Customer Reviews

Ben [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Like many who've seen this movie decades after it's release,the theme song sung by Michael Jackson is what made me check it out.Whereas Willard was a straight horror film,Ben is a mixture of cute and chills.
Picking up where Willard left off,Ben and his rat army retreat to the sewers while the police try to hunt them down after Willard's murder.In the process,Ben befriends an ill boy,Danny Garrison(Lee Montgomery),which is more endearing than the relationship between Willard & Socrates.
Aside from a view of circa 1972 for pop culture junkies,the best thing about Ben is the friendship between the boy and his rat.The acting,the score and the effects(recycling the same scenes of rats over) are pretty bad.The ending scene with the Jackson sung theme could make you misty eyed.Almost like a precurser to 2001's A.I.
Now that Willard has been remade(with a larger,nastier Ben)and became a box office disappointment,chances for a Ben remake are pretty non existant.It would be interesting to see one,even with a three legged Ben.

.... this is just a recycled killer-rat movie where the attack sequences are more polished than in the original, but the originality is gone. The plot picks up right where "Willard" ended, with the army of rats attacking Willard (Bruce Davidson), who made the mistake of falling in love with a girl and forgetting his real friends. The rats hide out in the city sewers while their leader, Ben, goes out looking for food. This is how he encounters Lee Montgomery (David Garrison), another lonely young boy just looking for a little friendship in a cold world. The two indeed become friends, while Ben's rat army (now numbering about 4,000) go out on fun little raids.

This 1972 film from director Phil Carlson, who would go on to do "Walking Tall" the next year, does have the virtue of coming up with a different boy-rat relationship. Poor Lee has a heart condition so there is actually some pathos to his relationship with Ben, whereas Willard lost our sympathy once he had his rats starting eating people. The rat attacks a little more creative, but the end result is somehow less effective that the pure gross-out of the original. If you can find both of them, then this is an obvious double-feature, and with the remake of "Willard" coming out soon I would have to think there will be cheap copies of both films readily available again. I am sure the new film will use awesom CGI effects for all those rats, but there is something to be said for the good old days of rat wranglers.

This movie starts directly after Willard Stiles dies. The Police decide to kill all the rat that Willard trained. The rats move to leave Willard's house and live in the sewer. One day Ben gets hungry so he goes to The house of a boy named Danny's house.Danny makes friends with him and Danny gives him food. Danny writes a song called ''Ben's song'' for Ben. Ben shows Danny his home in the sewer. The police find out where all the rats live and Kill them all. Danny goes home Heartbroken.
Then Danny sees Ben in his room with a broken Leg. Danny Tends to it while Micheal Jackson is singing "Ben's Song" in the background and as the credits roll.
THIS IS A GREAT MOVIE. SEE IT NOW!

I was about 11 when this movie came out in the early 1970s. It was a real thriller. Michael Jackson was very young when he sang the title song.
I can hardly wait when this comes out on DVD. I'm sure Michael Jackson fans will enjoy watching although he makes no appearances in the movie.
I find it ironic though that MJ's movie, The Jackson's An American Dream, shows Michael befriending a rat when he was just a little boy.
If you're into horror movies and/or Michael Jackson, you will enjoy adding this movie to your collection.

Michael Jackson song the theme song into our hearts and history, while Lee Montgomery reminded us of what it was like to not have friends.
A sequel to the highly successful horror movie, WILLARD. The story begins with Willard and Ben arguing at home & moves to the touching friendship between a lonely, ill boy and an intelligent rat.
The rats may scare the young children, but if they can handle them and the very G rated killings, I do recommend this movie for children over 8.

i saw this movie in the drive-in theartre when i was a kid. i saw this one and the original willard in the same drive-in theartre. this movie is a little touching at times. especially at the end when the ben song is playing. i have this on laserdisc but i really would like it on dvd. so please release this on dvd soon as possible. thank you

I was about 9 years old when I saw this movie and I was scared to death.
I would love to have "Ben" added to my collection, It took me awhile to find "willard" that came out 1972 and I'm having a had time trying to find "Ben".
I know that somewhere out there is a copy of "Ben".

iv been waiting for years for this to get reade to dvd.
whats the holdup?