2.5/5

Archenemy might have worked better if it was a straight adaptation of classic deconstructionist caper The Maxx.

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Glenn Kenny

RogerEbert.com

Dec 11, 2020

2.5/4

Rather improbably, and in part due to Joe Manganiello's very committed performance as Max, the movie does build up its own slightly trippy head of steam.

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Matt Lynch

In Review Online

Jun 5, 2021

But ultimately, while Archenemy is quite a massive swing, and you love to see it, it's just as big a miss, which, well, you know.

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Mikel Zorrilla

Espinof

May 17, 2021

3/5

A twist on superhero stories and multiverses that doesn't fully squeeze your stimulating ideas. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Sarah Ward

Concrete Playground

Mar 9, 2021

Often messily entertaining and definitely benefiting from an attention-grabbing score, it doesn't ever find the ideal balance.

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matt T

@RT51798554 Apr 9, 2026

Beyond the massive plot holes and the lazy writing, Archenemy suffers from terrible performances that feel flatter than a low-budget B-movie. Every scene feels fake and forced, failing to sell even the simplest dialogue. It tries to be 'edgy' with its comic-book style, but it’s just a hollow, poorly acted disaster that makes no sense from start to finish. Don't waste your time.

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Patrick W

@Patrickgwalsh1982 Dec 17, 2025

Brilliant premise, shitty execution.

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kevenquinlan T

@RT75276071 Aug 29, 2025

Surprised by all the Meh reviews. I thought is was great. Loved how the interspersed anime throughout the movie. The story was cool, well acted. Yeah, going to keep for sure. Not sure what everyone else was watching. Anywho...

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jesse g

@moviesrock74 Feb 9, 2025

I thought it was pretty good. Would be fun to have a box office reboot to dive deeper into everything. and keep the main characters. The only thing I’d change is remove the cartoons from the flashback. All in all I give it a solid 4.

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Candi W

@RT08712889 Dec 15, 2024

Thought take on what makes a hero. Loved this movie!

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May 10, 2022

One time, i had to wait at the wrong office at the equivalent of the DMV, for like 1 hour and a half. Still a better time investment. This movie is shit.

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Adam Egypt Mortimer

Director

Joe Manganiello

Max Fist

Skylan Brooks

Hamster

Zolee Griggs

Indigo

Paul Scheer

Krieg

Amy Seimetz

Cleo

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Archenemy: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Max Fist (Joe Manganiello) is a local drunk who claims to be a superhero from the planet Chromium. He tells anyone who will listen that he was pulled into a wormhole, falling through time and space, and dropped to earth without any of his powers. No one pays any attention to Max except a teenager named Hamster (Skylan Brooks) who can’t get enough of Max’s stories. When Hamster and his sister (Zolee Griggs) get in trouble with a vicious drug syndicate led by The Manager (Glenn Howerton), Max takes to the streets as a brutal vigilante hellbent on proving himself as the hero no one believes him to be.

Director: Adam Egypt Mortimer
Producer: Joe Manganiello, Nick Manganiello, Daniel Noah, Kim Sherman, Lisa Whalen, Elijah Wood
Screenwriter: Adam Egypt Mortimer
Distributor: RLJE Films
Production Co: Legion M, Metrol Technology, SpectreVision, Head Gear Films, 3:59, Almost Never Films Inc.
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 11, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 11, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $119.4K
Runtime: 1h 30m

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