Rating: 
Summary: Very Good Film!
Review: I think this movie is very entertaining with great special effaces. I had a lot of fun watching this film Crispin Glover was brilliant. It's to bad the movie didn't do to good in the theaters. It's a great movie to own on DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie. Let the word out!
Review: Willard is a highly underrated film. Millions of people will go see the queen of garbage teen movies, yet I hear nothing about this movie that has all the classic ingredients of a horror movie. Of course there are some flaws, but nothing compared to recent horror movies I have seen lately. Crispin Glovers work however, was flawless.
The thing that really caught my attention was the filming. The shots in the house are amazing. The camera work in general was amazing. The movie is also done in a very tasteful manner. Not much gore, and the one scene with the internet 'porn' surprised me with it's tastefulness on just getting the gist of the idea by showing women in swimsuits instead of full nudity. (I don't know if it was changed from the theater version or not, either way, I found it very classy.)All around, it's a very good movie!
Rating: 
Summary: There are rats in the cellar!
Review: I hear this movie didn't even make it 2 weeks in the theaters before it was yanked. The reason was the lack of interest, nobody went to see it. I guess the mainstream movie audience would rather see perky 'Legally Blonde' sequels or 'Matrix' rehashes.
This movie wasn't given a chance. I never even heard about it until I saw it in the video store. I rented it. I loved it. I bought it. I like the dark themes and gothic settings. This film reminds me of ERASERHEAD in a gloomy comparison. Overacted in some scenes, but that is what gives it a campy feel.
The best scene is when the cat is released in the house and tries to escape the rats. Talk about a morbid outcome.
Watch it and be a little disturbed!
Rating: 
Summary: NOT SCARY IN THE LEAST!
Review: Crispin undoubtedly makes the best of his role. Hence the 2 stars. BUT this movie is about as erie as a creeky floor bored during the day! It moves very slow and lacks alot in the way of unexpected scares. I simply do not understand why this DVD is more expensive than other new releases out there, especially since it didnt really have any exciting extra features. I for one wish I would have rented it instead of buying it.
Rating:
Summary: A fun movie for the whole family...almost
Review: My wife and I watched this movie a few days ago, hoping it might end up being suitable viewing for our 11 year old daughter who loves creepy movies. Except for one scene where the villian is surfing the web looking at porn sites and one "f" word...the movie meets the standard. But not close enough. Anyway, you probably don't care about that. WILLARD is really good, clean fun. The story is not exactly the most action-packed, plot-heavy you'll find. In many ways, we've got a 45 minute movie stretch to twice that length...but that's actually OK. We get to really know the character of Willard (brilliantly played by Crispin Glover) quite well, and grow gradually in our sympathy for him. And we get to know the character of the two lead rats! Yep, that's right, rats. If you don't know, Willard is a SUPER-shy, socially backward nerd who lives with his mom, and works in his dad's company for a horrible, mean, nasty, insulting boss. When Willard's bedridden, crazy mom tells him there are rats in the basement, Willard sets out to kill them and ends up befriending them, particularly one lovely white rat he names Socrates, who becomes Willard's "only friend." Willard and Socrates begin to organize the rats, and not only do we see Willard's gentle side coming out, we begin to see his dark, vengeful side. But it's Ben, the big, ugly, mean, gray rat who begins to run the rat-colony more on his own terms, and is a direct competitor with Socrates. The politics of the rats, Willard's relationship with the rats and his slow emerging from his shell make up the majority of the movie. Yes, eventually we get to see the rats wrecking a little havoc, but honestly, this is a pretty tame movie. Only two people die (and one VERY unfortunate cat named Scully, in one of the movie's best scenes). And it is paced in a leisurely manner. But it is never boring. Glen Morgan and James Wong brought this remake to life (the team behind the original FINAL DESTINATION, and many, many great early episodes of the X-Files). The sets are stylishly grubby, the lighting is theatrical and effective and best of all, the rats mostly look real. I know they are often computer generated, but except for one scene when they pour out of an elevator, they are quite convincing. And there are lots of real rats too, and the actors and the rats work well together (I can't believe I'm saying this!). The young rat playing Socrates has a great future!!! And Crispin Glover...it's so good to see him again. Ironically, just three weeks ago, I watched BACK TO THE FUTURE again. He is just such a delightfully goofy screen presence. Intense and not quite of this world. And aside from his frightening performance in THE RIVER'S EDGE, we really haven't seen much of him. I understand he's VERY tough to work with, but I'm glad he got this role. To be honest, I cannot think of one single other performer who could have played the role like this. Any other actor would have put a bit of "nudge, nudge, wink, wink" into the performance, letting us know they know it's over the top. Glover is totally involved in his performance, and there is one scene where he is in a funeral parlor and just GOES OFF on an attorney visiting him. The moment packs a huge emotional wallop. In one way, it's hugely overacted...but in another, Glover has earned the right to explode and we feel like cheering. It's a triumphant performance...I won't say Oscar-worthy, because that's not really the point. It is a unique performance that must be seen to be believed. It's not a major work (just as the movie is not a major work), but Glover has imbued it with a seriousness only someone who doesn't fully comprehend he's in a piece of fluff can do. Also, on the DVD are some really cool extras. The deleted scenes are actually fun to watch, the music video is hilarious (especially with Glover's commentary) and the two documentaries are quite worthwhile. So, why only 4 stars if I love it so much? Well, despite my glowing praise, as I said, this is a pretty slight movie. It never really scares...it's entertaining but not thrilling. And the ending is not so hot. It feels a little tagged on, and, to be honest, kinda like the end of several early X-Files episodes! This was okay for the X-files (where you got to see more the next week) but is a bit of a let-down for the movie. But, SEE IT! I really appreciated the fine effort everyone put into this film. You will too!
Rating:
Summary: "Be" the rat
Review: In the film documentary included with the DVD version, we learn that the filmcrew screens "Psycho" and "The Birds" prior to making "Willard." The influence of these two movies is abundantly evident in "Willard." Like Norman Bates in "Psycho," Willard is a lonely mama's boy. Willard's rats, like "The Birds," seemingly appear by the thousands and have the intelligence to know exactly what they are doing when following Willard's training (or not). Willard's genuine rats are seamless blended with the animatronics and computer-generated rats. Yes, the rats are too cute for the audience to believe that they are scary, especially when Willard snuggles up with sweet Socrates, but they prove vicious enough to eat the boss's (Ermey's) tires and to eventually dispatch the boss in a cage elevator -- rats doing away with a bigger rat. I watch R. Lee Ermey so often on "Mail Call" that I half-expected him to have a cartload of watermelons in his office to blow to bits with various automatic weapons. Ermey is ALWAYS over-the-top. Crispin Glover's performance is appropriately macabre. Crispin moves the character of Willard from introvert to diabolical by adopting rodent mannerisms, but not to the point where it's corny. I had a pet rat as a teen, and tried hard to mimic the constantly-moving nose and whiskers -- it ain't easy. Crispin's twitch goes from nervous to resolute and that's not an easy movement for a human. I absolutely adored Crispin's performance. "Be" the rat!
Rating:
Summary: kinda lacked something
Review: i liked this movie. i didn't like it as much as i expected because it isn't that scary. kinda unbelieveable.
Rating:
Summary: Good. Stylish. Creepy.
Review: Weird one. Glover is perfect for this role. In fact, he is a very good actor for certain roles and this is one. Rivers Edge was another. Here his outsider/neurotic/creepy persona works beautifully for this role. Great cinematography, etc. BUT .. it is not as scary or horrific as the original. This time around, it seems sadder and funnier. The first version was more raw, more cheap ... blah, blah ... but it was scarier. Bruce Davidmon who played the original Willard has noved onto a very successsful carreer as a character actor and there is a nice nod to him here via a portrait and an urn of ashes. Anyway - it's stylish, creepy and black-humor fun. It just feels more sad somehow.
Rating:
Summary: Tear it up
Review: There is much to be said about a film that can make the audience care for rats. There is even more to be said about a film that has Crispin Glover as its lead. Glover plays Willard, a quiet, unassuming man who has become used to being trampled under the world's bootheel. He lives with his ailing mother in a house much too large for such unhappy people, he works for the man who stole his father's business. A business that still bears his family's name. Willard can talk to rats. I'm sure many people have done so throughout time, either with a yell of indignation at a rodent invading their home or with a murophobic scream while standing on a chair. However, I doubt any of those people ever had the rats obey.
The only other horror film performance I've seen this year of similar caliber was that of Sid Haig in Rob Zombie's House of 1,000 Corpses. The level of sincerity in every frame with Crispin Glover is astonishing, his morose demeanor is disturbing, the gaunt appearance brings to mind a living Edward Gorey sketch. You will never see a better transition from sorrow to rage in a film. Unless you go back to some of Jack Nicholson's earlier work (ie. The Shining). It's not all Crispin Glover mind you, R. Lee Ermey plays Willard's boss to a despicable T, and the cast of rats are impressive. Ben and Socrates are perfect in their roles ( which of course is due to great animal handling and some nice camerawork). Overall this film comes across quite nicely, with some genuine creepiness and nice photography. However, it seems that Crispin Glover could probably read the ingredients of a soup can and do an impressive job. For fans of the weird this one's for you.
Rating:
Summary: RRRAAAAAATTTTTTTTTSSSSSSSSSSSS!
Review: I enjoyed this version more than the original version that I saw YEARS ago. Crispin Glover was perfect for the role of Willard - he suited it to a "T". The film was good, but some parts were slight cut up and unexplained, leaving you wondering "what happened?". Like what happened to the kitty after Willard put him in the house with all the rats! After seeing the making of the film documentary on the DVD, it gave you understanding why things were "cut" up in the finished film. (They wanted a PG-13 version in the theaters, not the R version it was at the time). Also, after seeing the deleted scenes gave you an idea what you missed in the film (or thought they should have used that scene instead of what was in the end product). All in all, I enjoyed the film, and recommend it.
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