"There's always room for Jell-O..." Vintage ad copy becomes end-times prophesy when a growing globule takes on a small American town, and it's up to a few teenagers to raise the warning. But will the adults listen?
"The Blob" is a fun nostalgia ride that tells a good story, less about the horror than about the struggle of young people trying to do something about it. The title monster has some chilling scenes, though its slow movement and the cheap period special effects make it more a curio than anything frightening. Where "The Blob" succeeds is as a portrait of small-town life, and of young people trying to come to grips with something they don't understand.
Or as the story's hero puts it: "How do you get people to protect themselves from something they don't believe in?"
Two 1960s icons check in here. Burt Bacharach provides the catchy title melody, his first of many hit songs for movies. More significantly, Steve McQueen shows up in his first lead role as the hero, Steve Andrews. He plays the role with many of the practiced ticks and mannerisms pioneered by James Dean, but like Dean also showcases real screen presence and charisma.
The same goes for the rest of the cast, consisting largely of regional stage actors and bit-part movie actors. Even though they are far from polished, they work to sell the homey nature of our setting and its characters. Credit director Irvin Yeaworth, a maker of religious films who made this to help fund his other endeavors, for giving his players the room to work their own personalities into the production, rather than trying to turn it into another Hollywood spectacle.
As someone with a fondness for the Eisenhower years, I get a kick out of the cool cars Steve and his buddies drive, the sense of ready community spirit, midnight movies, kissing under the stars, and the corny, good- spirited humor. Sure, everyone seems to be white here, but it was shot in Pennsylvania, so even that kind of works.
The monster does have its moments, too. The opening scene when old-timer Olin Howland finds the meteor and the thing inside it still packs a punch, as does his later demise. When "The Blob" came out, 40-year- veteran screen actor Howland might have been its most recognizable player, but that doesn't stop Yeaworth, like Hitchcock in "Psycho," from giving his star an early exit.
The middle is where it gets too fuzzy. Having made his big entrance, the monster disappears for a long interval, perhaps to field press questions or sign an endorsement deal with some cooking-spray company. The focus draws more on the kids, which is okay in that you care about them and enjoy their company (especially that of McQueen and leading lady Aneta Corsaut) but debilitating in terms of building on the early suspense. While the disbelieving-adult angle is worthwhile, too much energy is spent on non-credible elements like a police sergeant who insists Steve is pulling a "gag" when talking about seeing the town doctor killed.
As a McQueen fan, I enjoy seeing the star playing a more sympathetic version of what would become his trademark man of action rather than words. Sure, he wasn't a teenager like the character he played, but he's effective all the same. He has a couple of terrific scenes with Corsaut, where he tries to convince both of them of what he saw. I also get a kick of a bit where the future "King Of Cool" is coronated by his teenage buddies for beating them in a drag race. They even crown his head with a hubcap, like they traveled forward in time and saw "Bullitt" before shooting this scene.
"The Blob" is padded in other ways, but fortunately its only 82 minutes, and a harrowing conclusion manages to overcome sloppy animation as well as the wobbly build-up. Mostly for the nostalgia and McQueen, but also a few other things, "The Blob" is worth your time.
"The Blob" is a fun nostalgia ride that tells a good story, less about the horror than about the struggle of young people trying to do something about it. The title monster has some chilling scenes, though its slow movement and the cheap period special effects make it more a curio than anything frightening. Where "The Blob" succeeds is as a portrait of small-town life, and of young people trying to come to grips with something they don't understand.
Or as the story's hero puts it: "How do you get people to protect themselves from something they don't believe in?"
Two 1960s icons check in here. Burt Bacharach provides the catchy title melody, his first of many hit songs for movies. More significantly, Steve McQueen shows up in his first lead role as the hero, Steve Andrews. He plays the role with many of the practiced ticks and mannerisms pioneered by James Dean, but like Dean also showcases real screen presence and charisma.
The same goes for the rest of the cast, consisting largely of regional stage actors and bit-part movie actors. Even though they are far from polished, they work to sell the homey nature of our setting and its characters. Credit director Irvin Yeaworth, a maker of religious films who made this to help fund his other endeavors, for giving his players the room to work their own personalities into the production, rather than trying to turn it into another Hollywood spectacle.
As someone with a fondness for the Eisenhower years, I get a kick out of the cool cars Steve and his buddies drive, the sense of ready community spirit, midnight movies, kissing under the stars, and the corny, good- spirited humor. Sure, everyone seems to be white here, but it was shot in Pennsylvania, so even that kind of works.
The monster does have its moments, too. The opening scene when old-timer Olin Howland finds the meteor and the thing inside it still packs a punch, as does his later demise. When "The Blob" came out, 40-year- veteran screen actor Howland might have been its most recognizable player, but that doesn't stop Yeaworth, like Hitchcock in "Psycho," from giving his star an early exit.
The middle is where it gets too fuzzy. Having made his big entrance, the monster disappears for a long interval, perhaps to field press questions or sign an endorsement deal with some cooking-spray company. The focus draws more on the kids, which is okay in that you care about them and enjoy their company (especially that of McQueen and leading lady Aneta Corsaut) but debilitating in terms of building on the early suspense. While the disbelieving-adult angle is worthwhile, too much energy is spent on non-credible elements like a police sergeant who insists Steve is pulling a "gag" when talking about seeing the town doctor killed.
As a McQueen fan, I enjoy seeing the star playing a more sympathetic version of what would become his trademark man of action rather than words. Sure, he wasn't a teenager like the character he played, but he's effective all the same. He has a couple of terrific scenes with Corsaut, where he tries to convince both of them of what he saw. I also get a kick of a bit where the future "King Of Cool" is coronated by his teenage buddies for beating them in a drag race. They even crown his head with a hubcap, like they traveled forward in time and saw "Bullitt" before shooting this scene.
"The Blob" is padded in other ways, but fortunately its only 82 minutes, and a harrowing conclusion manages to overcome sloppy animation as well as the wobbly build-up. Mostly for the nostalgia and McQueen, but also a few other things, "The Blob" is worth your time.