I watch The Blob (1988) with my boyfriend for
date night, and although I haven't seen Twin Peaks myself, he said the mood of
this movie was a very reminiscent of that show. He had also watched The Thing
with me, and I liked that movie better, while he likes this one, The Blob, better.
I found a lot of elements from this movie very
funny. From the condom gags when the Reverend showed up, to the yo-yo dangling
down while the theater guy is being eaten, to Flagg flipping off the scientists
as he jumps over the broken bridge, this movie had me giggling every few
minutes. They did a great job pairing their humor with their horror.
Honestly, the monster initially looked like
tapioca pudding on the one guy's hand, then grew to looking like the underside
of someone's tongue, and ended the movie looking like a giant piece of chewed
gum. I can't fault the special effects because this movie was made in 1988, and
I did like the fact that the monsters appearance evolved throughout the movie. I'd
be interested to see what they could do with the effects given how much I enjoy
to them in the movie. Is there a modern remake of this movie? It might be worth
a Google.
As far as character deaths went: I loved seeing
Paul dissolve in his arm gets severed. Vicki's death was a little more comical
with how her face melted inward, and Franny's death and melting face were also
great. Honestly, all of the melting visuals were actually wonderful, especially
the half dissolved faces scenes, like the theater guy and the lady on the floor
that Mega turns over at the movies. The most satisfying death though was the
car scene, where the guy who got his date drunk to take advantage of her gets
his just desserts. I cheered when he died. I wish his death was even more drawn
out honestly, or we got to see him get melted away rather than it being
obscured by the car.
After finishing the movie, I'm left with a lot
of questions about the content. I wonder why the blob is able to climb through
vents and places without dissolving them given its acidic nature, and wonder if
it's able to turn that effect on and off. The movie ended with me having many,
many questions about the crystals that the monster shatters into. I also was a
little skeptical that the blob’s weakness was cold temperatures given that it
was born and raised in the cold vacuum of space.
However, I did like that that weakness was alluded to earlier in the movie, along with the usefulness and ‘we’ll get snow’ coming back around full-circle with the snow maker car saving the day. Like in the Writers Workshop of Horrors chapter we read this week on grand finales, the final scene of this movie is left open ended, a cliffhanger set up perfectly for a sequel. Honestly, I think the ending fits quite well (thought I don't remember who that Reverend is vs Meg’s dad). I’ve had more satisfying endings, and I kind of wish it had ended after they beat the blob in town, but it was alluded to earlier in the movie that the Reverend collected some of the crystals in the jar, so at least it was foreshadowed.
However, I did like that that weakness was alluded to earlier in the movie, along with the usefulness and ‘we’ll get snow’ coming back around full-circle with the snow maker car saving the day. Like in the Writers Workshop of Horrors chapter we read this week on grand finales, the final scene of this movie is left open ended, a cliffhanger set up perfectly for a sequel. Honestly, I think the ending fits quite well (thought I don't remember who that Reverend is vs Meg’s dad). I’ve had more satisfying endings, and I kind of wish it had ended after they beat the blob in town, but it was alluded to earlier in the movie that the Reverend collected some of the crystals in the jar, so at least it was foreshadowed.
Overall, the movie was good, but not the best
one we’ve watched so far this term.
My favorite scene was the car scene where the football player got his just deserts. But I did wonder when/how his date was attacked by the blob, and why it wasn't violent like all the other attacks. She was getting sleepy, and then the dude makes the drinks in the trunk (what?!), and then he comes back and she seems completely undisturbed. So when did the blob attack and why was there no struggle or signs that anything was wrong at all? Not that I minded. I loved how that dude went out. But it still raised questions.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you... The Thing was the better movie of the two!
Yes, THE THING was a serious "remake" of the original, really an improvement over the original. THE BLOB was popcorn fun and was more of an update. It kept the vibe of the original. THE THING was just all around a much darker movie.
ReplyDeleteMeg's dad is the Pharmacist, not the Reverend. I think the guys look pretty similar and I also had issues telling them apart. I kept wondering how the Reverend was over here and there at the same time with conflicting personalities.
ReplyDeleteI think this movie definitely isn't as well developed as it could be, but I'm kind of glad it isn't. I think there are a lot of questions that can pop up about the science of the blob, but in the end the movie is more about everything except for the blob. The blob is just another plot element in the story growth of this quiet town and the relationships within it.
YES omg it was very Twin Peaks! I kept thinking about how much Flagg reminded me of James Hurley... I highly recommend that show, if you didn't already have plans to watch it.
ReplyDeleteI also had a lot of questions about the Blob's physiology—like why the way it killed people seemed to change so much over the course of the movie. Vicki seemed pretty intact after she died, like the Blob was inside her, while it killed Paul by enveloping him and dissolving him from the outside in. Then it got those tentacle things, and suddenly people were somehow still visible stuck inside it after they were killed? I guess you could make the argument that it was still evolving, or somehow sentient and just enjoying exploring the different ways it could kill, but it is something I wondered a lot while I was watching. You also make a really great point about it having evolved originally out in space—so what exactly turned it into a "super predator"? What was there for it to hunt out in that satellite, other than other microbes?
I was so excited when Flagg pulled that bike stunt at the end. I just knew that jump scene from the beginning was going to have to come back around eventually! Another moment of foreshadowing I really enjoyed and thought was truly well-planned by the writers.