WILLARD (2003)
Directed by Glen Morgan
Starring Crispin Glover and Laura Elena Harring
After a two-decades long break from horror following his screen debut in "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter," Crispin Glover returned to the genre in which he truly belongs, with the 2003 remake of "Willard." It came out in a year when a number of horror remakes were in the offing, most notably "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Dawn of the Dead." While fans groaned when they heard about those remakes, many cheered upon hearing that Crispin Glover would be taking on the role of Willard, the rat lover who became a minor seventies horror icon.
For the most part, the 2003 film stays true to the original story, although it strays in a couple of key points. In the '71 telling, Willard befriends a single rat - Ben. In this film, the target of his friendship is a white rat, Socrates. Ben is a huge, fat rat that Willard has mixed feelings about, but eventually exploits in his mission of vengeance against his evil, domineering boss (played by "Full Metal Jacket" drill sergeant R. Lee Ermey). Laura Elena Harring (of "Mulholland Drive" fame) takes over the role of the friendly company temp, played originally by Sondra Locke.
Given that this came out in the go-go 2000s, one would have expected a much higher body count. But, like the original, "Willard" isn't full of rat killings. What it has going for it is an amazingly heartfelt performance by Glover, and the presence of the fattest, largest rat ever filmed. Ben is gigantic and certainly looks real (must have been real). CGI effects also enables the filmmakers to show more rats than ever thought possible before.
Director Morgan had never helmed a movie before. He helped write "Final Destination," along with a slew of "X-Files" episodes. His work here is exemplary. Willard's mother comes across as suitably grotesque. The rats look, for the most part, real. The best scene in the movie was arguably all filmmaking: When an adopted cat shows up in Willard's home and does its level best to survive an onslaught of unfriendly rats, as the song "Ben" (by Michael Jackson) plays on the TV in the background.
The "Willard" remake isn't a classic. Remakes rarely are. But it is an
outstanding horror film, and at the time of its release stacked up as one of the
very best of 2003.