Plot: What’s it about?
Willard Stiles (Crispin Glover) is a lonely, sad man who finds himself on the outside in almost all social situations. He is awkward, but tries his best to make friends and meet people, though his efforts often end in humiliation. His coworkers make fun of him to cruel degrees, even right to his face, which causes him to be even more introverted. His profession is working for a company his now dead father founded, but he is locked in a dead end position. No personal life to speak of, as he can’t make friends and romance is out of the picture as well. In short, Willard’s life is filled with darkness and depression, elements which don’t seem to be leaving soon. But even with all this sadness and madness, Willard does have one friend in the world. He keeps a pet rat named Ben, who he quite close with and while the creature is just a rodent, Willard feels a strong bond with Ben and as it turns out, the feeling is mutual. So much so that Ben rounds up a bunch of his rat friends, who form an army of sorts, created to do as Willard commands. Soon enough, those people who stand in his way find themselves attacked by the rats, which clears a path for Willard to climb the corporate ladder. But is this newfound bond and social windfall all that it seems, or has Willard overlooked some potential problems?
I am unsure why the folks at New Line thought a remake of Willard was needed, but I have to admit, the previews had me interested. I like the original movie a lot, but I had hopes for this remake, with Crispin Glover and R. Lee Ermey involved. The previews showed brief glimpses at a dark, stylish picture with an eerie atmosphere, so I looked forward to seeing this new version of Willard. As it turns out, this remake is dark and stylish, with eerie atmosphere, but it isn’t a remake in the usual sense, as it pays little tribute to the original picture. Instead, this Willard simply takes the premise and then goes off on its own, so don’t expect a faithful reproduction. I knew with Glover and Ermey on board, this movie would be at least decent and I was right in that assumption, as both men do what they do best here. But the filmmakers don’t give us much character development, which means we have great performances, but a storyline that worries too much about getting rodents on screen and sacrifices depth. I know, a lot of people just wanted cool rat scenes, but with a gifted cast and cool, eerie visuals, Willard could have been so much more. Instead, it comes off as a quirky B movie that will probably gain cult status over time. I liked Willard enough to see it again, but I think for most folks, this one is best suited as a rental. If you’ve seen the movie and loved it however, New Line’s disc is well worth a purchase.
This is a movie about a weird guy that has a special bond with rats, so who better to handle the lead than Crispin Glover? Even as I watched the brief previews, I knew Glover was the perfect casting choice and now that I have seen the film, I can’t see anyone else in the role. In fact, Glover is one of the few excellent things about Willard, even if the filmmakers didn’t take the time to expand his character’s development. We have a basic overview of Willard, but a brisk one at best and a lot of jumps are found in the character. I mean, a lot of changes and evolutions take place with the character that aren’t properly explained. That is a real issue and detracts from the film’s success as a whole, but Glover’s turn is no worse off. I do think he could have done more with a better spin from the filmmakers, but even as it stands, his work is terrific. As usual, he comes off as distant and as weird as possible, which is ideal for this role. Other films with Glover include Back to the Future, River’s Edge, The People Vs. Larry Flynt, The Doors, and Charlie’s Angels. The cast also includes R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket, Saving Silverman), Laura Harring (Mullholland Drive, Derailed), and Ashlyn Gere (Evil Laugh, Cock Smokers 12).
Video: How does it look?
Willard is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, with a full frame version included on the disc’s flip side. This is a dark, dark movie and so I was a little concerned about the transfer. But this is a New Line release, so the visual treatment is top notch and the film’s excellent visuals come across in grand style. The main element here is contrast, given the film’s dark texture and lessened emphasis on vivid colors. The black levels are spot on throughout Willard, with smooth and refined blacks at all times. I was stunned at times by how rich and crisp the shadows looked, as detail remains high even the darkest of sequences. I saw no edge enhancement or other such woes either, while colors reflect the film’s subdued visual approach. Yet another terrific visual effort from New Line, so fans of the rats should be most pleased.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included Dolby Digital 5.1 option isn’t a powerful soundtrack, but it makes the most of the film’s audio potential. So no, you won’t be rocked like you would in an action picture, but you will get an excellent presentation. Willard relies on eerie atmosphere and chilling visuals, so the audio is able to enhance that creepiness throughout. The more tense scenes have the best audio moments, as the surrounds come to life to immerse the audience. I loved the creative surround used at times when the rats are on the move, but this track has plenty of great surround presence. The bass is deep and frequent also, so while not overly powerful, this soundtrack has kick when it needs to. I found the music to be well handled also, while the dialogue comes through as clean and crisp also. This disc also includes a 2.0 surround option, as well as subtitles in English and Spanish, just in case you might need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This is a Platinum Series release and as such, it comes loaded to the hilt with insightful supplements. We’ll start off with an audio commentary track, which features director Glen Morgan, producer James Wong, and stars Crispin Glover & R. Lee Ermey. With four people involved, the session proves to be talkative and informative, with tons of insight from Morgan on the production’s trials & tribulations. I was pleased to hear so much from Glover also, though Ermey and Wong don’t get as much time I would have liked. Rat People: Friends or Foes is a twenty minute featurette in which people profess either their love or hate for the rodents, but don’t expect much in the way of production insight. But the next feature more than compensates, as The Year of the Rat runs well over an hour and is packed with excellent behind the scenes content. This is not the usual promotional fluff, instead we have a genuine documentary on the production, one that could easily stand on its own merits. We follow the entire production, see all the effort and emotion put into Willard, only to have it fail to spark with audiences. This is an excellent piece and without a doubt, one of the best documentaries in recent years. A selection of deleted & alternate scenes are also available, including alternate end sequences and Morgan & Wong return to provide optional audio comments on all the excised scenes. This disc also includes an unbelievable Crispin Glover music video for Ben (w/ optional audio comments by Glover), a collection of three television spots, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
