*** Official "WILLARD" Review Thread (1 Viewer)

[Ted Lee]

think psycho meets mouse hunt meets the birds meets hamlet.

just got back from seeing this. i was pleasantly surprised.

this movie is all about crispin glover. he does a wonderful job of being the near lunatic without going over the top. in a way he played it pretty straight, but with plenty of scary charisma and sincerity.

the set design is wonderful, especially of the house, which sort of has it's own life.

the supporting cast (all bazillion of them ) are great. if you don't like rats, don't go see this. the two leads rats (socrates and ben) have their own personality and characterisic traits.

i give this a solid B

More info....

 

[Matt Stone]

I thought it was great too. I grew up on the original Willard and Ben, so I was first in line to see it yesterday.

Also, as a huge Crispin Glover fan, I was very impressed. I liked the way he was able to play so subdued one minute and irate the next.

All in all a quality film, and a ****/***** for me!

 

[Joshua_Y]

I saw it yesterday and loved it...great flick...very funny....those little rats were so funny....Crispin was excellent as always...great score and cinematography...

 

[Robert Crawford]

This thread is now the Official Review Thread for "Willard". Please post all HTF member reviews in this thread.

Any other comments, links to other reviews, or discussion items will be deleted from this thread without warning!

If you need to discuss those type of issues then I have designated an Official Discussion Thread.



Crawdaddy

 

[Sam Hatch]

Loved it as well! The perfect example of a 'B' movie done right. The campy tone, constant visual jokes ("Prudent Aggression"/the 'mouse' pad/"Numm Nuts"/"Big Ben" Clock) and sly references (Bruce Davison painting/Scully the cat) coupled with an exaggerated Hitchcock-meets-Tim Burton style made for a great ride. It's more creepy than scary, but I'm just fine with that.

Right when I heard that R. Lee Ermey would be playing the role Ernest Borgnine essayed in the original, I knew I was in for a treat. Glover is great as he chews the scenery ('Tear it up!') and really pulls off a an accomplished portrayal of a sympathetic sociopath. The fact that his tale's augmented by strange, furry bedfellows makes it even more fun to watch.

This thing's got 'cult' status written all over it! Now if only the other B-horror films take note and inject a little life into the genre instead of greenlighting 'Darkness Falls 2'!

 

[Alex Spindler]

Count me in as one who loved this film. This is everything a B horror movie remake should be. They found the perfect actor to play the part, cast it with great supporting players, and avoided playing it for laughs, but rather having some sincere black humor.

Crispin Glover may have found the perfect role to break loose of George McFly in Willard Styles. He plays the nearly unhinged meekness to a 'T' and has an excellent rapport with his rat costars. Ermey is perfectly despicable as his boss who takes great relish in dressing him down.

The rats themselves really steal the show. They imbue to the two lead rates with some great personality without breaking the boundaries and making them cartoonish. I found it impossible to tell the animatronic ones from the live rates, which is a credit to their special effects crew. There is only one particularly bad special effect scene which is showcased in the trailer (the opening elevator). Everything else is quite good.

From a story and pacing standpoint, this remains true to the original with a long buildup. They take great pains to establish Willard and his life and showcase the excellent house that they have for him and his mother. Particularly interesting is how they manage to make the power struggle between Ben and Willard seem tangible and understandable. By all rights it should have been laughable, but I could see some real drama if Ben had been a human.

As a PG13 movie, this joins The Ring as an example of how careful use of gore/special effects can work wonders and still make it mass marketable.

I could sense that the audience I saw it with was hoping for another fast paced light horror film, so I don't think they enjoyed it as much as I had. Of course, I'm also pretty sure they had never even heard of the original, so they could only base their opinion on the trailer, which suggests that kind of film.

I think the filmmakers should be proud of themselves by successfully offering an honestly good remake that is fresh and not condescending to the original. Excellent work.

 

[DavidAC]

Just got back from Willard, very fun movie, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Lot of memorable scenes and I also liked some of the shots they got on Willard that showed the depths of his madness. Crispin Glover was perfect as Willard. ****/*****

 

[Hunter P]

I agree. Fun movie. It's not scary unless you already have an aversion to rats, lots of them. The movie was slow at spots but no big deal. Crispin is perfectly cast. Nobody can do facial expressions like him.

I loved the image of rats pouring out of the elevator. Crispin never looked creepier.