I think if there is a forgotten John Carpenter film…this is it. Did you know that John Carpenter directed a movie with Chevy Chase and Daryl Hannah? Did you??
He almost didn’t, the film was being developed by Chase and he wanted Ivan Reitman…but he and Reitman were unable to agree on how things should go and Reitman left. One of those rare “cannot get along with Chevy Chase” stories. In fairness, Reitman wanted to make it a standard Chevy Chase vehicle, but Chase saw it as a chance to explore more serious roles.
Carpenter was brought in to provide that. Of course, this was still meant to be a studio film, which in the end means the film takes no risks.
The story focuses on self absorbed Stock Analyst Nick Hollaway (Chase) who is present in a building where there is an experiment that goes awry. In case you cannot see it coming *cough* he is left invisible. (Sorry for that) He soon finds himself on the run with new girlfriend Alice from shady CIA agent David Jenkins (Sam Neil…and not Carpenter’s last work with him).
The story is pretty standard fair with little of Carpenter’s originality. Hollaway is on the run from the CIA who want to use him for spy stuff.
There are a lot of scenes where we see Chase onscreen when he is supposed to be invisible…and it gets almost confusing in the beginning…but later, while we can see Chase on screen, he casts no reflections. The effects are remarkably good, and the most notable thing about the film. They clearly put a lot of thought about how his invisibility works. Nick and everything he was wearing are invisible…so he runs into the problem of not being able to see his hands or know exactly where they are when trying to eat. He can see his food digesting when he looks in the mirror. When he smokes, you see the smoke in his lungs. Then there is a really neat scene where rain drops temporarily illuminate Nick in front of Alice. In fact, the effects in this film hold up quite well almost twenty five years later.
You can see that Chase is trying for a darker type of role. Chevy avoids his standard mugging for the camera. And the film does not have a lot of jokes. In fact, most of the jokes come from other characters. But none of it is compelling. The film just has no unique identity.
You can even see that Carpenter did not really see himself as more than a studio employee…it is one of the few films he has directed to not bear the “John Carpenter’s” as part of the title. This is the forgotten film because it feels neither like a Carpenter film nor a Chevy Chase Film. It never really pulls you in, and Nick really lacks personality.
I have only one thing to say. Fifteen minute fight between Rowdy Roddy Piper and Keith David. ‘Nuff said.
John was pretty prolific in the 80’s and most of them are quite memorable. Prince of Darkness is a religious themed horror film that is played straight. Carpenter brings back Victor Wong and Dennis Dun from Big Trouble in Little China. He also brings Donald Pleasence back.
The fourth outing for Carpenter and Russell is an entertaining blending of genres. Big Trouble In Little China is part action film, part Kung Fu, Part fantasy and all comedy. Russel is the cocky but lovable Jack Burton. Jack’s favorite person is himself and his mouth often seems to get himself in trouble. And he has found it in spades when he visits a friend in China town. His friend, Wang Chi, is raising money to bring his bride to be (Miao Yin) to America. But when she arrives, she is captured by the henchman of the mysterious crime lord David Lo Pan. Lo Pan is seeking her because she has green eyes. And a girl with green eyes are part of a curse.
Starman is a whimsical tale of an inquisitive alien who adopts a human identity. Of course, he chooses the form of a grieving widow’s dead husband. This is one of the rare contributions of Carpenter that is about hope.
After the Thing, Carpenter went with a different type of terror. In some ways, it is a return to the ghostly tale of the Fog. But instead of Leper Pirates, Christine is the tale of an obsessive car.
When it was announced that they were making a movie connected to John Carpenter’s the Thing, the internet seemed unsure how to describe it. Is it a Sequel? No. Is it a reboot? No. Is it a remake? No. But boy, I saw it constantly referred to as a remake and a reboot, even after it came out. Here is the thing, there is literally no doubt that this is a prequel. It is set shortly before Carpenter’s film at the Norwegian camp that discovers the alien thing.
Hot on the heels of Escape From New York, Carpenter and Russell worked together on the Thing. A film based on the short story “Who Goes There” (which had been adapted previously as The Thing From Another World).
This month, Shout!Factory has released an all new Blu-Ray of the film. The Two disc Special Edition has a very nice 2K scan, resulting in an excellent picture. The packaging has lush new cover art. It also has the Drew Struzan original on the reverse side.
1981’s Escape from New York was a large change from the Fog and Halloween. There were no supernatural elements and it was not a slasher. Instead, it was a straight up action film set in the distant future of 1997. Reagan married Thatcher and they had a kid who became President. Or something. Anyways, the president gets stuck in the worlds largest maximum penitentiary. Also known as New York.
After two TV movies, John Carpenter returned to the screen with an old fashioned ghost story. Telling the tale of small seaside town Antonio Bay, the Fog follows events leading up to their Centennial. The town is planning to celebrate the near mythic four founders of the town. In the days leading up, there are mysterious events. Add a dense, unnatural fog. The Fog is not the scary part…there is something in the fog. Something cruel and angry.
Tripping Through Gateways 