6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The young, disturbed Willard Stiles befriends a pair of rats and trains them to brutally attack human beings. When his boss steps over the line, Willard sicks his deadly horde of flesh-eating rats on him. However, Willard's greatest allies become his worst enemies.
Starring: Bruce Davison, Sondra Locke, Elsa Lanchester, Ernest Borgnine, Michael DanteHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Take a look at the marketing for 1971’s “Willard,” and one could come away with the impression that the releasing company was offering a snuff film for sale, reserved only for the most practiced moviegoer. Watch “Willard,” and it’s a relatively cheery PG-rated chiller about a man and his relationship with a colony of rats. So much for the “This is one movie you should not see alone” tagline. I can’t image what director Daniel Mann had to do to maintain order on his set, but his efforts result in an entertaining horror picture, but one that plays rather peacefully between acts of rat-based savagery, leaning on star Bruce Davison to conjure some unnerving behavior and cuddle time with his tiny co-stars to help the feature sustain what little unease it provides.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation brings "Willard" to the HD realm with ideal clarity, offering fans a chance to revisit the effort with a bright viewing experience that does justice to the original cinematography. Detail is excellent throughout, with human stars and the rat menace captured with texture and depth, and set decoration is also open for inspection. Distances are preserved throughout. Colors are boosted by period costuming, with primaries inviting and stable, and greenery is precise. Skintones are spot-on. Delineation is communicative, handling evening encounters with care. Grain is managed tastefully. Source is in terrific condition, with only periodic blips of wear and tear.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is generally led by Alex North's enormous score, which offers commanding presence and defined instrumentation, but also balances well with dramatic needs, supporting when necessary. Dialogue exchanges are clear, without distortive extremes, handling surges of panic well. Sound effects come through as intended, with rat screeching and movement adding to the listening event. There is a very mild hum that carries through most scenes, but one has to be paying attention to it to be distracted by it.
"Willard" brings out more defined nightmare material in its second half, and anyone with a rodent phobia is sure to climb the walls during attack sequences, which are crudely rendered but effective in the heebie-jeebies department. The last act does the most with Ben and his easily triggered angry side, with Mann successfully selling the concept of animal acting, though I don't want to know how one gets a rat to scowl. Let's hope this isn't another "Milo and Otis" situation. Perhaps "Willard" doesn't go for the throat, oddly holding back when it comes time to really organize some gruesome incidents. It's more interested in becoming a character piece, studying Willard and his wrongheaded efforts to reclaim himself, trying to shed decades of shame and fragility to become a man of action. The exploitation elements of the feature manage to surface from time to time (inspiring "Ben," a quickie sequel), but the production doesn't feel up to meeting expectations for rat recklessness, doing something different with familiar working parts, coming up with an interesting take on identity and revenge.
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