The Blob (1988)

So much average

Purely Joyful Movie!

It is a performances centric movie

A different way of telling a story

The film starts off well, but instead of a good, creepy monster movie, it decides it wants to be about a silly government conspiracy. The mixing of genres doesn't work. I see that it totally flopped at the box office. I also see that in the forums I frequent, it's never mentioned as being a worthy remake. Both of these things are well deserved.

In a time when so many "horror" films had no story, no point, bad acting, and the same rehashed "slasher" villains AND rehashed party teen victims, The Blob was definitely a stand out GOOD horror movie.I'll be honest, I've never seen the old original, so I have no clue how similar or not they are. But I can compare them to similar movies of the 80's and this one is much smarter. There is an intriguing story to it, some decent acting, a couple of well-timed funny moments, thought-out characters, and the "gore" level mixed in with simple tasks we all do and take for granted make it a pretty fun watch. I never stick my hand in a sink drain without thinking of this movie! For the time, the effects were also not too bad. Some bad green screen here and there and a couple of wacky things that were probably scary at the time, but for the most part they were believable and scary, and definitely gross.The ending - or the finale anyway - is the worst part. I never really swallowed the solution as believable. Not the idea of the solution, but the execution of it.As far as 80's horror films go, this one is one to see.

If you're thinking to yourself 'Should I watch the 1988 remake of The Blob?' then you've already thought too hard about the subject matter. The Blob is a film that you don't really mean to watch, you just find yourself doing so when you come in from the pub at nearly midnight and accidentally switch the TV on. Then you find you're already half way through and, despite not knowing everything about it, sit there glued to the end.I'm one of the few horror lovers who hasn't actually seen the original, so I can't compare it to that. However, I know a decent B-movie when I see one (if that isn't a contradiction in terms). The Blob, well, it's about a blob of pink goo that eats/absorbs people. Nuff said. If you like the sound of that, you'll probably love the film.Yes, the acting is hardly Oscar-worthy and people do some pretty daft things at times. But there are enough shocks, surprises and generally genre-breaking things to keep you laughing into your popcorn until the end of the movie. It's not over long and the effects/gore aren't bad for a B-movie in the eighties.If you can ignore the unfashionable hair and poor man's Morgan Freeman (if you've seen Stephen King's 'Dreamcatcher' you'll probably understand that reference) then you should love this.They don't make 'em like they used to (some may say that's a good thing, but not me!).

Now that Global Warming- or "Global Climate Change," if you're Slow- has become a Reality, it's time to haul out THE BLOB one more time. The first time was Fun, but so was the second time; the third time should be the Charm. (Now that there's no going back to the way things WERE, THE BLOB would have to win by default in the end...) THE BLOB II was just as much fun as the original, in my opinion, and the reason is obvious: Chuck Russell was the director. Russell directed the only one of the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET movies that I genuinely liked (THE DREAM WARRIORS), so I was looking forward to seeing THE BLOB. It didn't disappoint. The story's a kinda sorta tribute throwback to the 50s REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE scenario(s), and it works with Kevin Dillon and Shawnee Smith as the leads. THE BLOB itself is finally given the Star Treatment, with special effects to rival those of most ANY Monster Movie (although the John Carpenter version of THE THING is still- in my own, ever humble opinion- vastly superior; but that's comparing apples and oranges).