Michael C
The original version of "Willard' does have the benefit of a very good cast. The actors all do well in their respective roles from star Bruce Davison to the late Ernest Borgnine and the late Elsa Lanchester. The script is for the most part well written (Though not perfect.). I liked where the story ultimately ended up. However, that is pretty much the only good thing to say about the movie. Overall, "Willard" is rather dull. It was very slow at times and while I said previously that the cast did well in their respective roles, everybody accept the character of Joan (Played by the late Sandra Locke.) are terrible people. They are all rude and obnoxious jackasses that just made me cringe every time they were on screen. Willard is supposed to be the hero of the movie as you all know, but he is also lazy, stupid and unappreciative of those who are trying to help him. While it is true that his employer is trying to ruin Willard's life everybody else wants to help him and he either insults them or foolishly turns them away when he should be accepting of their assistance. The climax of the movie was very poorly staged. The scenes of the rats attacking Ernest Borgnine's character look too stupid to be believed. The rats are obviously being thrown at him by crew members off camera. Who know rats could fly? I often wonder why the movie was so popular because "Willard" is loaded with flaws and is rather dull all things considered. It is not a movie I would recommend.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
03/04/24
Full Review
Ted B
1.5 stars; Even by the standards of the Horror movies in the '70s, of which I am not a fan, this movie sucks. I can't find anything to put in the positive column.
Earnest Borgnine and Elsa Lancaster were just collecting retirement. Bruce Davidson and Sandra Locke.... what were you thinking???
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
01/29/24
Full Review
Dallas H
It is the original love story we needed before Ratatouille (2007) came along and ruined it for everyone. I imagine that if Willard were around today, he would have an Instagram account dedicated to Ben, just like we see all the pop celebs do for their little pipsqueak dogs. Why can't an introvert live in peace in the basement of his mom's house, minding his own business with his hobbies and interests when he isn't working at his tedious day job? Speaking of his mom, it's interesting to think it is the same actress who portrays the Bride of Frankenstein; no joke.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/28/24
Full Review
Red B
This is such a dumb idea for a movie. It never really has a point beyond Willard befriends rats, they kill a few people and they kill him. There's not much else and is really weird more than scary or creepy. This drags terribly and never builds tension. Things that should happen in the first 15 minutes happen over an hour in. The tone is just weird also and isn't really good. I can't tell you if this is a horror movie, weird drama, or thriller. Stuff just sort of happens with a very loose bad plot holding it together. The cat, killing the guy who gets the 8K check, all feel pointless and add nothing. The rat shots are terrible and nothing but close ups, bad kills, and just dumb scenes with Willard talking to them. It's actually well shot outside of those scenes. Everything else about it is just ok. Willard isn't that likeable and just weird. Ernest is the best thing and isn't bad. This just is a bad idea for a film in general and never really does anything until it gets to bizarre dumb scenes. Skip this.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
09/26/23
Full Review
Tic Toc M
First off, this is not a "horror" movie, it's a revenge story with a dash of creepiness. If this was made in the 50s, they'd be calling it a b-movie cult classic but because it's from 1971, when some American cinema was starting to turn out high-art masterpieces every three weeks, even in the horror genre, it's held to a much higher standard. I see it compared to "Carrie" a bit, that's fair. I compare Willard a bit to Harold from "Harold And Maude", which came out later in '71. It's basically "Harold & Maude" meets "Carrie". With rats! It's no mystery why this was a hit. June of '71? School's out, going on a date, maybe to the Drive-In.....a no-brainer. Ernest Borgnine is great, Elsa Lanchester is great, Bruce Davidson is great. It's "WIlliard"! There ain't no other movie like it! You flip the channels late at night, nothing else is on, you watch "Willard", lol. I'm not even sure if until a couple of hours ago I had ever actually seen the movie from the very beginning. If you want a cinematic masterpiece from 1971, you watch "Carnal Knowledge", "A Clockwork Orange" etc. But "Willard" is exactly what it set out to do, a cheap thrill on a Saturday night.....and unlike 98% of those types of movies, this one holds up because of the acting and the very simple and forever relatable premise. A picked-on loner makes friends with rats and uses them to exact his revenge. Pass the popcorn, please.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
09/03/23
Full Review
Nina E
My mom and dad mentioned that they saw this movie when they were dating. I remember my dad sometimes teasing my mom about rats cuz she was afraid of them and this movie, was always like a private joke they had between the both of them. I finally saw it after decades of saying I'll see it someday. Now I know what they were talking about. Sadly, my dad is no longer with us, but I will tell mom that I finally saw the movie with all the rats.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
08/05/23
Full Review
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