I just got back from Willard, and had a campy good time, just as expected.
The plot was a bit thin and predictable, but who really cares? It’s a modern B-movie, and it has Crispin Glover. And rats. I adore both rats and Crispin Glover (who is looking his creepiest, pallid-est and hottest by far), and since 95% of the movie’s screen time is filled by one or the other there was really no way I wouldn’t enjoy the movie.
I don’t understand the extensive marketing New Line is doing, though. Willard seems like it was made to have a somewhat limited release, be adored and hated, and drift off into cult obscurity, much like the original.
So yeah: Glover, rats, all good. If you are a fan of either, I say go out and have a ball and start thinking up sassy callbacks for midnight screenings 15 years down the line.
So, how does this affect rat PR? The wife and I want to see it, but all I can think is, “man, this’ll make people hate rats even more.” Still, I wanna see it.
I’d say if you hate rats before seeing the movie, you’ll just hate them more. If you loved rats, you will be rockin’ out in your seat every time Willard makes a sobby face or gets uber-emotional over his rats. If you are nonplussed by rats, you might actually start to understand crazy rat-people like me. Socrates is adorable!!, and the rats in general are painted in a “heroically sinister” light.
The only thing better than a movie about rats is a movie about rats staring Crispin Glover. Its funny how the only people that seemed to like Willard own rats. I counted 3 people out of the dozen or so at the the theater walk out before the movie was over, but my sister and I(with 4 rats between us) loved it. What he did after he visited his boss’s office that night did kind of ruin it a bit for me. Anyone see Glover’s music video for the movie? Wonderfully creepy.
I heard a coalition of rats were picketing outside the studios because they object to the negative stereotyping. They wrote a letter of protest but no one can read it (their handwriting is just too darned small.)