Ben Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Ben Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf June 11, 2017

1971’s “Willard” is a fairly gentle horror movie, only paying attention to genre demands on occasion, using its tale of killer rats and their human leader as a way to explore a damaged mind finally getting a taste of power. It was a curious revenge picture, but effective, preserving the inherent weirdness of the plot while staging a few murderous encounters between man and rodent. The feature was a hit, thrilling audiences looking for a squirmy good time, making the possibility of a sequel a no-brainer. However, 1972’s “Ben” doesn’t seem to understand what made “Willard” a smash, taking a far more sedate approach to detailing a pest infestation, almost transforming the concept of a homicidal rat into a family film, stripping away frights to make a modest tearjerker about a dying boy and his beloved pet.

After the death of Willard and the discovery of his diary, the locals grow uneasy when signs of a rat infestation begin to surface around town, hearing tales of a colony killing a trucker and making a mess of the local grocery store. Ben, the alpha rat, is looking for a place to hide, finding a warm reception with Danny (Lee Montgomery), a little boy with a heart condition who lives with his sister, Eve (Meredith Baxter), and concerned mother, Beth (Rosemary Murphy). Danny falls in love with Ben, sharing his life with the rat, who responds to the friendship, but also has unfinished business with the community, organizing a rat revolution in the sewers as local cops and exterminators fail to see the danger they’re in.

“Ben” is a low-budget sequel -- a quickie production looking to cash in on an unexpected phenomenon, leaving a rigorously considered screenplay a pipe dream. The effort is slapped together with little concern for nuance, focusing attention on another weird relationship between a sensitive human and a diabolical rat, only here we have Danny, a little boy facing a death sentence with a faulty heart, finally breaking his loneliness with Ben, who needs a pal of his own. “Ben” is filled with sincerity, watching Danny charm his top vermin with a marionette show and songs, and there are sleepovers. The town has lost control, hunting for the deadly rats that killed Willard, but Danny doesn’t share the fear, with the bulk of the picture devoted to his fondness for little hairy creatures.

Director Phil Karlson doesn’t offer much style, but he commits to the strange tone of “Ben,” trying to keep scenes between Danny and Ben as tender as possible, and there’s genuine pain from Beth, who fears she may not have enough time left with her dying son. Karlson also tries to give the audience what they want, orchestrating a few attack sequences with Ben and his scurrying army, who destroy the aforementioned grocery store, eventually making their way through town, including a health spa where hapless musclemen and clients panic, trying to escape the flow of rodents. Action soon moves into the sewers, where Ben is organizing something big, but Karlson doesn’t seem particularly comfortable with large-scale action, keeping horror to only a handful of scenes. “Ben” would rather play sweet with Danny and the rat than deal with pure mayhem.

Ben Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Unlike "Willard," which was gifted a restoration to help with HD exhibition, "Ben" is merely sourced from an archival print, with Shout unable to find better materials for the Blu-ray. Overall quality takes a bit of a dip compared with "Willard," but the AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation remains appealing, preserving a filmic viewing experience. Detail isn't strong, but it manages to locate human and rodent particulars, also doing well with costuming and set decoration, offering a chance to see the toys and posters in Danny's room. Colors are healthy, with bold primaries and natural skintones. Delineation has moments of solidification, and blacks can be milkier at times. Wear and tear is present but not distracting, offering speckling and mild scratches, and a few scenes look a tad blown out.

Ben Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix handles the essentials of "Ben" with only mild hiss, and the track requires a slight boost in volume to make it come to life. Dialogue exchanges are appealing, with adequate dramatic range, only hitting a few crispy highs during the listening experience. Scoring is comfortable, with agreeable instrumentation and position. Soundtrack selections are more pronounced. Sound effects are chaotic at times, but rat screeching remains under control.

Ben Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features actor Lee Montgomery.

• Interview (9:19, HD) with Montgomery discusses the actor's delight with his participation in "Ben," recounting the relative ease of the casting process and the kindness of his co-stars, with special attention paid to Baxter. Montgomery also shares his memories of the crew, who permitted the boy to observe their lunchtime poker games. Perhaps most interesting are recollections of the rat wranglers, who brought hundreds of rodents to the set, including five Bens. It's a brief chat, but interesting.

• Still Gallery collects 28 promotional and publicity images.

• Radio Spot (:29) and Two T.V. Spots (:43, HD) are offered.

• And Two Theatrical Trailers (3:31, HD) and Two "Willard/Ben" Double Feature Trailers (1:31, HD) are included.

Ben Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As a continuation to "Willard," "Ben" doesn't offer the same peaks of insanity, while characters aren't quite as colorful. The production is mindful of its sequel status (the opening five minutes simply recaps the ending of "Willard"), making sure to highlight its tinier star and his evil looks, but missing is Davison's enjoyably unsettled performance and an overall feeling of illness, both mental and physical. It's a bizarre sequel that largely avoids scares to play with sentimentality, somehow under the assumption that ticket-buyers genuinely cared for the rats the first time around, even capping the endeavor with a gooey Michael Jackson ballad. While nice and gentle, it tends to romanticize the titular creature, failing to recall the sizable body count he's amassed. "Ben" isn't nearly as compelling as his predecessor, but for those who found themselves rooting for the rodent the first time around, here's a film that understands your sympathy.