I must confess, I've been eager to watch this movie since I first heard it was in development. I saw the original as part of Elvira's "Movie Macabre" as a kid (easily my favorite TV show). My parents had been fans, and I must confess, for its time it was quite good.
The idea of a sequel in which Ben, the killer rat, was befriended by a child, featuring a schmaltzy song by a young Michael Jackson always struck me as ludicrous. But a remake, starring Crispin Glover? That casting made it a must see.
The remake features some other clever casting choices, most notably Bruce Davison, the original Willard, feautured as Charles Stiles, Willard's late father. And rather than being feautured in flashback, he appears in a portrait and older photos. Not to take away from his earlier performance, but Glover comes off much better than Davison ever did, seeming authentically lonesome and desperate.
The visuals are much better. While not always a fan of his work, this movie, in many ways, seems to have taken much inspiration from the work of Tim Burton, complete with dark, neo-gothic sets (The Stiles home is a scarier Bates residence, while Willard's workplace sometimes come off like a Dickens as interpreted by Poe), and a score that almost seems cribbed from Danny Elfman's work on Burton's films.
The film also has a better resolution. Whereas Sondra Locke's female lead in the 1971 original seemed to have some legitimate potential interest in Davison's Willard, Laura Harring's Cat just seems to sympathize with him.
Combine all of the above with the most darkly clever use of Michael Jackson's "Ben" that could be imagined (I'm sure, if he's seen the film, he probably doesn't appreciate it).
The idea of a sequel in which Ben, the killer rat, was befriended by a child, featuring a schmaltzy song by a young Michael Jackson always struck me as ludicrous. But a remake, starring Crispin Glover? That casting made it a must see.
The remake features some other clever casting choices, most notably Bruce Davison, the original Willard, feautured as Charles Stiles, Willard's late father. And rather than being feautured in flashback, he appears in a portrait and older photos. Not to take away from his earlier performance, but Glover comes off much better than Davison ever did, seeming authentically lonesome and desperate.
The visuals are much better. While not always a fan of his work, this movie, in many ways, seems to have taken much inspiration from the work of Tim Burton, complete with dark, neo-gothic sets (The Stiles home is a scarier Bates residence, while Willard's workplace sometimes come off like a Dickens as interpreted by Poe), and a score that almost seems cribbed from Danny Elfman's work on Burton's films.
The film also has a better resolution. Whereas Sondra Locke's female lead in the 1971 original seemed to have some legitimate potential interest in Davison's Willard, Laura Harring's Cat just seems to sympathize with him.
Combine all of the above with the most darkly clever use of Michael Jackson's "Ben" that could be imagined (I'm sure, if he's seen the film, he probably doesn't appreciate it).