fred-83

I'm in the process of re-watching some of the old horror movies I saw as a kid. I remember the boxes with the often lurid cover art standing by the VHS player, and I couldn't wait for the evening to come, so I could watch them. OK, despite the negative reviews this one has gotten, the first 3/4 works surprisingly well. It could have worked as a more low-key character drama with some environment, Indian myths superstition-elements. What drags the movie down is the mutant bear. Though probably OK by the standards then, it looks risible now. The last 1/4 collapses totally, and seems to have been quickly thrown together without any enthusiasm. The ending is very abrupt and leaves many question marks. It is as though Frankenheimer abandoned the movie altogether. What works is Leonard Rosenmanns score, the locations, photography and the overall fine acting. A pretty entertaining Sunday afternoon movie if you don't have too high demands.

I remember this one wholesale and quite fondly. Re-watching it now, I still think the environments and technologies are lacking, as I did the first time I saw it. Verhoeven is more concerned with carnage and action than setting up a believable futuristic environment. Most of the sets seem to just what they are: movie sets. Especially when the story switches to Mars the milieu never becomes credible. Aside from that, the action is generally impeccable, the Goldsmith score suitably majestic and bombastic. I love Michael Ironside but sadly he haven't got much to do here, besides sneering and looking tough. The most effective moments though are the Philip K. Dick moments, when the reality of what is going on is questioned. It gives the movie a certain intriguing tension that ordinary action flick lack, and lifts it up slightly above a ordinary popcorn movie. I would really like to read the discarded Cronenberg script, he worked for a year on the adaptation before stepping down. I guess the producers were trying to emphasize the action elements too much for his taste. If my memory implants are correct I also recall how awkward and uncomfortable Arnold seemed, especially in the opening scenes, and drawing huge laughs from the audience.