Category: Blob movies

Beware! The Blob (1972, Larry Hagman)

Could Beware! The Blob be less competent? Possibly not.

Screenwriters Jack Woods and Anthony Harris approach Beware! like a spoof. It’s a comedic early seventies handling, complete with hippy jokes, racism, some cracks at small businessmen, pot, Eastern Europeans… Woods and Harris cover just about everything they can except maybe feminism. Some of these jokes are funny. Not many, but some of them. For the most part, they flop. Why? Because Larry Hagman cannot direct a movie.

Beware! is clearly low budget, but Hagman’s completely incapable of working around those issues. There wasn’t, apparently, money for establishing shots. Not just of the Blob, but of the locations in general. Daytime long shots are rare in the picture; one imagines the crew running up and filming and running off before the cops show up. Except, of course, that approach would have led to some enthusiasm, something Beware! desperately lacks.

Shelley Berman and Godfrey Cambridge are the two biggest guests. Berman does a little better than Cambridge, though Hagman’s lack of comedy timing hurts his scene too. Cambridge is supposed to be this goofy, drunk black guy who hangs out with the hippies we later meet. It’s terrible, terrible stuff and his opening “cameo” takes like fifteen minutes.

Of the main actors, Gwynne Gilford is easily the worst. Both Richard Webb and Richard Stahl have okay moments. A few anyway. Lead Robert Walker Jr. is occasionally good. Cindy Williams is in it for a second, probably giving the best performance.

It’s wretched.

0/4ⓏⒺⓇⓄ

CREDITS

Directed by Larry Hagman; screenplay by Jack Woods and Anthony Harris, based on a story by Richard Clair and Jack H. Harris; director of photography, Al Hamm; edited by Tony de Zarraga; music by Mort Garson; produced by Jack H. Harris; released by Jack H. Harris Enterprises.

Starring Robert Walker Jr. (Bobby Hartford), Gwynne Gilford (Lisa Clark), Richard Stahl (Edward Fazio), Richard Webb (Sheriff Jones), Shelley Berman (Hair Stylist), Godfrey Cambridge (Chester Hargis), Marlene Clark (Mariane Hargis), J.J. Johnston (Deputy Kelly Davis), Rockne Tarkington (Deputy Williams), Gerrit Graham (Joe), Carol Lynley (Leslie), Randy Stonehill (Randy), Cindy Williams (Randy’s Girl), Dick Van Patten (Scoutmaster Adleman) and Tiger Joe Marsh (The Naked Turk).

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The Blob (1988, Chuck Russell)

The Blob is a mixed bag. On one hand, director Russell does a good job throughout and he and Frank Darabont’s script is well-plotted. On the other hand, the script will occasionally have some idiotic dialogue and the actors just stumble and fall through it.

Similarly the special effects. There’s a lot of good work on the Blob effects, but the composites are often iffy. Russell does come up with an amazing, strobe flash sequence for the movie theater attack. Photographer Mark Irwin does quite well too, which makes the bad composite shots all the more perplexing.

Russell and Darabont plot the film to be a constant surprise, at least for the first half or so. Even after establishing traditionally safe characters are not, they still manage to surprise with how they take things.

A lot of the effects thrills are derivative, but Russell still manages them with aplomb. It helps he’s got Shawnee Smith in the lead. She sort of stumbles into the lead after a couple false starts and does exceedingly well. The film often succeeds simply for putting Smith in somewhat awkward set pieces and character interactions.

Kevin Dillon and Donovan Leitch play her two admirers, sort of. Leitch is the jock, Dillon the punk. Dillon’s appealing, but his dialogue’s often terrible. Leitch somehow manages to be likable if painfully straight edge.

Very nice supporting turns from Jeffrey DeMunn, Candy Clark and Paul McCrane. Terrible one from Jon Seneca.

The Blob’s problematic, but it’s not bad.

1/4★

CREDITS

Directed by Chuck Russell, screenplay by Russell and Frank Darabont, based on an earlier screenplay by Theodore Simonson and Kay Linaker and a story by Irvine H. Millgate; director of photography, Mark Irwin; edited by Tod Feuerman and Terry Stokes; music by Michael Hoenig; production designer, Craig Stearns; produced by Jack H. Harris and Elliot Kastner; released by Tri-Star Pictures.

Starring Shawnee Smith (Meg Penny), Kevin Dillon (Brian Flagg), Donovan Leitch (Paul Taylor), Jeffrey DeMunn (Sheriff Herb Geller), Candy Clark (Fran Hewitt), Joe Seneca (Dr. Meddows), Del Close (Reverend Meeker), Paul McCrane (Deputy Bill Briggs), Sharon Spelman (Mrs. Penny), Michael Kenworthy (Kevin Penny), Douglas Emerson (Eddie Beckner), Beau Billingslea (Moss Woodley), Ricky Paull Goldin (Scott Jeske) and Art LaFleur (The Pharmacist).

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