The Blob (1988)
One of only a handful of remakes that gets it right (The Thing '82, Invasion of the Bodysnatchers '78 and The Fly '86 being the standard bearers for remakes done right). This reimagining (are you as sick of that term as I am?) of the 1958 classic is gory, smart, and scary.
The main difference (other than the horrifically goopy updated special effects, some of which are fairly lousy in their own right but most of which are still satisfyingly squishy) is that (spoiler, by the way) the blob is no longer a menace from outer space but a biochemically engineered weapon of mass blobbage. Making it a government experiment was a masterstroke, giving it a plausibility the 50's blob never had.
Another thing this Blob has going for it is a few genuine surprises regarding who survives and who ends up becoming a helping of Purina Blob Chow. There are real shocks scattered around the movie, upping the intensity factor and adding to the fun.
Kevin Dillon and Shawnee Smith are very appealing leads, and the movie is stuffed with top-notch character actors like Jeffrey DeMunn, Art LaFleur, Paul McCrane, and Jack Nance. Improv comedy legend Del Close appears as well, making him the only person I know of to be in two Blob movies since he also has a brief role in the atrocious sequel to the original, Beware! The Blob!
This movie is flat-out great. It's still scary, it's lots of fun, and I hope Scream Factory gets a hold of it and gives it the special edition blu-ray it richly deserves. The current DVD has no special features other than a creepy, graphic trailer that gives away quite a few deaths. I'd love to hear a commentary from Frank Darabont and/or Chuck Russell and see some footage of Tony Gardner's effects team at work. Oh, well. Even with a bare-bones disc, it's still a big pile of slimy, gooey fun.
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