Swamp Thing (DUAL FORMAT Blu-ray + DVD)

I haven't read comics for a while, but when I did, there was basically two versions of the DC Comics character Swamp Thing...the original, created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, and then the follow up version created by Alan Moore. This film, titled Swamp Thing (1982), is based on the original (Moore's realization of the character came about around 1983). Written and directed by Wes Craven (The Hills Have Eyes, A Nightmare On Elm Street), the film stars Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog, Escape from New York, Creepshow) and her twins, along with Louis Jourdan, who many will probably recognize as the main bad guy from the 1983 James Bond feature Octopussy. Also appearing is Ray Wise (RoboCop, "Twin Peaks"), David `Krug' Hess (The Last House on the Left), Nicholas Worth (Darkman, Barb Wire), and Dick Durock (Any Which Way You Can, Raw Deal) as Swamp Thing, a role he'd reprise in the 1989 sequel, The Return of Swamp Thing.Barbeau plays Alice Cable, a gooberment agent recently assigned to a top-secret project headed up by scientific boy wonder Doctor Alec Holland (Wise), located in the middle of some swamp. Seems Holland is trying to combing the genetic material from both plants and animals in order to create a formula, one that would give plants the survival instincts of animals, the idea being to create hardy crops that could grow in unlikely places and provide food for those who need it...a noble aspiration, for sure...anyway, it turns out a pontificating criminal mastermind named Arcane (Jourdan) is also interested in Holland's formula for personal reasons, as he sees it as a key to immortality and great power. In an effort to obtain the formula, which looks likes the same, green, glowing juice used by Dr. West in the film Re-Animator (1985), Arcane hires a group of idiot mercenaries to raid the remote facility, kill everyone, and steal all of Holland's notes. In the process, Holland is doused in the juice, runs off into the swamp and is presumed dead, while Alice manages to escape the massacre. Arcane's men recover most of the research materials, but need the last notebook, one that Alice has run off with...realizing Alice is still alive, Arcane's men begin hunting her, but a protector shows up from out of the swamp in the form of the Jolly Green Giant (if you haven't guessed it, it's Alex reborn). There are a lot of swamp antics, but eventually Arcane and his men capture both the creature and Alice, recovering that which he needs to reproduce the magical juice he so desperately desires. After testing the formula out, there are some unexpected results, all of which leads up to a clash of the titans (of sorts) as Swamp Thing battles a menacing evil that threatens to destroy all...I feel I must warn anyone interested in seeing this film that there's only really about a half hour worth of story here, as the rest of the time is made up of Alice running around the swamp, continually getting caught by Arcane's men, only to be rescued by the Swamp Thing. I'm not sure which there were more shots of during the first hour of the feature, birds flying away, or Swamp Thing throwing mercenaries into the water...Bruno (Worth), the overweight lackey, must have gotten tossed in at least six times. About an hour in the story kicks in again, once Arcane gets his hands on the formula, along with Swamp Thing and Alice (I'd like to get my hands on her, too), and begins testing it on various individuals. I originally saw this back when I was a kid, and, at the time, I thought it was pretty entertaining, but it doesn't seem to have held up as well as the first time I saw the film. I still enjoyed it, but I wished Craven had incorporated more of an actual story rather than spending so much time padding the running time out with extraneous chase sequences in the swamp. I will say this, he did seem to have a certain amount of respect for the source material, despite various differences from the characters in the movie to those in the comic book (he even include some goofy comic book transitions between scenes). Barbeau and her cleavage were certainly captivating, but I was annoyed that with as much time as she spent flopping around in the cold, cold water, there weren't more visible wet t-shirt nubby protuberance shots...oh yeah, and her acting wasn't bad, either. I thought Jourdan was a good choice for Arcane, as he exuded a certain amount of evil charm one would expect from an egomaniac bent on world domination. His plans for the formula seemed to be all over the place, ranging from controlling the world's food supply to making himself immortal, so maybe a project plan of sorts would have been in order, especially given the lengths he went to in obtaining said formula. I was a little surprised given his obvious means that he chose to surround himself with a relatively inept bunch of camouflaged yahoos, but, like they say, good help is hard to find (the leader of this group of grabastic, quasi military types was known as Ferret, a sadistic little monkey with a bad perm). Perhaps the most memorable sequence in the film features Arcane testing out the formula on an unwitting subject (one of his more moronic mercs), creating some bizarre and unexpected results (along with a fit of uncontrollable drooling). He essentially turned a overweight doofus into a balding, miniature pig man (smooth move, Ex-Lax)...surprisingly, the man's clothes changed too (that's some formula), which was probably for the best as we didn't have to watch a nekkid, balding, miniature pig man running around on screen. The Swamp Thing costume looked decent from a distance, but close up shots revealed wrinkles and creases in the rubber suit (at one point, I could have sworn he had the dreaded camel toe). As for Ms. Barbeau's swamp bathing topless sequence, it is not included on this 2005 DVD release, as some have mentioned. It was, however, included on the initial DVD release, back in 2000, as a deleted sequence, I think, although some reviews seem to indicate the scene was actually included in the movie (what's in this latter release is a quick, almost artsy (notice the placement of the flower), side shot of Barbeau and one of her wonder twins)...regardless, if you want that earlier release, you'll probably have to shell out some bucks, or else just Google the scene on the internet for some screen shots (they're out there, I checked). All in all this is a fun, silly feature that should entertain if your expectations aren't too high, and worthy of 3 and a half stars.The picture, presented in both anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and fullscreen (1.33:1) aspect ratios, looks clean and sharp, while the Dolby Digital mono audio comes across a little soft. As far as extras, there are English, Spanish, and French subtitles and an original theatrical trailer. This film was followed up by a fairly lame sequel titled The Return of the Swamp Thing (1989), which featured Heather Locklear, which is also available on DVD.Cookieman108

I remembered years (and years) ago thinking SWAMP THING was a modestly good D.C Comic-turned-movie; kind of a mild, good for the 'older kids' horror movie with secret formulas and an evil scientist villain etc.; and, of course, there was always that Adrienne Barbeau factor who not only donned fine cleavage (see Escape From New York) but was in the process of appearing in a string of entertaining 80's B-movies from "The Swamp" to The Fog; and "Escaping New York" with her John Carpenter connection -- on screen and off (they were briefly married).But, Wes Craven's SWAMP THING is actually a well (almost can't believe I am writing this) crafted, well shot, well lit, well colored, comic book movie with a very original swamp location (South Carolina NOT Florida or Louisiana) that is atmospheric, and just campy enough to remind you (very important actually to watch Swamp Thing with this mindset) that the pull-over, jump suit, coveralls (whatever they used) costumes really don't have to look great. The important thing is our Swamp Thing hero is pure vegetation and pure of heart; created (mistakenly) in the powerful image of scientist who is trying to find a way to rid humanity of starvation "I'm close to developing a plant for the 21st century...a simple vegetable cell with an unmistakable animal nucleus..." It's hard not to appreciate this doctor's intentions.But...kaboom...!"You reinvented nitro, doc." Uh-Oh.And speaking of the doctor Ray Wise plays the part of the well intended scientist (Alec Holland) whose fate - as well as his partner (also Holland) - is violent and sudden. Let me add here there is a 2 page booklet of tidbits about the making of the movie that reveals (no DVD extras except movie trailer) the "fireball" stunt almost went terribly wrong; and you can easily see just where the extra 'explosion' of fire occurs - it's kind of the famous scene, for a movie that is not really that famed. But, Ray Wise is rarely given credit for his portrayal of likeable scientist who sees the "beauty in the swamp", for sure (kind of how WE see it).Anyways, I also had to see the original "uncut" version with the BEA-utiful nude bathing scene with the quite womanly (indeed) Adrienne Barbeau who is believable as you can expect playing a Government Agent (of a D.C comic, written here by Craven) sent to help the scientist in the very secluded lab located in the dangerous swamps. An alligator got one agent before (Alice Cable) Barbeau arrives. Alice gets to kick a little butt before she goes.Not quite Ripley (Alien 1979) but she is no slouch.And there is another nude (dancing) scene, with sluttiness pervading (right after 'nice' soothing bathing scene) that demonstrates (If Louis Jourdan is not obviously bad enough already) the suave, evil villain also throws a rather sleazy, gratuitous sex party to boot. This occurs right before (the not so bad/bad guy) Bruno is slipped the secret formula "mickey" and we get see what somebody ELSE changes into leading us to the ugly, bad costume monstrosity the villain becomes.Meanwhile, Swamp Thing remains pure with some wonderful restoration powers (after all he's a plant -- a darn good re-growing limb sequence with Adrienne inspiring him as she is "tied" to ... of course she's inspiring... in her white, evening dinner gown...in the dark, dank, damp dungeon...)I really liked this movie.The subtle campy acting parts come from Dr. Arcane (Jourdan, of course, great as villain) and his henchman-soldiers Ferret (nice obvious, over-the-top name) and Bruno (kind of a 'simpleton' soldier) who begin to realize they are in trouble by the incredible presence of Our Hero the Plant Man "Yes, I see him ... EVERYWHERE...".But, I spent 30 bucks (maybe ten too much) on the xtra nude footage; and a semi successful, comic book-science gone wrong, cautionary tale that deserves to be called a small Wes Craven gem.I also spent 10 bucks on the 1989 sequel Return of Swamp Thing. Uh, I spent 10 bucks too much on that one too.So checkout Adrienne, Dick Durock, Ray Wise, Louis Jourdan, and the local kid (Jude, played by Reggie Batts) who befriends the Government Agent. Jude's low key demeanor gives the movie some subtle humor while not getting too cute. This ain't Disney after all.The cinematography was done by someone named Robin Goodwin.And did anyone notice this movie shared the same creepy, something is lurking and chasing someone in the swamp-woods as Friday the 13th?! Music by Harry Manfredini.I definitely like SWAMP THING much better than Friday 13th movies ... even if they, apparently, did steal their scary music score.

I appreciate some of the negative comments about the film, but to the BLURAY first. It looks excellent 16.9 ratio, showing the colours of the swamp to perfection, crystal clear picture, good sound and Optional English subtitles. Yes it isn't perfect, but in 1980 it really wasn't/isn't bad, with one or two obvious faults. On the pro side, you have a very surprisingly kickass heroine in Ms Barbeau, who goes skinny dipping in the swamp (in the swamp!!!??) to show that her figure is real. A lot of violence for the period especially by David Hess and his cohorts. A good performence (if brief from Ray Wise) and ditto from Louis Jourdan (very camp). I don't know who played the boy who helps Adrienne, but he almost steals the show. Director Craven packs plenty of punch and atmosphere, and I thought "Swampy" was pretty good. The anti is the climax which almost spoils the rest (to say more is a bit of a spoiler but one of the monsters does no justice to anyone.) Suitable these days for all the family tho perhaps better to watch the DVD which I believe does NOT have the Bare breast swimming or the following party scene with a dancer in a thong and topless hostesses. Plenty of extras if they interest you. I think it's a bargain but I understand why some might feel otherwise.!!

This is a review of the 1982 release of Swamp Thing and I have do ask how does anyone find this sharp in blu-ray - my copy certainly isn't. It's a very poor transfer indeed and I have sharper DVDs. Sometimes there is a mark on the screen that moves around with the camera angles. Sometimes it looks like someone re-filmed the film through a glass screen. Any scene with low light levels including the mansion scenes are particularly poor. Adrienne Barbeau was apparently 37 years old when she made this film and to be honest I thought she was older by at least ten years (for anyone interested this is what IMDB calls the In the European/International Cut). The bad guys mostly wore camouflage clothing but of varying types - some looked like cheap action men and some the real deal. The story itself isn't bad but it looks low budget - US$2.5M. I'm sorry to give such a downbeat review but I have to be honest. Almost forget this is the dual edition so you get the DVD as well but given the quality of the blu-ray is so poor I didn't even bother with it. Very disappointing.

Not great in my opinion. The most shocking part of the whole affair is that Swamp Thing was made by Wes Craven, the creative force behind Last house on the Left, Hills Have Eyes, Nightmare on Elm St and Scream! Just in terms of quality, how did this slip through the net?To be honest, the first third is pretty good as the plot, characters and twists begin to kick in. However, once the actual creature makes an appearance it becomes a rather silly all too comic-bookish affair.Another big problem is the Swamp Thing's actual make-up....it's truly appalling. OK we're in a different era from today's take on these things, but this man-in-a suit monster is just too laughable and unconvincing.The look of the production is certainly a triumph, with page 'swipes' between scenes, false over-saturated colours especially the green foliage and deep, rich tones. Any comics fan has seen those tree-lined swamps feature on many a DC/Marvel page.The acting is fine, especially from Louis Jourdan who hits just the right note as the cool, sophisticated villain Arcane.Unfortunately, when he transforms in the latter stages ready to do battle with our green hero, once again the result is another laugh out loud moment.On the plus side we do have Adrienne Barbeau in the female lead. She's always on form and here we also get a moment of topless bathing! So something for everyone.As comic adaptations go, this is way down the list, but keep in mind the time it was made, 1981 and there's certainly some fun to be had.The Blu-ray package from 88 Films is tremendous. Gorgeous design/Artwork inside and out, a mini poster reproduction, a booklet about the movie, slipcase and the whole thing again on DVD.

*contains spoilersArriving at a government facility, located within a derelict church, deep in the bayou, Alice Cable [Adrienne Barbeau] replaces another official [Swamp Thing, Dick Durock without the make-up] glad to be on the chopper out. Simultaneously, Ferret [David Hess], his idiot subordinate Bruno [Nicholas Worth] and the rest of his heavily armed, camouflaged men are moving in on the compound on the orders of the mysterious Anton Arcane [Louis Jordan]. The chief scientist, Alec [Ray Wise] and his sister Linda [Nanette Brown] are experimenting on some plants or something. Don't ask me to explain. Stealthily, Ferret's men take the facility, killing the guards and storming the laboratory. Ferret and Arcane want Alec's research. Arcane reveals himself to be Alec's boss in disguise, tearing off a rubber 'Mission Impossible-style' face mask. In the struggle that follows, Linda is killed and Alec is covered in luminous green goo and bursts into flames, running out of the lab and diving into the swamp. Keen to cover it up, Arcane orders everything destroyed and the bodies disposed of. Meanwhile, Alice has survived the death and destruction but is swiftly captured by Ferret. Escaping into the swamp, she is aided by a young boy Jude [Reggie Batts] and an impossibly strong, six and a half feet tall swamp 'man' [Durock] who appears to have good intentions after some initial fright and distrust. There follows a game of cat and mouse as Alice is repeatedly captured and repeatedly escapes from Arcane's incompetent goons. It turns out, to the surprise of nobody, that the green, swamp monster is the unfortunate Alec, a fusion of man and plant. Eventually, both Alice and Swamp Thing/Alec are captured and taken to Arcane's antebellum-style, palatial, plantation-mansion. Luckily, for them, Swampy is mostly plant, so he grows an arm back reaching for the sunlight, releases Alice and escapes back into the swamp. Taking some of Alec's formula, Arcane turns into a monster of his own, a hairy dog/wolf creature. There's only one thing left and that's for Swamp Thing and Doggy Thing to battle it out.Based on a DC Comic's character, Swamp Thing was directed by horror maestro Wes Craven, between Deadly Blessing [1981] and his return to form in a Nightmare on Elm Street [1984]. At this point in his career, Craven was keen to break out of genre movies, after horror classics, Last House On The left [1972] and The Hills Have Eyes [1977]. The director saw it as a 'classic beauty and the beast story'. According to Craven, the third act was 'cut savagely' which would probably explain the unsatisfactory ending. Craven says, with great honesty, 'it [Swamp Thing] almost sank my career.' It was filmed in South Carolina during 1981 and released in 1982 to contrasting reviews. It's that kinda film - you'll either love it or hate it. Kim Newman points out that it never got a theatrical release in the UK and was released straight to video.I have to say it's impressive, incredible, magical, beautiful, magnificent, titillating, stunning, fantastic, stupendous ... no, not the film, that's merely average but Barbeau's rack. It bounces all over the place leaving the viewer either spellbound, hypnotised or drooling. It's hard to take much notice of what's going on when they're flapping all over the place. Talking of Barbeau's uncovered beauties, this is the International cut, for non-American perverts.Newman says, 'it's sort of a children's film' - the TV series was certainly pitched to a children's audience - except it isn't really as there's some nudity and swearing. A more accurate demographic would be teenage boys with hairy palms. In this non-American cut, it's certainly not a kid's film - the US version excised most of the nudity for a PG rating. I can't see monster movie fans thinking much of it because as Craven says, 'the special effects are lacking' although there are nods to the comic book fans with the transitions. That might explain why it was a bit of a flop - a limited budget and a film that didn't know what viewers it was aiming for. The film-makers should have gone for an 18 and filled it full of silly dialogue and comedy gore like Troma's, The Toxic Avenger or Schwarzenegger's The Running Man. A nod and a wink to the audience would've worked better. The main leads - Barbeau, Jourdan, Hess & Wise are all OK - but no matter how good they are, the Swamp Thing is still just a guy in an ill-fitting and creased, green suit [which was falling apart almost from its first dip in the water]. The less said about the Arcane transformation or the Bruno transformation, the better. By that point, I had realised the whole thing was intended to be tongue in cheek. Up until then, it had seemed quite serious [if you swallowed the daft plot]. The colour on this Blu-ray is great, if you like various shades of green. The image is pretty good for a low budget picture. There are a few specks here and there but that's about it. Dialogue is audible enough while the explosions and roars are eardrum-shattering. Extras on this 88 Films release include the customary informative analysis with the likeable Newman, a terrifically fun commentary from Craven [moderated by Sean Clark] and an interview with set designer Rob Wilson King. English subtitles.Film: 6/10Barbeau's boobies: 10/10

Too much filtering and edge-enhancement going on. All in all a bit coarse resolution. Typical MGM. They can't do it without filtering, what is most annoying.This transfer is okay tho (colors / rest-grain structure) but it lacks a 100% filmic appeal and can look quite too digital at certain points. Good for smaller TV, but people with big projectors...think twice.The transfer is simply not up to date any more.