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all the characters in the Marvel Universe, you
have to wonder why Lion's Gate chose Man-Thing, a
lower tiered comic book character, to make into a
movie. Unless you're a die-hard comic book fan,
it's doubtful you've ever heard of the character;
and even if you did used to read comics, it's even
more doubtful you're a fan of this particular one.
For whatever reason, Lion's Gate did decide to
make the plunge, and the result is a surprisingly
good effort.
In "Man-Thing",
former big city lawman Kyle Williams (Matthew Le
Nevez) has arrived in the town of
Bywater
,
Louisiana
to assume the post of sheriff. He's looking
forward to a quiet tenure in the tiny haven that
borders the local swamp, but quickly discovers an
alarming amount of disappearances that were
covered up by his predecessor, who himself also
mysteriously vanished. Kyle's problems are
compounded when bodies turn up in gruesome states
of disrepair, with plants appearing to grow out of
the decaying corpses.
The locals place the blame
for the string of attacks on alligators and a
renegade Indian, but Williams isn't so sure. His
investigation eventually uncovers the truth: It
seems that an ancient Seminole spirit has risen
from the depths, angered over the desecration of
the swamp by a greedy oil company. Man-like in
appearance but covered in vegetation, the creature
possesses supernatural powers and feeds on its
victim's fear. It's up to the new sheriff and a
beautiful environmentalist (Rachel Taylor) to put
a stop to the Man-Thing's rampage.
Usually when a film sits on
the shelf for almost two years, it's a sure sign
that it's not particularly good, but
"Man-Thing" manages to buck the trend,
being both an atmospheric and entertaining horror
movie. Helmer Brett Leonard turns in one of his
best directing jobs to date, giving the movie an
eerie feel that constantly holds the audience's
attention. Leonard also does a wise thing by
moving the film along at a rapid pace that leaves
little time for the audience to question the
plausibility of what they're watching. Comic book
scribe Hans Rodinoff turns in an equally good
screenplay, allowing for plenty of gory deaths and
suspenseful moments. The titular Man-Thing gets a
makeover, transformed from a little known comic
book character from the 70's into a frightening
and powerful force that can appear almost anywhere
without warning.
As Sheriff Williams, Matthew
Le Nevez is good as a man expecting an easy job,
but instead finds himself fighting for his life
and the people he's sworn to protect. In many
instances, you can see the concern and
determination play across Le Nevez's face, as he
confronts a foe no one has met and lived to tell
the tale. Rachel Taylor is decent as the
environmentalist who teams up with Williams, but
she only delivers an occasional spark and is
useful mainly as eye candy. And sharp-eyed viewers
should be on the look-out for director Brett
Leonard in the small but pivotal role of Val
Merrick.
"Man-Thing" does
have some glaring faults, one of which is
Man-Thing itself. We're told the creature exists
solely to avenge the ecological rape of its home,
but it seems to kill indiscriminately, taking out
anyone it comes across. That discrepancy in script
logic lowers Man-Thing from a hero of nature to
just another murderous monster. Another huge
problem is the film's set design. Instead of
looking like an actual swamp setting, it instead
looks like the producers decided to film the movie
at a local botanical garden. For a film with a $30
million dollar budget, "Man-Thing"
should at least look like it takes place in an
actual swamp, or at least a much more decent
facsimile.
Nevertheless,
"Man-Thing" exceeds expectations thanks
to excellent direction by Brett Leonard, a good
lead performance in Matthew Le Nevez, and a sharp,
if sometimes illogical script by Hans Rodinoff.
Horror fans and fans of the comic books in general
will probably want to check out this version of
the Marvel superhero, and those who don't fit into
the two categories might still want to join them
anyway. With some voluntary suspensions of
disbelief, "Man-Thing" can prove to be
quite enjoyable.
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