Review of Harry and the Hendersons (1987) by Timothy S — 02 Jun 2011

Everyone involved behind the scenes with "Harry and the Hendersons" obviously envisioned it as a sweet, good-natured family film aimed more at children than their parents. But this isn't a very kid-friendly adventure, as young children might be frightened by a lot of this and more sophisticated kids will more than likely be bored. The way the John Lithgow character is presented to the audience in the film's first half is frankly disturbing for a film of this nature. He's pretty much a ruthless hunter, and no animal in the forest is safe. And the initial scenes involving Harry may be frightening to the littles ones as well, but that may be a credit to the man who designed him, Rick Baker. He won an Academy Award for his make-up here.

The special effects are not the problem with the film, however, as all of the fault lies with this weak script and lackluster direction. William Dear is obviously a Spielberg protege, but his first time behind the camera lacks the magic and charm of films like "E.T." and "Close Encounters". The lame writing lacks any real laughs or emotions. We all fell for the Reese's Pieces loving rubber alien in Spielberg's film, but this walking carpet from the woods does little to pull our heartstrings. Harry has all of the personality of a piece of furniture. Pair that with the unnerving "kill or be killed" motto of the lead human character, and you have an uneasy mix.

"Harry and the Hendersons" is all false emotion without any real heart. It goes on far too long, as it runs out of story about a half hour before the credits roll.