The session: "A tribute to Mr. Big: Bert I. Gordon Month"
This month we pay tribute to director Bert I. Gordon, who passed away this past March at age 100
As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL.
Week 1: Earth vs. The Spider (1958)
Directed by Bert I. Gordon
My Impressions Going In:
I knew nothing
A small town battles a giant mutant spider
Reaction and Other Folderol:
There's something really satisfying about these simple-storied 1950's mutant animal movies. They promise a nice fun romp that you don't have to think too hard to enjoy. And the better ones, such as this, really deliver.
That's not to say there aren't flaws; there are plenty. For starters, what's with the 40-something year-old high school students? As a consumer of mass entertainment, I've gotten used to shows and movies with high school students being portrayed by actors who are too old for the part. But this takes it to a new level. There's that one guy who looks like he's in his forties. The movie was inconsistent about the spider's size, and the effects were the kind of cheesy you'd expect from a low budget movie of its era. Oh, yeah -- and it really bugged me when the scientist kept referring to the spider as an insect. But I guess that's me.
The script alluded to some kind of complex backstory about Mr. Flynn, the spider's first victim. We are led to believe that he is less than reliable -- maybe he drinks, maybe he cheats on his wife. That's hinted at just enough to whet the appetite, but there's never really a payoff. And I found that kind of annoying.
In the end, Eath vs. Spider is much more enjoyable than it is good. It is a perfect exemplar of its genre, and a really fun movie to watch (assuming you don't have arachnophobia. And that's worth a lot.
Ratings
Me: 8.5
Bob-O: 9
Christina: 8.9
Dave: 9.5
Ethan: 8
Joe: 10
No comments:
Post a Comment