by burlivesleftnut on Tue Nov 01, 2005 12:59 pm
I recently was startled to find a new copy of Swamp Thing (1982) on Amazon.com for $5.00. It was through one of their secondary vendors, but considering the movie was a favorite of mine from childhood, I jumped at the chance and bought it.
The movie concerns an FBI agent played with gusto by the busto Adrienne Barbeau. Cable has been assigned to cover security for a swampy laboratory run by Dr. Alec Holland. Holland and his sister have been studying a way to genetically modify plants so that they can survive in the harshest conditions. It isn't long before the despicable Anton Arcane comes calling with plans to steal the formulas secrets for his own twisted purpose. During this raid, Holland accidentally gets exposed to his own formula and eventually bellyflops into the murky swamp. As Cable races to protect Hollands formula, she finds he has a new leafy friend and guardian to protect her along the way.
I used to love reading the DC Swamp Thing as a kid. The stories were always dark, forboding and seemingly set in a part of the south I had known farely well. Weirdly enough, I don't remember much about the comic book version. The only image that sticks in my head is of Swamp Thing hung on a meat hook in some icy refrigerated warehouse. I don't remember having any expectations about the movie version at the time, but I remember because I read about it in Fangoria that it was probably going to be scary.
Amazingly, despite some clunky action beats, the movie holds up very well. In fact, you could almost edit out every major fight, except the last one and end up with a relatively effective southern gothic monster flick. A couple of things really stand out in that regard. First, Holland (as played by Ray Wise) is pretty convincing in his scientific pursuit. Sure, it's all comic book science, but the ideas are fascinating. Early in the film Holland doses an orchid with his special formula and within minutes the plant has grown in size and stature. Later in the film, after Holland's tragic transformation into Swamp Thing, he revisits his burnt out husk of a lab to find that the orchid not only survived a fire, but is actually become even larger and more beautiful. I was surprised that the film was filled with so many thoughtful moments. I guess I could credit this to Wes Craven, who has the ability to be an insightful and intelligent film maker, even if for the most part, he never lives up to his potential.
Acting wise, the movie is a mixed bag. Barbeau has such an earthy sharpness too her that you forget about her ridiculous hair. She plays Cable with a toughness that seemed to be a rareity in 1982. If the odds had been more evenly stacked, I imagine Cable not ever needing Swamp Things assistance at all. Louis Jordan is all at once over the top, but delightfully appropriate as Arcane. I love characters who exhibit such casual villainy. I especially love the characters decision to celebrate acquiring Holland's formula by throwing a wicked decandent dinner party with Barbeau tied to a chair next to him while revellers carry on all around them. The scene is creepy... and gets creepier when Arcan decides to test the formula on an unsuspecting lacky. Speaking of lackies... they are all uniformly lame actors. I wouldn't be surprised if you watched this in a double feature with Day of the Dead to see the army men were the same dudes.
The biggest mistake in filming Swamp Thing was to include so many action sequences that really make little sense. Swamp Thing is kind of treated like a swamped up versoion of Superman. He stops cars, throws men through the air and at one point even commandeers a boat (wtf). The boat scene in particular seemed to last ten thousand hellish years. The final moments of the film, where Swamp Thing fights a souped up version of Arcane is pretty fucking crappy, but at least provides a minimum level of suspense.
I will admit because of my love for the movie as a kid, I am probably seeing it as better than it really is, but I did have a good time with the film, and unlike some Five Dollars films, I wouldn't be ashamed to show this one to my friends. And, this will certainly be a film I will enjoy watching every couple of years.
The transfer to DVD is extremely well done. The movie was beautifully shot by Robbie Greenberg. The blocking is not all that interesting, but the photography never lets you down. The swamps are all richly detailed and full of color and life. I watched this on a shit system, so I can't comment on the sound other: I did hear it. So I guess they got something right. No extras.
