I'm referring to the original The Blob from the 1958 movie The Blob, the Earl Rowe version. I know, everybody says "The Steve McQueen version" and true enough, Steve's in there pulling his share. But for my money, convincing as he is as a callow youth, as a leading actor he hadn't quite yet grown into his boots here, and it is the kind yet stern turn from Earle Rowe as Lt. Dave that provides the film's moral center.
I'm most definitely not referring to the 1988 movie The Blob featuring Kevin Dillon and Shawnee Smith, with the appalling performance of Jeffrey DeMunn as what I can only assume was meant to be this film's "Lt. Dave." But that's not why I'm most definitely not referring to this version for my little thesis. For one thing, in this film we're expected to believe that The Blob was the result of a low-earth-orbit germ-warfare experiment gone awry. Oh, I'm sorry, did I spoil the twist for you? Screw you, Blob remake! I will spoil your twist every damn day it occurs to me to do so! You're lucky Michael Crichton didn't sue you for a "story by" credit. No amount of Shawnee Smith in that sweater can redeem this.
Since I'm being so hard on it, I should include a contrary viewpoint from another reviewer, for balance:
I agree with him on this: if The Blob met another movie character I think The Blob would probably win, because it eats people up. It probably could eat Chucky or anybody up.
But I've gotten sidetracked. I wanted to explain how The Blob reproduces. You know what, I'll get into that in my "Pt. 2." It's more involved than you might think.
5 comments:
Pins and needles.
I am assuming some sort of asexual reproduction has to be in play here? I mean the blob doesn't seem all that social. And the fact that we refer to it as THE Blob makes me think there are not lots of other opposite sex blobs running around to make little Blobettes with.
I await part 2 with just a bit of impatience.
It's a good thing you said something, because I tell you, I wasn't ever going to write Part 2 otherwise!
I have a lot of Part 1's that I just leave...dangling out there for some reason. I guess I forget. Or my interest drifts on.
Let me know if it's any good!
Oh I have quite a few lonely part 1's hanging around in my posting past. And truthfully those stand alone part 1's of mine are best left that way.
Aw, man!
I'm interpreting that as a subtle non-comment on the Blob Pt.2...
:-D
Oh hey - I meant to mention before, Jeffrey DeMunn did a fine job in the 1988 version - competent, stern yet with clear compassion for those under his protection, and a certain dogged hope and persistence in the face of a menace he couldn't hope to understand - and didn't get a chance to. One of the underrated virtues of that remake was...who dies, and when. It left you feeling no one was safe.
Good job, though, Mr. DeMunn! I only included the remarks in the post to play up the absurdity and arbitrariness of my anti-1988 version biases.
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