Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
HE'S BACK..., February 8, 2004
It appears that Crispin Glover is carving a niche for himself on the silver screen, playing slightly creepy, social misfits ("Back to the Future", "Bartleby"). In this re-make of the 1971 film of the same name that starred Bruce Davidson, Crispin Glover plays the title role, that of Willard Stiles. Willard is a lonely young man who lives in a huge mansion from days gone by with his decaying, elderly mother (Jackie Burroughs). He works in the industrial plant that used to belong to his father, before it was stolen out from under him by Mr. Martin (R. Lee Ermey), the man who is now Willard's boss. Cruelly tormented at work by Mr. Martin and beset at home by his overbearing mother whom he loves in an obsessive Norman Bates type of way, Willard is just plain weird. When he discovers that his home is plagued by rats, instead of exterminating them, he befriends one of them, a white rat whom he names Socrates, who is in command of the horde of rats that reside in the basement. His second in command is a huge brown rat whom Willard names Ben but whom he does not like. The horde of rats seem to live to do Willard's bidding. All that changes when the lovable Socrates meets a cruel and untimely end. That event totally unhinges both Willard and Ben, and therein lies the tale. Directed by X Files graduate Glen Morgan, with superlative production values, the film has an inside joke that X File fans, such as myself, will appreciate. Look for the orange cat, appropriately named Scully after red head Gillian Anderson, who plays the role of the same name in the X Files series. Moreover, links to the original "Willard" film, upon which this one is predicated, abound in the film. The portrait and family photographs of Willard's father look surprisingly like those of Bruce Davidson. It is as if the film were written tongue-in-cheek, as there is really nothing all that horrific about it, other than the demise of Socrates. In fact, as a true horror film, it fails. Even the rats are not scary. They end up being merely funny. This filmed failed at the box-office for this reason, because the powers that be marketed it as a horror genre film. As a portrait of the disintegration of a lonely, social misfit, however, the film fares better, due to the inspired casting of Crispin Glover. It is a film worth seeing, if only for Crispin Glover's performance.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Year's Best Film, March 15, 2003
If you were expecting a "cool, killer animal" film, do not see this movie. If you were expecting a carbon copy of the original horror cult classic, do not see this film. The new "Willard" is not a bloody, slasher movie, despite how the trailers make it out to be. "Willard" is an intelligent, psychological thriller/drama about a lonely man (played excellently by my new favorite actor, Crispin Glover [another film he was great in was "Bartleby",...) who befriends a little white rat named Socrates, only to find that not only can he communicate with the rat, but the rat can send his communications off to the hundreds of other rats living in Willard's basement. He soon develops a great friendship with Socrates, and uses the rats for revenge. One of the other rats is a humongus fellow named Ben who desperately wants to be part of Willard's and Socrates' friendship, but Willard shuns Ben, and only uses him when he needs him. Well, I don't want to go into too much detail, but a sort of love triangle evolves with Willard, Socrates, and Ben. There is also a thing going on with Willard's mother, who lives with him, and Willard's horrible boss. Willard's and Socrate's relationship is truly endearing, creating a beautiful film. This film is perfect if you love rats, hate them, or just like Crispin Glover, as he really shines here. It is enhanced with very cool cinematography (with very little CGI- Ben is somewhere around nine pounds and he is a *real* rat), and good music. A must see!
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ben, the two of us need look no more..., March 18, 2003
"Willard," with Crispin Glover in the title role, was a more creepy, atmospheric film than a general horror film. At no time while watching it did I really ever feel scared, which disappointed me. I wanted, you know, to jump at least once, and you'd figure that'd be par for the course in a film filled with so many rats. But it didn't happen, for it turns out that the "Willard" remake doesn't aspire to be that kind of horror movie. It's more "Edward Scissorhands" and "Psycho" than "Urban Legend," thank God.The constantly underrated, creepy Crispin Glover is absolutely perfect in the title role, reminiscent of Anthony Perkins, as a browbeaten man who turns to friendship with rats in order to find acceptance and later exact revenge on those who've wronged him. The film, on the whole, is macabre in its costuming, set design and even its opening credits. The production value is noticeably high. The supporting cast is very strong, including Jackie Burroughs as Willard's half-decomposed, senile mother and Laura Elena Harring as the girl who tries to care for Willard. Still, R. Lee Ermey steals every scene he's in as Willard's belligerent, evil boss. His demise, fittingly, is the visual and emotional climax of the film. The ending of the movie pays homage to "Psycho," and the original "Willard," which I've not seen, gets its due by featuring Bruce Davison in portraits as Willard's father. Davison, of course, was the original Willard. "Willard" is creepy fun, and it left me impressed.
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