Blob

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

After the phenomenal box-office and critical success of David Cronenberg's 1986 remake of The Fly, a series of big-budget remakes of '50s horror favorites rode in on its coattails in the late 1980s -- though none managed to rise above mere camp clones of their elders, albeit garnished with modern makeup effects in an attempt to draw modern teen horror-junkies. One remake that managed to live up to its cheesy inspiration was Chuck Russell's version of The Blob, in which the title goo crashes to earth and promptly begins digesting the residents of a small California town while growing to gargantuan proportions. The clean-cut teen hero originally portrayed by Steve McQueen (his first starring role) is replaced here with a rebellious outsider (Kevin Dillon) whose preppie rival (Donovan Leitch) for the affections of the cute heroine (Shawnee Smith) is quickly eliminated by the all-consuming space-gelatin. No sooner has the plasma menace set up house in the town sewers when a shadowy government Blob Squad shows up under the direction of the grandfatherly Dr. Meddows (Joe Seneca), to clean up the mess... or not. This high-spirited remake replaces the '50s "Daddy-O" conventions of the original with '80s cynicism -- not even likeable characters are spared from the slaughter -- and anti-government sentiment. It also pushes the gore envelope in ways unavailable to its low-budget parent -- e.g. the scene in which one victim is sucked through a sink drain was only hinted at in the 1958 film, but here viewers are treated to the entire bone-crunching ordeal. Though the quality of blob effects seems inversely proportional to the creature's size (some of the climactic "wall-of-blob" footage is painfully cheap-looking), the end result is more blob for the monster-movie fan's dollar. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: Korean, Spanish, Thai, French, English
• Features:
  • • Digitally mastered audio & anamorphic video
    • Widescreen presentation
    • Audio: English 2-channel [Dolby Surround], French, Spanish, Portuguese
    • Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai
    • Theatrical trailers
    • Interactive menus
    • Scene selections

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Chuck Russell

• Producer:

  Rupert Harvey

• Screenwriter:

  Frank Darabont, Chuck Russell

• Cinematographer:

  Mark Irwin

• Songwriter:

  Pam Barlow, Gary Cambra, Wayne Coster

• Composer (Music Score):

  Michael Hoenig

• Songwriter:

  Janet Minto, Mike Slamer, Keith Whitley

• Editor:

  Tod Feuerman, Terry Stokes

• Production Designer:

  Jeffrey S. Ginn, Craig Stearns

• Art Director:

  Jeffrey S. Ginn

• Co-producer:

  Jack H. Harris, Elliott Kastner

• Executive Producer:

  Andre Blay

• Set Designer:

  Anne H. Ahrens, Sally Thornton, Gary Steele, Randy Moore

• Costume Designer:

  Joseph Porro

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Robert J. Anderson, Jr., Frank A. Fuller Jr.

• Makeup:

  Tony Gardner, Kathryn Miles Kelly

• Special Effects:

  Lyle Conway, Dream Quest Images, Hoyt Yeatman, Robert DeVine, D. Kerry Prior, AJ Workman

• First Assistant Director:

  Josh McLaglen

• Animator:

  Jeff Burks, Kent Burton

• Stunts:

  Tim A. Davison, Gene Hartline, John Meier, Bennie Moore, Bob Porter, Dennis Scott, Ric Waugh, M. James Arnett, Rick Avery, Greg Brickman, Bud Davis, Steve M. Davison, Michael Deluna, Gary Epper, Steve Holladay, Gary Hymes, Rick LeFevour, Gary McLarty, Janet Brady, Tommy Huff, Paula-Marie Moody, Larry Nicholas, Danny Rogers, Pat Romano, Paul Sherrod, Freddie Hice, Joni Avery, David Burton, Debby Porter, Gilbert B. Combs, George Fisher, Tracy Keehn-Dashnaw, Richard Wright, Bobby Burns

• Casting:

  Johanna Ray

• Pilot:

  James W. Gavin, Craig Hosking

• Visual Effects:

  Chuck Comisky

• Makeup Special Effects:

  Tony Gardner

• Animatronic Effects:

  Tony Gardner

• Line Producer:

  Rupert Harvey

• Production Coordinator:

  Carole Kravetz

• Unit Production Manager:

  Gordon Wolf

• Special Effects Supervisor:

  Hoyt Yeatman

• Boom Operator:

  John Hays

• Unit Production Manager:

  Daryl Kass

• Leadman:

  John D. Kretschmer

• Foley Supervisor:

  Glenn T. Morgan

• Second Assistant Director:

  J. Tom Archuleta

• Re-Recording Mixer:

  Matthew Iadarola

• Camera Loader:

  Daniel E. Teaze

• Sound Editor:

  Richard E. Yawn

• Re-Recording Mixer:

  Jeffrey Perkins

• Scenic Artist:

  Michael D. Costello

• Lead Scenic Artist:

  Amanda J. Flick

• Storyboard Artist:

  Pete von Sholly

• Special Effects Supervisor:

  Philip Bartko

• Visual Effects:

  Jeff Matakovich

• Production Assistant:

  Robert Barker

• First Assistant Camera:

  Michael Condro

• Location Manager:

  Ralph B. Meyer

• Set Medic/First Aid:

  Bundy Chanock

• Construction Foreman:

  Joseph H Catmull

• Visual Effects Editor:

  C. Marie Davis

• Visual Effects:

  Philip Barberio

• Puppeteer:

  Mark Siegel, Mitch Jones

REVIEW:

• This update of a beloved sci-fi favorite does a solid job of reworking its source material for a modern audience. The smart script, co-penned by director Chuck Russell with Frank Darabont, packs in plenty of popcorn movie thrills, but also makes room for an empowered heroine who is just as tough as its hero and works in a modern sense of paranoia with a clever government-oriented subplot. The Blob also keeps viewers on their toes by unpredictably killing off some of its most audience-friendly characters to ratchet up the suspense. Russell's direction delivers the thrills in a mean, lean style and his work is further aided by a likable cast: Kevin Dillon does the teen-rebel schtick to precision, Shawnee Smith's subtle transition from cheerleader to Blob fighter is believable, and reliable character thesps like Candy Clark and Jeffrey DeMunn deliver nuanced performances that flesh out the film's small-town setting nicely. Most importantly for a monster movie, The Blob's appeal is cemented by imaginative special effects: Lyle Conway's inventive creature effects give the title attraction a new, threatening sense of mobility unimaginable in the original version, and Tony Gardner's unsettling makeup effects add just the right modern touch to the mix. All in all, The Blob's well-judged blend of modern smarts and old-fashioned monster movie thrills makes it a worthwhile pick for genre fans. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi