I hadn't seen this movie before. The monster was pretty bad-ass. I wasn't sure how effective it would be, since it was just this big blob of goo. I figured it would be easy to outrun, and would have to rely on victim stupidity to kill. I was wrong about that. Initially, it did need a little help, which the old homeless guy provided. But once we got into the movie, it held its own pretty well. I liked how it clung to the ceiling and how it would form appendages and lash out. And once it touched someone, it was pretty much over for that person. I was wondering if they blew it up, if it would just blow up into pieces scattered all over, each attacking victims on its own. That would have been pretty cool to see. I thought fire would hurt it, but it seems that cold was its only weakness. I can live with that. Fire gets overused anyways.
As for the rest of the movie, there were definitely issues. The characters were pretty flat. I did like how the good guy football player was killed pretty early on. I figured he'd make it to the end, so his early death surprised me. Loved that the other football player got it good. Seeing the sheriff suddenly dead inside the blob was a good twist too. But overall, the characters were one dimensional, and to me, that meant they were all fodder for the blob. I might have preferred an "Alexis ending" where they all got it in the end, because I really didn't like any of the characters.
I'm not a fan of the "no one believes my story" cliche, but that was used against Meg. And when they had Flagg down at police HQ, it made little sense that they suspected him of doing anything, when half the old man's body was eaten away as if by acid. Speaking of Flagg, with his motorcycle (that he only needed a set of sockets to fix???), how did he manage to cover all the ground he did by walking? And then, of course, this movie has the scenes were people just happen to show up right when they're needed (Flagg came in when Meg needed him and Meg picked up Flagg right when he needed it). I've heard it said that in writing, coincidences can be an author's best friend. I hate them. I find them abused, and this movie had it in spades.
Another cliche that I'm not a fan of is the "evil government agency" crap that never makes sense. Perhaps its because I work with these kinds of agencies in the real world, but I scratch my head at how ridiculous they get.
Lastly, I've never seen a snow-maker in the form of a truck. In PA, we have snow-makers all over the place. just about every ski resort has them. But they are not mobile. Why would you even have one like that in the first place. And then, even if you did, I'm pretty sure blowing it up wouldn't make it snow. Ridiculous.
So, overall, it was a let down of a movie. The monster itself was its only saving grace.
AH! I have officially made it into someone's post. I feel honored. Unless a film starts with the whole idea of judgment day aftermath, the idea of it falls flat and cliche to me. Either kill the blob entirely, or make it continue to cause havoc. Meg's character annoyed me. She was too damsel in distress. I loved Flagg though, and would have married him had it been my time to shine. Move over, Meg. I am not a damsel in distress, but a badass.
ReplyDeleteLove the point about "no one believes me." I also hate these types of cliches. Obviously no one is going to believe some wild concocted sounding story unless they witness it. It seems OVERKILL to press so much on the no one believes matter in everything it appears in, unless it is used as humor or pure sarcasm. The blob was wonderful. I loved how it destroyed its victims, and grew after each one. Imagine seeing trees/grass moving top speed then a giant pink thing comes out to get you. That would make one hell of a holiday story, if you survive. I am thinking almost christmas card worthy of one.
I love when scientists are shown the way they are. They have brains for discovery and study. It always makes sense they are narcissistic and "evil" out for themselves. As far as government, I live off conspiracy theories. I'll leave that there. LOL
I do love a good government conspiracy too. be it, "E.T." or the "The Blob". I know they have the little gray aliens somewhere.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you said something about the snow truck because little me in Arizona doesn't know what the purpose of them is in an already snowy area. I guess it would make the falls softer for skiers if they produced some powdery snow on top of whatever is already there. I think the snow truck was over done, but it allowed for the humans to solve the problem instead of nature, unlike in Godzilla. I was definitely not expecting the snow truck to be the final answer, but I knew for sure that cold was the weakness as it was built up.
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