Swamp Thing

If only the first half of Wes Craven's Swamp Thing had been as incredibly craptastic as the second: the latter part of the film sees a henchmen transformed into a disfigured dwarf, the villain of the piece becoming a sword-wielding wolf/pig creature with a really hairy back, and Adrienne Barbeau stripping off to take a skinny dip in a swamp (mind the leeches, deary).

Sadly, in order to get to this cheezy but still very fun stuff, the viewer has to trawl through lots of bland comic-book tosh including a dreary introduction to the characters, repetitive poorly staged fight and chase scenes featuring David Hess and his team of stereotypically dumb henchmen, and clumsily handled attempts at tragedy and pathos. It doesn't help either that the central character, The Swamp Thing, is so crap to look at—a man in a rubbishy rubber suit that buckles unconvincingly at the joints.

Worth a look if you're a big fan of the comics, Craven or Barbeau, but casual viewers will probably switch off before they even get to the most enjoyable bits.

From the mastermind behind such disturbing horror classics as "The Hills Have Eyes" and "Last House on the Left" comes a new dimension in terror… "Swamp Thing!"

Yes, "Swamp Thing." For real. Wes Craven really directed a "Swamp Thing" movie.

Showing the world that he was capable of handling more than just mutants and lowlifes, Craven set to adapting the comic series of the same name to film. The results? Well, let's just say there's some mutants, some lowlifes and a topless Adrienne Barbeau. Not a bad mix if one may say so.

Meet Dr. Alec Holland. Holland, played by the great Ray Wise, is a scientist who likes spending his free time bogged down in the swamp. On the verge of an ecological breakthrough, he is tragically transformed into a hideous yet unstoppable mutant. Treading water and stomping through the bayou, it's up to him to help save a beautiful colleague (Barbeau) from certain danger while trying to come to terms with his rubber suit…I mean his new body.

The film is mostly harmless fluff. Craven has his heart in the right place, and even when the film misfires (as it so often does) it's hard not to love it regardless. Barbeau absolutely steals the show and runs with it, although it must be noted that in the short time he spends on film, Ray Wise delivers a charming and wholly human performance. David Hess also pops in to do what he does best: playing a merciless thug. There's also a score by Harry Manfredini at hand that evokes images of Crystal Lake, but for the purposes of this film, let's just call it Crystal Marsh. Also, look out for a cameo from the elusive Manbearpig towards the end of the film.

In the end, "Swamp Thing" is far from the finest comic adaptation, but then again, it's not the worst either. Fact of the matter is that it's a harmless and enjoyable affair, provided one is in the appropriate state of mind. Filled to the brim with oddball characters (Jude deserves his own spin-off) and goofy monster antics, "Swamp Thing" is an odd creature that you can't help but adore.

This reminded me of the 1950s science-fiction/horror films with its primitive dialog, hokey action scenes and laughable makeup for the monsters. Oh, man, does this look bad as time goes on and we have been treated to 25 years of great special-effects since this was made.

What makes this more attractive to watch than those '50s films, however, are great swamp photography, Adrienne Barbeau's body and a story that moves fast. Barbeau, as she was prone to do, appears to be only this is to show off her massive chest. However, it's pretty harmless fun, very tame compared to the horror movies of the past generation regarding gore and profanity. It's also pretty tame for a Wes Craven-directed film.

In the end, it's a good Class B film, usually fun to watch for a number of reasons.

After a violent incident with a special chemical, a research scientist (Ray Wise) is turned into a swamp plant monster.

We have iconic director Wes Craven, the great actress Adrienne Barbeau, great actor David Hess and the composer Harry Manfredini. How can a horror fan watch this and not be in some kind of heaven?

Roger Ebert says this film is "one of those movies that fall somewhere between buried treasures and guilty pleasures." He further says it is "an off-the-wall, eccentric, peculiar movie fueled by the demented obsessions of its makers." He means this in the nicest way possible, and I love him for that.

Author John Kenneth Muir notes that Swamp Thing differs in many respects from Craven's usual work, in that Craven's intent was to show the major Hollywood studios that he could handle action, stunts and major stars. Craven substituted his usual focus on the problems of the family and society for pure entertainment. And you know what? He did it flawlessly.

Why is this film in French on Netflix? There has to be a good reason, but I have no idea why. Also, this film needs a decent DVD release. The Netflix one looks like a VHS transfer. I know it was released a few years ago, but how about a 30th anniversary edition in 2012 with some good features?

And lastly, how this scores a PG rating with three topless women is beyond me. But, well played, Wes.

Not a masterpiece by any means but still an entertaining film with a couple of postives. One, the appearence of Adrienne Barbeau who shows here why she was a mainstay in American horror films during the late 70s to early 80s. Two, the humorous but slightly dark appoarch of the material. Now for the negatives of the films. One, the acting goes from being very good to very bad in seconds. Two, the inconsistency of the film's sequences and story. Swamp Thing(1982) is what I consider a transitional film that bridges his early films of Last House on the Left(1972), and The Hills Have Eyes(1977) to his mid 1980s films like A Nightmare on Elm Street(1984). A very satifying performance is given by Last House on the Left(1972) actor, David Hess. Its too bad that Craven never worked with David Hess after this film because Hess added a true feeling of screen villainly in his performances for LHOTL & Swamp Thing(1982). Swamp Thing(1982) belongs in the category of cult classic status and as a middle of the road type of film for Wes Craven.