An Exercise In Nonsense

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

This film needs no introduction to fans of classic horror/sci-fi, but known best of all for it's star, Steve McQueen. Sadly he was 28 when he made this, possibly one of the most unconvincing "teens" ever on screen. Also the Blob itself is pretty cheap looking. However these are just minor quibbles. Filmed in glorious colour this is a fun movie, but also does pack in some suspense, plus a few nods to the genre. Drive in and enjoy!

The Blob, director Irvin S. Yeaworth's second film, is such a classic in its own right that it's amazing that EVERYONE didn't see it in theaters for its 1958 release (on a double bill alongside I Married a Monster from Outer Space). It was both of the leads' feature film debuts — Aneta Corsaut (who plays Jane) would go on to have a role in The Andy Griffith Show, and Steve McQueen (billed as Steven McQueen in the opening credits, who plays Steve) would become "The King of Cool", starring in many films from Bullitt to Papillon and would be the highest paid movie actor in the world in 1974.It takes place in a small town in Pennsylvania in 1957, with the film opening with a teenage couple — Jane and Steve — enjoying a date at a lovers' lane when they see a meteorite crash to earth nearby. In their effort to find it, they come across an old man (Olin Howland) who found the crash site first and now has the contents of the meteorite — a small ball of an unidentified gooey substance — engulfing his hand. They bring him to the nearby doctor's office, not knowing yet how much the whole town is in danger…** SPOILERS! **Ultimately, it's exactly the feel-good 1950s campy sci-fi movie you expect it to be. It never takes itself too seriously, and the monster — essentially a giant glob of semi- transparent Gak — is weird and mysterious enough to be interesting but never quite delivers on the scares. It's more a building sense of tension as the kids try to convince adults and police officers alike that they aren't playing an elaborate prank — there really IS an alien creature oozing its way through town and killing innocent people!The special effects, while cheesy at times, are overall quite good for the time period. I thought one of the first scenes — where the gelatinous mass quickly engulfs the old man's hand — was pretty great, as was the goo creeping its way under doors. There are moments where it's obvious that miniature sets were used, but I still appreciated the charm, like when the blob squeezes its way through the projector windows in the movie theater, presumably gobbling up some movie-goers and causing everyone to run screaming in terror (a great scene).The opening song, "The Blob" (written by Mack David and Burt Bacharach), is brilliant — I only wish the rest of the movie had followed in line with that level of tongue-in- cheek humor. It definitely did get a few laughs from me — the man pulling military jackets and hats out of his closet during the air raid sirens before exclaiming "this has never happened before — what do I wear!?" was great — but I wish it had poked fun at itself a bit more.The acting vacillates between stiff and humorously dramatic, in part, of course, because of the mediocre script. There are scenes that seem to go on forever with fairly needless dialogue — one of the early reviews of the film stated that it "talks itself to death" and I'd have to agree — and then moments where people are beside themselves with terror, like the nurse throwing acid on the blob and stating "nothing will stop it!". Steve McQueen still manages to be largely charming and likable (I particularly liked him trying to put one over on the police officer who questioned him about driving backwards), but Corsaut's role is pretty forgettable.The ending was also SO CLASSIC. Sure, we just loaded this frozen, killer jelly into an airplane and parachuted it down to the arctic. Why not? As long as it stays frozen, we'll be good! The end…!!?!Definitely not a favorite of mine, but its classic status can't be ignored, and I'd still recommend it as a must-watch for the genre, if for nothing else than watching Steve McQueen save the town from being eaten alive.

The Blob is seen by many as a fantastic, cheap, B-movie cult classic that's fun because it's campy. It features a young Steve McQueen in the leading role with an interesting blob of an alien attacking screaming and wailing extras throughout this poorly done mess. Campy can be fun and enjoyable for what it is. The Blob isn't. If you can enjoy props to you! I however, found this film not only bad but bad in a non-humorous way. The writing is terrible with every scene containing ridiculous and incoherent dialogue that feels unbelievable you thought a teenager wrote it. Disappointed to say the actors don't help save this cringeworthy dialogue. Instead, every line feels incredibly forced and unintelligent you're constantly being taken out of the movie to even enjoy the badness. The screenplay feels less of a coherent plot and more like a series of unrelated events with little flow from scene to scene. With inconsistent pacing, it's impossible to feel any real tension for characters who come across as textbook stereotypes of just about any group of person you can imagine. With everything just messy, the film's only saving grace is the concept of the blob itself. Yes it's not the best movie monster ever but the ideas behind what it is and where it comes from are enough to raise interest at the most. Some of the effects are actually executed in creative ways that made me say "Hmm. I kinda liked that."Unfortunately, the blob couldn't save The Blob. It's not a good horror movie or even a guilty pleasure. It's cheap, lazy, and honestly a little rough to watch from start to finish. This film might better suit a fun Halloween party as background noise where no one will absolutely watch it. Better to just skip this one.

This is no 6.4 that is just underrating it. It is the scariest movie made before 1988. The remake from 1988 is better. But still this is a great movie. It about space monster that comes it earth on a meteor. This is a very scary movie. It has a great story line. It also has great acting. And great special effects. This movie is a must see. It is a great movie. Steve McQeen was a great actor. See this movie. It is one of the best scenes fiction movie made before 1988. This is a great movie. Aneta Corsaut was great actresses. Earl Rowe was a great actor. This a very scary movie. Great move great movie great movie great movie great movie. See it. It is not a 6.4 it is a 10.