Year of Release: 1988
Director: Chuck Russell
Starring: Kevin Dillon, Shawnee Smith, Donovan Leitch, Jeffrey DeMunn, Candy Clark, Joe Seneca, Del Close, Paul McCrane, Sharon Spelman, Beau Billingslea, Art LaFleur
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Tubi
Synopsis and Review
The recently deceased Chuck Russell, tackled the remake of Irving S. Yeaworth Jr.'s original "The Blob", following his feature film debut, the well received third chapter in the "A Nightmare on Elm Stree" series, "Dream Warriors" (which is considered one of the best of the series). The film follows the story of Brian Flagg, a young adult who is a bit of the rebel in town. He lives in the small town of Arborville, California. Unbeknownst to him, what seems to be a meteor crashes in the area, and a substance that came with it latches on to an elderly homeless man. Brian, alongside two acquaintances from town, Meg and Paul, decide to take him to the hospital. While in the hospital, the substance "consumes" the elderly gentleman, and when Paul goes to help him, he too is captured by it. Meg witnesses everything and is horrified. She confides to Brian what has happened, but he doesn't believe her story. The blob in the meantime has been moving through town, and attacks precisely in the diner where Meg and Brian are chatting. They manage to escape, and go to the police station. They're informed that the deputy is near where the meteor landed investigating the locale. When they get there, they discover a sizable military operation - the scientists leading the charge want the town to be quarantined, and they extend that strategy to Meg and Brian. Brian manages to escape and in the process learns what the Bob actually is and who is responsible for it. Meg in the meantime, has to go save her younger brother who is at a movie theater, precisely where the Blob is attacking again.
There's something deliciously and openly B-movie about this version of the Blob, which makes this film that much more entertaining, and quite frankly, a delight to watch. Mr. Russell understood the assignment of making a contemporary version of the original film from the 1950s, and instead of making the Blob an alien creature, both he and co-screenwriter Frank Darabont (who also collaborated on the "A Nightmare on Elm Street, Dream Warriors" chapter, and would go on to write/direct "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Green Mile"), both decided to make the creature a dastardly result of a biological weapon gone wrong. The characters are briefly introduced and quickly established, and though they're a bit stereotypical, they have just enough of a sense of humor to be more than just flat and emotionless puppets. The small town is rendered as a pre-Twin Peaks type of city, where everyone knows everyone, and where this extraordinary occurrence forces all of them to support each other, but also take whatever refuge they can, particularly once they discover that the military isn't there to be of much support to them. The film manages to retain the spirit of the film of the 1950s, namely the climate of fear caused by this unknown threat that is consuming the small town, while also emphasizing the adventurous aspect of the narrative, by focusing on the central couple who while very different and initially awkwardly matched, eventually support each other and vanquish that threat. The cast is competent, particularly the always reliable Jeffrey DeMunn, whereas the production team is top notch, including Mark Irwin's cinematography, Craig Stearns' production design, and Michael Hoenig's score. This type of unpretentious and clearly B-movie homage works very well, and make this film a slight but entertaining endeavor.
0 comments:
Post a Comment