Ben

BEN opens with the ending of WILLARD, setting up this film's premise: Not satisfied with the death of his former human friend, Ben sends his sewer-full of villainous vermin out to cause havoc and death for mankind.

But wait!

A little boy named Danny (Lee Montgomery), who lives right around the corner from Willard's place, is lonely and needs a friend! He's also got a heart condition and plays the harmonica! So, Ben finds the time between marauding attacks, to be Danny's best buddy. Bully's beware! Picking on the Dan-ster will now get you a visit from the hairy horde of doom!

Meanwhile, police are flummoxed by a series of rat-involved crimes against humanity. This all leads to an apocalyptic showdown in the sewers beneath Los Angeles!

While not as intriguing as its predecessor, BEN is a lot of fun to watch! Especially, if you love rats in big numbers! While groan-inducing, the relationship between Ben and Danny is oddly mesmerizing, that is, if you enjoy puppet shows and listening to Danny wheeze.

Not a bad way to spend one's viewing time, as long as cuddly sewer rats don't offend...

OK I'm a sucker for a good b movie,and i loved this movie,better then the first one;Willard.well this time the fleeing rats led by Ben end up underneath the city storm drains.Ben then befriends a terminally sick boy played by Lee H Montgomery,who helps him.this time the rat army is much bigger.i wont reveal the ending but its a rather good one.the rest of the cast is very good,Meredith Baxter as the boys sister,Joe Campenella is the cop in charge,and Arthur O'Connell is the pushy newspaper reporter.Ben and his fellow rats should've received awards for their performance.and don't forget this features the late Micheal Jackson song called Ben.i call this a friendship between a boy and a rat.i recommend this movie to all fans of the horror genre.8 out of 10

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.

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.

Ben is, apparently, the sequel to Daniel Mann's Willard, from the previous year.

It picks up where the previous story left of.

With a young boy, named Daniel- stricken to his home from illness- having befriended Ben, the leader of the pack of rats- trained by Willard Stiles in the previous film.

The rats are running havoc through town- having already killed 3 people.

And the police and city workers are having no luck tracking the pests down...they are just too intelligent.

Seems they have taken to the sewers, to get around the city more efficiently.

So the authorities pull out all the stops...flamethrowers and all...to rid the city of this menace, once and for all.

Unless Daniel has any say in the matter, that is...

While among the better films that qualify for the animal attack canon. It's still only moderately entertaining. And is probably most notable for it's theme song. Sung by Daniel (J. Lee Montgomery) in the film. But recorded by Michael Jackson for the credits- and released on his album of the same name the same year- for which it received a Golden Globe and Academy Awards Nomination.

The acting from the kid was pretty good though...and it really makes you wonder where the hell they got all those rats from?! Cause there are loads!!! Worth a watch if you are into rats...or hate them and like to be scared...otherwise, it's passable.

5 out of 10.