Customer Reviews

Swamp Thing [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I first saw Swamp Thing on HBO waaay back in the early eighties. As a young teen male with my nose constantly buried in comic books, I was certainly part of the target demographic for this low-budget Wes Craven adventure. Admittedly, I didn't think too much of Wes's efforts; It seemed pretty bland, not colorfully action-packed like the comic book, and silly all at the same time. However, it did have the not-inconsiderable presence of Ms. Barbeau(Mrs. Carpenter), whom I had seen the year before in Escape From New York and The Fog, when she had her image(and figure)indelibly burned into my long-term memory. In regards to this new DVD, I have to say that the 30 seconds of restored bathing sequence is a pleasant surprise, especially since it is mentioned nowhere on the case. It should also be noted that more <gratuitous> nudity was re-inserted into the party sequence at Arcane's mansion, and the DVD should have been re-rated from PG to UNRATED(at least PG-13, possibly R) to account for these changes. Additionally, the new widescreen (albeit non-anamorphic) transfer is the best this film's ever looked, and I must say I have a new appreciation for it. What I remembered as being a bland film of murky and monochrome green and brown, now seems to be much more vibrant thanks to DVD. One last quibble...as a general rule, MGM needs to use the original press art for its movie releases. Although I can live with the cover for SW, I prefer the painting of Swampy carrying Cable in her white nightgown. At the very least, they could include the art in the "Collector's Booklet".

This DVD is sorely lacking in special features. All you get is the movie trailer, (which is unintentionally funny as the voice-over narrator intones "Adrienne Barbeau....an outrageous pair!" Well, she does look great in a tight sweater!) a language selection, a scene index, and a leaflet with some background material.

The movie, though, is great and in widescreen format. Wes Craven departs from his usual gore to make a comic book hero into a comic book movie, with lots of action and derring-do. There's even a poignant love story. It's a fast moving romp in the swamp.

Adrienne's nude bathing scene has been restored in this DVD version. For some reason it was edited out of the U.S. theatrical release, although not the European version. But now the complete movie is available, and I recommend this DVD to all Adrienne Barbeau fans, all Wes Craven fans, and all comic book fans.

The prior edition that was pulled from shelves has the topless scene of AB. So if your a fan of hers you may want to pony up for the banned copy. If you think this will drive your copies value down in price (if you own the original copy) think again. For whatever reason when a new edition comes out that deletes prior edition's content the value for the original edition goes up.

That said, this is a typical B movie from the 80's. If your not into rare copies and don't care about the deleted scene, this is your chance to get a copy cheap.

Just to get it out of the way, Swamp Thing is okay. However, it did spawn the much better sequel Return Of The Swamp Thing in all its campy goodness.

But, there are 2 distinct versions out there. If you want the US version, then buy the RED title cover. It is also 91 minutes. If you're looking for the added nudity version, then buy the GREEN title cover. The run time for the green version is 93 minutes. Then again, it makes more sense that the less butchered version is 2 minutes longer.

Plain English: RED = Less nekkid, GREEN = more nekkid. Get it?

Well folks, here it is: Swamp Thing! If you're like me and were a kid at the time this film came out(and could be caught on HBO at any given time of the day, along with The Beastmaster and Superfuzz), you probably have a special place in your heart for it, be it good or bad. This film puts you in a time warp and brings back fond memories of your childhood. If you see it for the first time as a mature adult, you won't be too impressed, but when you're a kid, this is just the coolest thing. Looking back, it's funny to think that Wes Craven directed this film, but I prefer all of his old stuff to the crud he does now. I was lucky enough to buy this right after it came out, coz certain schmucks decided to pull this dvd. I don't know who it was specifically, but they pressured MGM(who have been saints for releasing these old forgottem gems) to recall it. A TRUE AMERICAN TRAGEDY! Swamp Thing gets recalled yet we still have copies of Dude, Where's My Car? and Ghost Ship floating(get it? "Floating?" Ghost Ship Floating?) around the retail and rental stores. Swamp Thing is a great piece of cinema history and should be released again. If you happen to find a copy that some ignorant fool decided to sell to a buy/sell shop, you'd better consider snatching that up before you head to Starbucks for a shot of expresso. You'll thank me later.

Usually when I write a review, I try to make it as professional as possible. But when it comes to Adrienne Barbeau, all decorum goes out the window, and I reach for the drool bucket.

Purists will tell you that SWAMP THING is based on a DC comic, it's about a scientist who accidentally gets a potent chemical spilled on him and he becomes the title character, etc., etc. But look at the cover photo for this movie. Is the Swamp Thing the first thing your eyes are drawn to?

Admittedly, the movie is kind of fun on its own terms. It's rated PG, so the violence and language isn't terribly off-putting. And the romance between Alice Cable (Barbeau) and the Swamp Thing is actually kind of sweet.

But all that aside, writer-director Wes Craven realized that when you're shooting on a minimal budget, you go for whatever special effects you can muster. And in this case, he had the mother lode of natural special effects. In the pre-cable-TV 1970's, how many teenagers got through puberty via their weekly viewing of Adrienne Barbeau bouncing across the set on "Maude"?

Lest you think I have lapsed into tastelessness, be warned that I am not the only one to ga-ga over La Barbeau. Twenty years after the movie's premiere, I still recall The Village Voice raving, "Adrienne sloshes through the swamp, arms flailing, wet T-shirted ..." And Joe Bob Briggs devoted an entire evening to his comments about Adrienne's pneumatic qualities when he showed the movie on TNT. The transcript of this episode is even available on the Internet (at my Barbeau website), if you dare to read it.

So let's cut to the chase. Adrienne spends most of the movie in tight-fitting T-shirts (wet whenever possible), a low-cut evening gown, and even, in a lingering but discreet shot (again, this is PG), topless. Her natural assets (and that includes her acting) have never been shown to such advantage in any movie since this one.

So dads, rent the movie for your kids. It's harmless enough that they'll think it's mindless sci-fi. Only you will know the truth.

It seems that the same people who don't like Swamp Thing are the same people who thought the Adam West Batman TV show was "silly." That is, in fact the point of this terrific rubber-fest of a B-movie. Swamp Thing engages in the rapidly disappearing art of Camp - a movie that delivers inanity with such a poker face, it is hard to determine whether what you are watching is intentionally "silly" or not. And, ST succeeds admirably. This movie plays like a well-read comic book and the action is non-stop. Stand-out performance is Adrienne Barbeau's sidekick, a young boy with swamp smarts who helps her (along with the Swamp Thing, of course) out of her predicament. Swamp Thing is the most fun you can have watching a guy in a rubber suit.

What more can be said about this movie. It's a cult classic, and deservedly so, but it needs to be noted that this particular release (with the red title) is heavily edited compared to the previous version (now out of print) on DVD. Not only is the famous scene of Adrienne Barbeau cut, but a later scene of some topless girls at the bad guys' party is also gone.

This movie deserved better, hence my rating of one star for this release.

Swamp Ting is one of DC Comics Second String Super-Heroes and Wes Craven does a great job with the character. Sure there was some "dramatic license" like the fact that Cable was not a romantic interest in the comics and Arcane was never the romantic man who had women fawning over him as Jordan has, but the movie is excellent. I still need to buy the DVD for the Region I live in and only able to view my copy on my computer, but the movie is up there with Superman the Movie, the first Batman movie with Keaton & Nicholson, Batman Begins, the Spider-Man movies, X-Men movies and the like. Sure Swamp-Thing is not for everyone, but the characterizations of the characters are down pat. A great flick!

Please rerelease this great movie on DVD at a more affordable price so that humble people such as myself can afford it. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!