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Of all the Marvel Comics characters to get their own film adaptation, Man-Thing is probably the one I least expected, but then again, they did make that Howard the Duck movie...just a bit of history from my geek side before I review the film...some think Man-Thing was Marvel's answer to the popular Swamp Thing character, but Man-Thing actually appeared first in the pages of Astonishing Tales #12 (aka Savage Tales #1) in May of 1971 (Swamp Thing first appeared in the comic House of Secrets #92 sometime in June/July 1971). In terms of getting their own series, Swamp Thing came first beginning in 1972, while Man-Thing got his due sometime in 1974 (the Man-Thing series was short lived, lasting all of about 22 issues while the Swamp Thing series continues to thrive in one form or another). Directed by Brett Leonard (The Lawnmower Man), who is currently working on a new Highlander movie, the film stars the relatively unknown Matthew Le Nevez (Peaches), along with newcomer Rachel Taylor and Jack Thompson (Original Sin). Also appearing is Rawiri Paratene (Whale Rider), Patrick Thompson (The Seventh Floor), Steve Bastoni (The Matrix Reloaded), and Alex O'Lachlan (Oyster Farmer). Also, look for the director himself who appears in the film as the smokes-a-lot county coroner.
As the story begins we learn through narration of an area in the swamps called `the dark water', a place that basically contains the spirit of the swamp and is also the `nexus of all realities' (I think I got one of these in the basement, next to the furnace). We also learn that this place, held sacred by native locals, is being violated by greedy men in search of oil, subsequently causing much damage, as industrialist are wont to do (or so the movies tell us)...but apparently the swamp isn't one to take this defilement lying down, so it strikes back, our first victims being a young couple canoodling in a boat, giving us a great bit of breastage within the first five minutes of the movie...enjoy it boyos, because that's all there is...I bet they didn't show that on the Sci-Fi Channel...anyhoo, next we meet our hero (of sorts) in Kyle Williams (Le Nevez) as he's recently relocated to the town of Bywater, assuming the position of sheriff and learns that a large number of people have since gone missing, including the last sheriff...he also meets the local bigwig oilman Frederic Schist (Thompson) and his idiot son, while dealing with some local protesters, one of them being 3rd grade teacher Teri Richards (Taylor), whom later on develops into a love interest for Kyle, but never gets nekkid, although she does show off her midriff quite a bit more than I would have expected from a school teacher...anyway, Schist claims a mysterious swamp dweller named LaRoque (Bastoni) is responsible for the missing people, and also for the recent spate of sabotage to his equipment, so Kyle begins his, ahem, `investigation', discovering Schist may have not gotten the rights to the land on the up and up, and his eco-destructive was may have awakened a guardian creature, one bent on retribution...let the soggy, boggy, slimy, bloodletting fun begin!
Alright, Man-Thing wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it wasn't as good as it could have been, if that makes sense...the element that annoyed me the most was the how some aspects of the comic book character were preserved (like the `protector of the nexus of all realities' thing), while other, more important one, in my opinion, were deliberately left out (the whole `use what you see fit, and discard the rest' tactic). In the comic, scientist Ted Sallis was working on some super formula, eventually taking it himself and running off into the swamp, where science and magic combined to create Man-Thing (there's a lot more to it than that, but that's the gist)...now this next part is important, as it creates a clear distinction between the Man-Thing and Swamp Thing...the Man-Thing `feels' emotions of other beings, and is often drawn to them out of curiosity. Emotions like fear, hatred, and anger cause him pain, to which he produces a `fuming sulfuric acid' and attack that which causes him pain...thus his touch burns...this was completely left out of the story...and in the movie the creature kills indiscriminately...the film starts out pretty strong, but then drops off severely up until about the last twenty minutes or so. Heck, we don't even get a good view of the Man-Thing until about an hour in...I did think the CGI creature effects looked pretty cool, but, as I already mentioned, without the burning touch element, this might as well have been a Swamp Thing movie. The story itself hardly stands on its own as various lame duck characters parade across the screen (the pointless Mike Ploog character, who, by the way, was named after an artist on the comic book series) and the whole love subplot between Kyle (he's hot for teacher) and Teri was forced together for no other reason that they had to have a romantic aspect (by the way, did it seem like Teri's accent would come and go?) There's a few decent kills featuring some greasy, racist, redneck, grit sucking, swamp rat locals, but these scenes were far and few between. Thompson, who played the greedy industrialist Schist, made a pretty good villain (didn't his corporate logo look kinda like a swastika?) Or at least I thought so until the scene where he and his son are sitting in their Hummer talking about the sheriff and how he's getting close to their secrets...Schist Jr. `He keeps on digging', to which Schist Sr. replies `We'll let him dig...it's his own grave he's digging!' followed by maniacal laughter from both...oh bruther...and I have to say Le Nevez's (who looks like a transvestite...nice job make-up department) character hardly seemed like much of a hero as his role consisted of him fumbling around witnessing things but having little effect on the outcome of the story...I got the impression it would have ended they way it did with or without him. There were some pretty cool and interesting visuals, and the swamp sets looked suitably foreboding, although they seemed completely devoid of animal life like snakes, frogs, newts and other such denizens one would expect to see in the green, spongy morass.
This Lion's Gate Entertainment DVD release features a widescreen (1.85:1) picture that looks very sharp and clean. The audio, available in both 2.0 and 5.0 Dolby Digital comes though clear. There are no special features, but included is some trailers for other Lion's Gate releases like Alone in the Dark (2005), Undead (2003), The Slaughterhouse Massacre (2005), The Punisher (2004), and the really awful looking film Zombiez (2005).
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Customer reviews
Man-Thing is Horror Flick for Teens
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2005
This movie is based on the Marvel comic "Man-Thing" from the early 1970's. I remember reading it when I was a kid and sharing it with my friends. I was thrilled when Brett Leonard decided to create a movie about it. For those unfamiliar with the story of "Man-Thing," an obnoxious oilman drills wells in a sacred Seminole swamp called "Dark Water" and awakens a supernatural creature. The creature, which is the swamp's spirit protector, seeks revenge for the violation of the sanctity of "Dark Water" and a string of unusual deaths follow.The new Sheriff has his hands full when he is faced with this investigation on his first day on the job. He and the other characters in the film seem to be superficial stereotypes of the parts they are playing: dishonest oil man, streetwise sheriff, smart and beautiful school teacher, good American Indian, renegade American Indian and an assortment of oddball bayou folks. The stereotypes are a disservice to the film because a little more depth of character would make the film more interesting. However, the photography and special effects are very good. I really like how the greens, reds and yellows bleed into the edges of the screen when transitioning from scene to scene - just like in the comic. Although most panned this flick, I found it entertaining despite the lack of character development. When "Man-Thing" makes his appearance, its hard not to watch.Anyway, I wouldn't describe this movie as an adult horror film. It's targeted more at a teen audience. There is plenty of gore, graphic scenes of dead bodies and profanity (which gives it an R rating), but no nudity. This is a good DVD to buy for your teenage horror movie fan.
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2005
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Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2005
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Marvel's Strangest Hero Gets Big Screen debut... or maybe small screen... or straight to DVD... I dunno. Just watch.
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Savitaa
The worst ever film based on a comic character (and I've seen loads!)
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2017Mrs Victoria Leith van Heyningen
B movie fun
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 4, 2017lee
Almost belonging to a bygone era
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2020
