Review of The Blob (1958) by Patrick B — 27 Jun 2010

"The Blob" is sure easy to poke fun at, but you gotta admit, it does certain things very well especially for a campy sci-fi. Unlike a lot of the movies of the same genre and time period, "The Blob" has fairly well written characters, and the script keeps the film grounded in a relative reality. The entire cast acts decently well, and Steve McQueen is definitely the standout. He proves time and time again how he became a star after this film. The effects are also not bad considering it took place in 1958.

However, "The Blob" does have its problem, and its biggest problem is the blob itself. The concept of a blob coming from outer space and slugging around a small town is just not very scary. Quite frankly, it's kind of ridiculous. Now usually, a ridiculous concept such as this wouldn't be a problem. But with the film's serious tone and grounded dialogue, the ridiculous concept just doesn't fit into the film's equation. If the blob was just a little more threatening, this film would have still been great even today. Now it's just a movie where you appreciate some of its novelty and that's about it. "The Blob" is something to see for Steve McQueen's performance, but other than that, "The Blob" is an old and dated piece of B-movie schlock.