Genre: Comedy, Science Fiction
Director: Bert I. Gordon
Starring: Ron Howard, Tommy Kirk, Beau Bridges, Johnny Crawford, Joy Harmon, Robert Random, Tisha Sterling
MST Season: 5
The Movie
Bert I. Gordon directed more features that were on Mystery Science Theater 3000 than anyone else, with eight selections of his filmography being featured on the show. Village of the Giants is both the most recent film he made that was featured and also, as of this writing, the last time we've seen a film from him on MST. It's also a bit different than what we usually get from the auteur. Oh, the fake-looking forced-perspective giant creatures are here, that is very much a Gordon trademark, but the tone is entirely different. Gone is the stoic face of actors like Peter Graves, but replaced by a wild and comedic beach party vibe that was commonplace. Maybe it's the natural progression of teen dominated sci-fi horror that we saw in Earth vs. the Spider, but it's almost difficult to believe this is the same filmmaker of Amazing Colossal Man. Until the giants show up, that is.
Loosely based on the H.G. Wells novel The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth (the key word being "loosely"), Village of the Giants tells the tale of a boy genius named Genius (played by Ron Howard in the middle of his Andy Griffith Show run) who accidentally creates a chemical that can turn normal creatures into giants. A group of rowdy rebellious teenagers with a resentment toward authority find out about the "goo" and eat it, growing giant size and take over the local town so they can dance in slow motion.
Personally I'd like to come at this movie from the perspective of someone who has read Food of the Gods, but unfortunately while I have read and enjoyed several of H.G. Wells books (The Time Machine is an all-time favorite), Food of the Gods is one I'm ignorant to. From my understanding the only things in common with the source material is science experiments turning animals and youths into giants, while the vast majority of Village of the Giants is its own take on the premise. Gordon and his team turn the story into a fantastical "What if...?" scenario aimed squarely at the "adults don't understand!" 60's teen market. Those who love Go-Go, bikinis, and booty shaking will get plenty of it, because the free-wheeling lifestyle is on full display, and strangely fetishized while also villainized by the piece. That's how you know the film was made by adults who want the 60's teen audience but clearly doesn't get them.
I'll admit that this movie isn't really my thing. While each generation has their own brand of teenage rebellion from Rebel Without a Cause all the way to Footloose, the pure 60's vibe of abolishment of authority so we can be free to...lounge around and dance, I guess...is more than a little lost upon me. The frequency of Village of the Giants is fight for your right to be a loafer. I'm not sure that's a fight I side with, though I do enjoy the occasional sit down and sexual interaction as well. I just don't think I need to be at war to screw around.
I don't know if Bert I. Gordon thought he did the novel a disservice, as he did a new adaptation, this one titled "Food of the Gods" after the novel, eleven years later as a straight sci-fi drama. Apparently this movie was only loose adaptation as well, dropping the giant humans and rather being a horror flick with giant animals. It might seem pointless to readapt a novel if you're just going to change it again, but remember this is Bert I. Gordon we're talking about here. Doing stories with cheesy effects blowing creatures to giant size are his bag, and he probably couldn't resist tapping that well again. That film and Village of the Giants might make one hell of a double feature.
The Episode
Every once in a while an episode comes along where you find your opinions of it are so complicated that it seems a disservice to try and describe it as either good or bad. Its one of those episodes where if you love the movie, the experience increases in enjoyability tenfold. I like things about the movie, but it's mostly not my bag. For me, Village of the Giants is a mood episode, where I really need to jive with what this episode has to offer to appreciate it.
That being said, what works in the episode's favor is surprisingly enough the comedic aspect of the film itself. While riffing a comedy can be tricky, the thing that sets Village of the Giants apart is that it's a comedy of absurdity. Unlike, say, Catalina Caper, the film gives them more to work with than just lame humor resulting in comments of "Lol, that's not funny." There is a lot of craziness on display in Village of the Giants, and there is a lot to play up for commentary. The film is a colorful pop with classically fake Bert I. Gordon special effects, and the riffing is less on the film's comedic tone but rather its whimsy. And it definitely can be said that this is an episode that flows with the movie.
That being said, this movie's flow isn't always what I need to set sail. The problem is that the movie's tone of 60's teens waging war on adults can grind my gears, and it's going to take more than calling Ron Howard "Opie" or dog-piling on the movie Willow to break me free of that. At times when the movie grows tedious with it's endless go-go dancing, there isn't a whole lot that can be said to keep my attention. Moneymakers being shaken helps, but only so much.
But whatever I'm feeling about the film, it's hard to deny that the host segments are a joy. There is an overarching story about Dr. Forrester firing TV's Frank and hiring Torgo (from Manos) to be his replacement. Frank's loss of purpose is played for great laughs, as he can't exactly leave because he lives in Deep 13, so he lounges around in his undergarments as Dr. F and Torgo continue about their business. This leads up to a great song called "The Greatest Frank of All," which turned out to be a double entendre. The film concludes with with this song as a tribute to musician Frank Zappa, who was not only a MSTie but was reportedly in contact with the fine folks at Best Brains Inc. about collaboration on a project when he passed away. Whether this project was one of his own or just a cameo on MST, I'm not certain, but I'm sure the people on the series were flattered to have such a high profile admirer.
With a movie that's very much an acquired taste, the MST episode needs to be a home run for me to fully recommend the episode. The riffing is good, so that's the good news. However, whether I enjoy this episode largely depends on if I'm in the mood to tolerate the movie, which isn't as often as you would think. There are days where I find the episode immensely enjoyable, and others where I find it the most obnoxious episode of the series. Upon this viewing, I enjoyed the episode, so I'm more inclined to put it through a recommendation, but I can't get it out of the back of my head that the movie can really dog me during the worst moments. The episode is what it is, and since it does incline a positive reaction half the time, I'll give it a pass. But it's a tepid one.
Good
Normally I try not to get too personal on here, but I find myself needing to say something here. I had intentions of posting this review six months ago, because I had initially watched the episode and had begun work on this write-up in November. While I was working on this review I had received word that my father was in the hospital with COVID-19, though he was showing promising signs of improvement. Soon after, his pre-existing conditions caused him to take a turn for the worse and we were informed that if he pulled through then he would have to live on a ventilator for the rest of his life. He chose not to, and his family, myself included, agreed. Before I finished writing this review, my father passed away as me and my family tried to comfort him over a Zoom call because we weren't allowed in the same room as him. This experience left me pretty broken.
My father didn't really understand my love for this little puppet show, but he never discouraged me from enjoying what I loved. He sat down and watched episodes with me, not entirely into it but just wanting to spend time with his son. I thank him for that, as I spent time watching things he was interested in such as NASCAR, hunting shows, rodeos, and Cops so I could do the same. He and I were very different, but we mutually loved each other.
It's been a long road back to working on my blog as I came to terms with his death. As I watched this episode again to finish this review I realized just how much joy this show gave me and just how much strength it gave me during the hardest of days. I need it now more than ever. It has taken me a while to get back to work on this, and I thank all the people who read it for being patient with me over the last six months and thanks to all who reached out to comfort me during this difficult time.
But most of all, I want to take this time to say I love you, dad. I miss you every day. This review is for you, putting you right up there with Frank Zappa in my book.
The DVD
Shout Factory super-sized us with this BIG movie on their Volume XXVII collection. Picture was spotty but audio was good. The disc included an interview with Joy Harmon, who talks about her career, filming Village of the Giants, her professional relationship with Groucho Marx, and getting into baking. She also talks about the only scene she's was uncomfortable filming, where her character grows to giant size and her shirt rips open. She's not sure if anybody remembers that being in the movie, but I can assure you Miss Harmon, everyone remembers.
Also included is a trailer to the film.
No comments:
Post a Comment