Ben, o Rato Assassino

BEN, unlike WILLARD, is actually not as scary. The horror of rodents swarming all over a health spa and the cereal aisle of a supermarket(an early example of product placement for Kelloggs?) is eclipsed by the, ah, poignant story of a boy and his rat. No really. The real story is the friendship between the homicidal Ben and this boy, prohibited from the normal activities of boys his age by a weak heart. Also on hand are Meredith Baxter as the older sister and a subplot concerning two detectives. Shesh, why reduce the movie to an extended episode of POLICE STORY? And of course, that theme song . . . who better than Michael Jackson to sing about that special love between a boy and his rat? And, as one reviewer pointed out, the film is a cornucopia of 70s kitsch, certainly a pleasant secondary benefit of viewing this film.

This movie was awesome! Really! The main kid (Lee Montgomery) makes the whole "best friends with a rat" story seem believable! And, he does a puppet show! He spins around while playing the harmonica! Cool haircut, too. He's radical!

Worth watching just to see him write the song to Ben at the piano while Elise Keaton looks on.

Rent it!

Ben (1972)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

As the tagline promised, "Where WILLARD ended... BEN begins." This sequel to the 1971 film takes place moments after the original film ended as the police arrive at the home of Willard and realize the damage done by the rats. Before long the rats, being led by Ben, befriend a young boy (Lee Montgomery) but at the same time they're terrorizing the city as the police try to figure out what to do.

BEN is the perfect example of a film making money and a sequel being rushed into production to try and make some more money. Whereas WILLARD was a rather interesting character study, BEN falls into a rather cheap, money-maker that has very little story, although if you're a fan of rats then there are plenty of them here as well as a lot more attacks.

For me personally, BEN was a major disappointment but I guess you had to go into the film somewhat expecting that. After all, WILLARD featured some great performances, an interesting story and it worked on most levels. Sadly what made that film work is pretty much missing here as we're given a rather generic story and it's one that you the viewer really can't connect with. I'm not even sure kids could connect with the young child here or any of his family members.

Director Phil Karlson at least keeps the film moving at a good pace and for the most part the performances are good. There are several more rat attacks here and for the most part they are mildly entertaining but there's no question that the climax lacks any real suspense and it drags on for way too long. By the time the end credits start we finally get to hear Michael Jackson singing his love song.

I am a big fan of 70s B-movies, especially those of the horror genre. Anyone interested in the early 70s will find this movie a real treat! While not that scary, it does have a number of interesting features, most notably the title song sung by a very young Michael Jackson. The storyline is quite good, not at all boring, and fans of Meredith Baxter Birney (Family Ties) will enjoy seeing her playing the sister of David. As always, I love seeing the funky clothing and interior design of 70s movies, and Ben features lots of great shots of rooms and furniture, fashions, toys, and automobiles of that era. One of the best "retro" parts is the supermarket, where very clear shots of early 70s boxes of Kellogg's cereals are plainly seen. If you want to be scared, rent something else. But if you want to see a groovy 70s movie, this is a pretty good pick.

Michael Jackson's title theme is a moving ode and that it applies to a deadly pet rat makes for an odd, if memorable association in this sequel to the hugely successful "Willard" the year before. Youth Lee H.Montgomery is the new "Willard", essentially imprisoned in his parent's home by a rare medical condition, finding a quirky friendship in a stray rat (Ben) who is capable of marshaling the local rat population into war against mankind.

Joseph Campanella is the no-nonsense police detective, while Meredith Baxter (pre David Birney) plays Lee's older sister. There are a number of familiar faces in the supporting cast (e.g. Paul Carr, Kaz Garas, Ken Tobey etc) and the film's rousing conclusion in the city's sewers with the main antagonist cornered, is a tense climax.

The hyperbole written about this film relegating it to turkey status is unwarranted; while not as textured as its predecessor, it's much like the AIP genre films of the early-to-mid seventies in atmosphere and personnel and should entertain accordingly.