BY: Rick Romanowski
A quick review: It's easy to see that Larry Cohen got his idea for The Stuff by the 1958 film The Blob. The substance of The Stuff is vaguely similar to the blob. The story is about the discovery of a white gooey substance that comes from beneath the ground that is turned into a widely loved food item. But, once you consume it, you become a part of it and begin to crave more and more until you become a slave/zombie to the substance.
There isn't much gore or even scares, the only things that can be pretty creepy is when Chocolate Chip Charlie opens his mouth and the white stuff starts to pour out. There are numerous scenes like that. What is also kind of creepy is the hotel scene in which a man is attacked by the stuff and is thrown against the wall and engulfed by the white substance. These scenes are somewhat creepy but when you watch it you begin to marvel at the special effects that went into those scenes.
The acting was corny and way over blown, referenced by a kid knocking over cartons of The Stuff, knocking over the supermarket signs breaking through a refrigerator door. It was a bit over-dramatic. Michael Moriarty's character of 'Mo' is a bit too calm and reserved at times, the character Jason was too over enthusiastic for any young boy.
When you first watch the movie you can't help but laugh at some of the sly jokes and puns the movie makes about the food industry, however, taking that into account it can be said that this film is a satire on the food industry. It shows how the corporate top cats will go to any lengths to make a prophet, by either mass-producing a fatal product or by chemically altering it to numb the side effects.
Overall, if you have the opportunity to watch this movie, please do. It's funny, it's smart, it's relevant and it has some bad acting. If you were a fan of "The Blob" or any kind of horror movie that has a gooey, shapeless substance would love this film. Even if you enjoyed Attack of the Killer Tomatoes or Soylent Green you'll love this movie. It's a film that I enjoyed for all the wrong and some of the right reasons. It's not just a horror movie, but a very honest and important movie as well.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
FILM REVIEW: THE STUFF (1985)
Posted by TheHorrorPress at 10:10 PM
Labels: horror movie reviews, The Stuff, The Stuff film review
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2 comments:
I watched this movie on cable when I was younger and thought it was pretty good. I watched it a couple of months ago with my wife and was embarrassed for building it up. Obviously, my tastes as a child were silly. Another movie I thought was cool as a child was The Children. Watched it as an adult, and again, I was embarrassed for recommending it.
This movie can be pretty funny and it's a movie that should not be taken seriously but the effects in it were outstanding.
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