The Blob (1988)

[Andrew]

A little town in Colorado has a problem, and I don't mean the lack of tourists at the ski slopes.  We're talking about an all-consuming organism from (well, kinda) outer space!

They're squishy, alien, and hungry for tasty people!  The Blob and its cousins are the focus of the latest roundtable effort. 

Click here to go to the Review

Make sure to check out all of the reviews via the Supersoaker Page.

[Torgo]

Fun little flick.  I am one of the few that actually prefers this over the original.

[Shadow]

I paid to see this film 8 times in the theater.

Yes, I like this movie.

[BoyScoutKevin]

At last, a movie I've seen. Of course, that's never stopped me from commenting on a movie I haven't seen.

I never have been a fan of this one. I think one of the reasons, is the larger body count in the remake. Upping the body count, to my mind, doesn't make a film anymore enjoyable or anymore interesting.  Often, it has the opposite affect.

I will say this for the remake, maybe because it was made in a more cynical time, the remake comes across as being more cynical than the original. The law is only out there to stop you from having fun. Medicine is only in it for the money. Religion is a drunk. And it's all the government's fault.

[Joe the Destroyer]

I don't know if I liked it as much as the original, but I still did like it.  I do remember hearing that Dark Castle was supposed to do a remake, but I think they got enough death threats to figure out they shouldn't touch this one.

[D-Man]

*Possible Spoiler alert*

I didn't think much of this film when I first saw it back in 99...I guess I was just p**sed that they let one of the kids get killed off for what I felt was no good reason, and I thought the ending was kind of stupid.  I thought it was very poorly acted too, but that's not a good reason to see these kinds of films, I've realized since then. 

Your review has made me think about giving it another chance though...I'm looking back now and remembering how it had some sweet kills, which have become an important factor in my choice of horror films these days. 

[Kooshmeister]

Just FYI, I'm a stickler for characters being named correctly, the reverend is named Reverend Meeker, the colonel is Colonel Hargis, and the "fodder boy" is named Eddie (although Fodder Boy is a much better name for him). :)

I like this movie because it's one of those films overflowing with actors I've seen in other stuff!

-Dr. Meddows is played by Joe Seneca, from A Time to Kill and Silverado
-Rev. Meeker is played by Del Close, from The Untouchables and Next of Kin
-Sheriff Geller is played by Jeffrey DeMunn, who's been in a lot of stuff but who I mostly know from The Green Mile
-Phil the theater projectionist is played by Frank Collison, from The Last Boy Scout and The Whole Ten Yards
-Meg's dad is played by Art LaFleur, who was Babe Ruth in The Sandlot
-Deputy Briggs is played by Paul McCrane, who I'm sure everyone remembers for his melty death in Robocop
-One of Meddows' men who winds up as blob-chow is played by Bill Mosely, from House of 1,000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, and the 1990 version of Night of the Living Dead
-The doctor at the hospital is played by Jack Nance, from Eraserhead and Dune
-The usher who comes to check on Phil is played by Pons Maar, who was Saurod in Masters of the Universe

And it goes on. I had a grand time recognizing all these guys. Well, except for Pons Maar, since in Masters of the Universe he was in a snake-man mask and armor, but I recognized his name in the credits at least! :)

[Jack]

I liked this film a lot - it's good cheesy '80s fun.  I like it much better than the original, I couldn't relate to the characters at all in that one, I thought the acting was quite poor, and when that girl fell over the display of soup cans in the grocery store and was lying there helpless afterwards, oh good grief.

[Greenhornet]

What I couldn't stand about this movie was the Liberal moral lessons mentioned by BoyScoutKevin and the fact that the cast was hamming it up, trying to act like charicters in a 50's drive-in movie.
There is another "Blob" movie, a sequal (Or so they say) to the origonal that is possibly even WORSE than this version!

[Jordan]

Koosh, random factoid here:
Colonel Hargis from THE BLOB '88 shares the last name of a character named Chester Hargis in 1972's "Beware! The Blob." My review of that film is nearing completion and should be online tomorrow. (It would have been completed today if I didn't: Spend 3 hours mowing the lawn, another 3 watching the Giants get their first victory of the season, and didn't spend the remainder of my evening watching Jeff Dunham's latest stand up special on Comedy Central.) My apologies to Andrew and the gang for the delay.

[Justin]

I love this movie, easily 1 of the best remakes, along with Cronenberg's 'The Fly', Carpenter's 'The Thing' & the 1978 - 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'.

I hope this one doesn't get remade again, as its great just the way it is, with the gruesome special effects.

You can go wrong with Kevin Dillon & his 80's mullet & the always adorable Shawnee Smith.  :)

[zenlizard]

I thought that was Kevin Dillon. I am a big Entourage fan, and it makes me smile to see Johnny Drama in the old days.

[Xenorama]

i liked it until the end, when the blob looked like a wad of chewed gum.  not very fearsome.  and the tired secret US experiment gone awry premise isn't nearly as fun as the original.

David

[Kooshmeister]

Well by that point the "it came from space, period" plot was itself pretty tired. So I give the remake credit for trying to give the Blob a somewhat more updated origin. It still comes from space, just with a little help from the army. And why knock the remake's Blob for looking like chewing gum when the original's looked like strawberry jam and/or ketchup half the time?

[HW]

I like this version over the original to. I hated foot ball players in high school as well.