Willard (2003) User Reviews

Devilsihly dark remake is a fresh breath of air...

[MovieAddict2016 · 7/10 · 11 September 2003]

Crispin Glover gives a splendidly dark and evil performance in "Willard," a performance that creeps you out more than any idea of killer rats ever will. The movie feels like a Tim Burton Lite, and a few times throughout the film I came close to imagining how Tim Burton would have directed the film. He probably would have gotten Johnny Depp for Willard, though, and I'm not sure if Depp would have been able to pull it off as well as Glover, who has always been a very strange character, even back when he played the shy and quirky George McFly in "Back to the Future."

If Crispin was odd in "Back to the Future," then he's part of the Manson family here. It seems to be an almost tailor-made role, one fit just for him. His character, Willard, is a mix between Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates and Adam Sandler's Barry Anderson from "Punch-Drunk Love." I half-expected to see Willard's mother jump out in front of the screen at some point in the film, only for "her" to be Willard.

Anyone familiar with the seventies should remember "Willard," and perhaps even its sequel, "Ben." I didn't know quite what to expect walking into "Willard," as I had never seen the original. It is a very dark and creepy movie, perhaps not for everyone, but I enjoyed it. It's quirky. It's creepy. It's dark and brooding. And it has a sly sinister side to it. When Willard retreats to his basement every night to train a gang of rats to carry out his evil deeds it's not really scary but rather strange in execution. Given another director this could have been another summer horror flick like "Jeepers Creepers 2," but it turned out to be a bit more than a scary movie - it's more of a freaky movie.

Willard (Glover) is a grown man who lives in a large, creepy home with his bitter old mother. He cares for her and goes to work to help support her, where he works for "Mr. Martin," a gruff old guy who claims that the reason he drives a Mercedes is for the company's benefit. He relentlessly picks on Willard, who bites his tongue in return and counts to ten.

Extremely lonely, Willard retreats into his mother's basement one night to try to get rid of some rodent infestation. Once there, he finds that he has caught a smart little white rat in one of his traps, which he frees from the sticky paper and names Socrates (because the rat is smart). Soon he finds that Socrates can understand him, as do all the other rats. He also realizes that the rats will do whatever he wants, whether it be attacking Martin's Mercedes or eating Martin to death. And so he uses them at his psychopathic will; that is, except for a very large rat named Ben, who is about the size of a small dog. Ben is smart, and tries to win Willard's attention, but Willard ignores Ben (one can understand why), and pays all the attention to Socrates. Ben doesn't like this, and so he starts commanding the gang of rats against Willard. The film ends in a strange showdown between rats and man, to say the least.

I used to have a little white rat just like Socrates, which I named Socrates, and I used to have another big, black rat, which I named Ben. (Yes, I named them after the rats from the old film.) Rats are kind little creatures but you get the idea that they are a very smart species, always scheming. Watching the "real" Ben from "Willard" is funny, because as he sits there scheming it is in all truth very honest - rats are smarter than they seem.

Willard seems to have a psychic connection between the rats. It's like the story of the dog that followed his master all the way across the Atlantic ocean, running up to him in the middle of a WWII battlefield. Some experts say that animals have boundaries with their masters that they can somehow feel, relate to or are attached to psychically. By charming Socrates, it seems that Willard opened up a sort of psychic connection between the rats, and the way he carries them around on his shoulder, and says to Socrates, "You are the only friend I've ever had," is strangely disturbing.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into "Willard," and I'm still not sure if the film used up all the potential it had. They could have spent more time focusing on Willard's development into a psychopath, more time on what the rats did, more time showing the audience that Willard is the bad guy. It seems that they go wishy-washy - are we supposed to root for Willard or not? I don't really know, but I enjoyed the movie. It's not an incredible achievment in any regard, and I left feeling a little empty but I'm glad I saw it.

3.5/5 stars -

John Ulmer

Crispin Glover shows his talents

[caspian1978 · 6/10 · 16 June 2004]

Mr. Culkin should have taken the role that this movie offered him. For an actor who is trying to prove something to the industry in Hollywood, this movie is an excellent example. Crispin Glover has had a reputation in the film industry as a strong, yet weird actor. Many of the roles that he has received makes Crispin look crazy if not odd. Here, Crispin shows his serious and comic side. The movie alone holds up as a gritty thriller. A horror movie none-the-less, Willard is an interesting film that we don't see too often. A well made movie with decent production value, the cast adds to its greatness. Much like River's Edge, the audience is left wondering where Crispin Glover came from. No longer a young actor, Crispin has worked his way up to become a veteran performer and a good actor.

hard to watch

[WankerReviews · 7/10 · 30 September 2019]

Treated poorly by his boss, and his mother being ashamed of him, Willard seeks comfort by befriending rats that invaded his home. Soon after he trains the rats to help him get revenge.

If you're an animal lover, most of all a cat lover, this will be a very hard watch. I cried during the cat scene. For a revenge movie, the body count for animals was higher than for humans. Besides different animals being mistreated or killed, it was a very well made film. Great acting and pacing

As much as I sympathized with Willard, I didn't like how he treated Big Ben (the biggest rat in the bunch). Big Ben only wanted Willard's love and affection, and Willard kept shunning him, much like how society shunned Willard. Willard was playing favorites and kept rejecting Big Ben (for no good reason), so it only made sense that Big Ben turned on him.

No one wants a friend like Ben (spoilers)

[Ricky_Roma__ · 30 March 2008]

Ben is a rat. A smart rat, but a rat nonetheless. Socrates is also a rat; he's as smart as Ben but more lovable. Willard, though, is a pathetic loser. A friendless nobody who's under the thumb of his skeletal mother.

What's clear from the beginning of Willard is that the two rats who vie for the affection of their master are the two sides of his tortured personality. Socrates, white and beautiful, is his good side, the side that is tender and loving and sweet. Ben, though, dark and brooding and ugly, is his bad side, the side that is angry and vengeful and that hates the world. So the rat who outlasts the other is the one that will take possession of this greasy weirdo's soul.

One of the most eyebrow-raising moments in the film is when Willard tells Socrates that he hates everyone in the world except him and that they should go to bed. Go to bed? Yes, he says it tenderly. He says it seductively. He says it like they're going to, well, make love. Er. Um. Right.

However, a tender scene turns bad when the dastardly Ben, who has previously been told that he's not allowed to leave the cellar, crawls into the bed perhaps seeking a ménage a trois. He wants part of the action, the little perv. But Willard isn't having it. He wants no part of Ben. His heart belongs to Socrates.

But what could have screwed Willard up so badly that he has to sleep with rodents in order to feel some sort of contentment? Well, I guess a crazy mother would do that to you. Especially one that wants to rename you Clark because Willard is a cissy name and one that wants to check your poo when you tell her you're having bowel issues. How is a young man meant to get a girl when she's walking around? No wonder Willard chooses rats.

But there's also Willard's boss. The second you see him and find out that he's played by Lee Ermey you know he's going to be a colossal bastard. And he lives up to expectations. He shouts at Willard, he bullies him, he takes his wages and basically does anything he can to make his life a living hell. Yet another reason to seek refuge in the tickly caress of a rat's vivacious whiskers.

Another eyebrow-raising moment is when Willard is training his rat army. He keeps on repeating the phrase 'tear it'. And as he says it, he becomes more and more impassioned. It's like he's getting aroused. Maybe he's thinking about tearing more than just paper. But I do love some of the details in the rat training sequence. I mean, there's even a little rat obstacle course. How sweet. But it's also in this sequence that we first meet Ben. But he doesn't really take part in the training because a) he's a fat bastard and b) he's a bit above himself. In fact, he's a bit nasty is Ben. He's always lurking in the corner like a right creepy bastard. Plus he has a habit of always turning up no matter how hard you try and get rid of him. Trying to get rid of Ben is like trying to escape a fart in a crowded lift.

Then there's the fact that Ben's borderline psychotic. In one of the film's best scenes, a cat is given to Willard and its left alone in his creepy house with all of his rats. Under Ben's command, the rats pursue the feline. And then after finding higher ground, and apparently escaping the filthy pests, Ben attacks and the cat is knocked to the ground and consumed by Ben's underlings. Oh, and to make it even better, the scene is scored to the Jackson 5's song 'Ben' from the awesomely titled sequel to the original Willard, Ben. The juxtaposition of violence with a tender love song dedicated to vermin is exquisite.

But although all of this violence is committed by Ben in order to get Willard to love him, his feelings are never returned. Indeed, late in the film, Willard even shouts that he hates Ben and that he loves Socrates. And this is after Willard tries to abandon Ben. He gets the large rat to kill his boss and then says goodbye to him. He's trying to escape the darkness and reclaim the light. But it's too late. He's become what he loathes. He's become Ben.

And just compare Ben to Socrates. There's a scene where Willard is going through his deceased father's possessions (in a nice little nod to the original film, Willard's dead father has the image of Bruce Davison, the actor who originally played Willard). He takes a knife and is contemplating killing himself. But then Socrates stops him. Meanwhile Ben watches from above. He wouldn't stop Willard, the bastard.

But Crispin Glover is wonderfully cast in the film. He's the consummate weirdo and fits the part exceptionally well. And his commitment to the role is impressive. There's an amusing scene where he's at his mother's funeral and he shows her his only friend, the rat Socrates. The rat climbs over mum's face and then Glover begins bawling, a massive line of snot dangling from his nose. And then later on in the scene, when he finds out he's in debt and may lose his house, he just starts ranting and screaming. It's kind of reminiscent of his appearance on Letterman. And he also has a nice singing voice. 'Ben' isn't quite 'Clowny Clown Clown', but it provides an ironic counterpoint to Willard's mistaken assertion that his association with Ben is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. No, it's the beginning of your demise. Ben will be the end of you.

Strange and different, but not particularly scary

[Agent10 · 7/10 · 14 March 2003]

Maybe self-parody isn't such a bad word in the case of Willard. While I will state that the film was funny and interesting to watch, it wasn't nearly as twisted or as scary as it could have been. But then again, it's so damn tough to scare the jaded masses of critics and movie goers anyway. However, I did find this film wildly entertaining, especially the likes of Glenn Morgan and James Wong helming the project, two guys who helped put together The X-Files and Space: Above and Beyond (a truly underrated show). The only downside to this film was the editing. It was sometimes dull, and often did little to help the plot move in a smooth fashion. However, the random close-ups of the rat/wombat "Big Ben" were hillarious, making it look like the rat would actually start talking. Also, I give a big kudos to R. Lee Ermey, who went back to his old Full Metal Jacket days, making him a scary and evil bad guy to focus on. Oh, and Crispin Glover plays the loser role perfectly.

One of the rare remakes that's superior to the original

[Erewhon · 7/10 · 9 November 2003]

New Line had only six weeks to promote this film -- according to the outstanding documentary on the DVD -- and blew it anyway. They were targeting teenage boys when they should have been targeting older people and teenage >girls<.

Glen Morgan directs in a very interesting stylized fashion almost as eccentric as David Lynch or Tim Burton, and Crispin Glover gives a knockout performance in the title role. It's a dark, twisted story, just as it should be; the original WILLARD lightened up the very strange novel, but this one takes several big steps in the direction of the novel. (Not so far as to have Willard Styles wear a rat mask, though.)

The movie does have some awkward elements; the pacing is a bit off, probably because the structure is askew a bit, but overall, it's a fascinating, creepy movie, very well made with fine performances. And either the original ending or the reshot one would have satisfied me.

Willard: 8/10

[movieguy1021 · 7/10 · 26 October 2003]

One of the least successful movies of the year, when it should have been one of the most, is Willard, the remake of the Bruce Davison version. It has everything going for it, and it was really the dismal marketing campaign that brought it to its early demise. If more people had given it a chance, then hopefully it would have been more successful and more people would have been able to see this masterwork. That's what Willard is, it's a masterpiece, at least of the movies of the last ten years or so. No movies have been up to par in so many different levels.

Crispin Glover puts in the best acting performance of the year, and possibly one of the best of all time is the title character. He has a dead-end job at his late father's business, now run by his father's partner, Frank Martin (R. Lee Ermey), who just keeps him on until Willard's mother (Jackie Burroughs) dies. When his mother makes him go look for rats, Willard finds one, keeps it, and names it Socrates. He discovers more, and they do whatever Socrates tells him. However, a huge rat named Ben wants control, and fights with Socrates for power, while Willard uses the rats for his own sociopathic will.

As I said earlier, Willard has everything going for it. I'll go one at a time. The directing, by X-Files alum Glen Morgan (also written by him and co-produced with James Wong) was perfect. He has an obvious style (and probably studied Hitchcock in college), and creates a sense of realism in this implausible movie. Also, Morgan's screenplay has some of the best humor to come out of a movie this year, especially from Ermey and Burroughs. I won't spoil them, although they're still funny on repeat viewings.

The acting, especially by Glover, who isn't a forerunner in big Hollywood names, is spectacular. Glover portrayed a young, aimless man so well. No one can scream like this man can. He's not afraid to let go and let his emotions run him over. He must have some deep repressed memories. Ermey is outstanding, but, then again, when is he not? He just plays an evil character, and that's what he's great at. Laura Elena Harring (Mulholland Drive) does what she can with her very small role. I noticed she tried to repress an accent, but I couldn't tell from where. Sounded Spanish, but I digress. Burroughs is great, although more of her (not really looking at her, though…she's hideous) would have been great.

Morgan takes what could have been disastrous and turned it around to become a truly creepy film. Willard shows the side of every person who wants to do something evil, but can't find the will to do it. That's where Willard succeeds, you end up rooting for someone you normally wouldn't because he's doing something that you desperately want to do.

Willard is a modern masterpiece, one that will thankfully find a huge audience on DVD.

My rating: 8/10

Rated PG-13 for terror/violence, some sexual content and language.

Will become one of my cult gulity pleasures

[DunnDeeDaGreat · 5/10 · 15 March 2003]

Willard was a decnet movie in my opinion. Walking out of the movie I didn't find it as scary but as more of a black comedy. Crispen Glover was tailor made for the title role. His whole natural look as Willard is what gives the movie it's humor and enjoyment. The film might scare you if you have a fear of rats but other than that it's not for all tastes.

Good Film, Great Performance

[trying_to_act · 10/10 · 20 April 2004]

Before you let the advertising fool you, understand that "Willard" isn't exactly your normal horror flick. I know that the marketing people tried to put all the scary bits into the trailer and such, but I urge you to reconsider your views on it.

The movie itself is more of an in-depth character study. It follows the events that lead one man into the pits of insanity, taking you along for the ride. Forget "Psycho," (Which was an awesome film in its own right) though the movie does have Norman Bates/Hitchcock elements. We're taken from lonely, shy, and sad, to hollering, glaring, weeping, and finally, silent. Only one man was tailor-made for this role...and that man was Mr. Glover.

Through every blink, every wide-eyed stare, the audience is drawn into the character. We believe in his connection with the rats, and marvel at his ability to train them. And when he gets even with Mr. Martin, we celebrate.

And I loved the undoubted sexual frustration that Willard is feeling. It's more apparent in one of the deleted scenes on the DVD. But the writer didn't succumb to this frustration; he let it build.

All of this combines to form one of the greatest character movies I have ever seen, and probably will ever see. I must say that this is one movie I will not soon forget...

Rats horror film

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 7 July 2004]

The movie centers about Crispin Glover a quirky and lone man about thirty years old . He lives with her ill mother and amount of mouses into his home . He has got as enemy to the office chief . Rats will help him to revenge .

The film will have to flee whom don't like the rats because they appear in everyone shots , close-ups , foreground and background of the flick . There are thousand rats and they have been made by animatronics and computer generator specials effects(FX).

Acting by Crispin Glover is excellent , interpreting to Willard as a twisted mind is fantastic , likeness to Norman Bates/Anthony Perkins of Psychosis . R. Lee Ermey as the evil and villain chief is perfect such as his acting in ¨Full metal jacket¨ , Laura Elena Harring (Mulholland drive) is cute .

Direction by Glen Morgan is nicely made , cinematography by Robert MacLachlan is first-rate and Shirley Walker's musical score is gorgeous.

It's a remake to another 1971 film featured by Bruce Davison who only appears in photography as Willard's father into this 2003 film.

Rating 6/10 , average .

Even worse than the original

[E-Z-Rider · 4/10 · 16 March 2003]

The 1971 version of Willard had at least a surface plausibility, and carefully avoided going over the top with fairly nuanced performances by Bruce Davidson in the title role and Ernest Borgnine as the mean boss. No such restraint is evident in the current version. Crispin Glover is as nuanced as a mannequin, rendering a performance that is at the same time wooden and over the top. The normally fine character actor R. Lee Emery is little more than a cartoon. Everything is so implausible and overdone in this film it was hard to keep from laughing--and many in the audience didn't even try. While the original Willard was definitely creepy, this one tries so hard to be camp it manages to be only sorry. I doubt I'll willingly go see Crisipin Glover in anything again. Yuckers!

A Weird Tale About Loneliness, Friendship, Greed and Revenge

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 28 March 2004]

Willard Stiles (Crispin Glover) is a lonely and deranged man living in an old mansion with his sick mother Henrietta Stiles (Jackie Burroughs). His father committed suicide after losing his own company to his former partner and friend Frank Martin (R. Lee Ermey). Due to a clause in the selling contract, Willard can not be fired from his job while his mother is alive. However, Frank abuses of Willard, humiliating and spending a horrible treatment with him in front of his colleagues. The basement of Willard's house is infested of rats and mice, and Willard capture a beautiful white mouse in a trap. Willard rescues the mouse, calls him Socrates and becomes his friend. Socrates is a leader and the other rats obey him, except the huge Ben. The animals are trained by Willard, who uses them for his revenge. This weird tale about loneliness, friendship, greed and revenge has the same style of most Tim Burton's movies. It is a black comedy very dark, quite gothic, having weird characters, but great performances and good effects. Although dealing with a nasty theme (rats and mice), it is not a disgusting film. It is not recommended for all audiences, but I liked it a lot. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): `A Vingança de Willard' (`The Revenge of Willard')

The most perversely charismatic crazy to hit the screen in years!

[sloopydrew · 7/10 · 18 March 2003]

Glen Morgan, who paid his dues writing episodes of The X-Files, and its assorted spin-offs, and then finally made his big screen debut with his script for the original, Final Destination, has taken his directorial cues from masters of oddity such as Tim Burton, Barry Sonnenfeld (during his Addams Family phase) and George Miller. Morgan manages to create an unforgettable atmosphere that holds its own against, Beetlejuice, Babe: Pig in the City, Addams Family Values or Sleepy Hollow. Like all of those films, this is a dark comedy. Unlike those films, it becomes deadly serious, and that turns into what is nearly its downfall.

The further we get into the film, the darker the movie gets. About halfway through, we're no longer watching a dark comedy, but rather a fairly weak attempt at horror. The film doesn't succeed in scaring you, so the last half of the movie essentially fails. Only those lovable, huggable rats, and Crispin Glover's performance, pull it through. The best, and easily most comedic, scenes in the film feature Willard and his mother, and take place early on in the picture. During these moments, the film oozes of the original Psycho, only this time, "Norman's" mother isn't a corpse. Crispin Glover is the most perversely charismatic crazy to hit the silver screen since Anthony Perkins took on Norman Bates, in the original Psycho.

Willard could have been a classic. As it is, it's a fine little dark comedy that gets mixed up at the end and starts believing that it's a thriller. Oh, and I can't end this review without mentioning how pleasantly nasty the scene with the cat is. Cat lovers, prepare to close your eyes ... kitty's about to get hers! The Truth about Rats & Dogs? Nah ... too easy.

Grim and Depressing

[Carrigon · 2/10 · 20 July 2003]

I remember seeing the original years ago and it was just nothing like this remake. It was so much better, but then, most older films are. Crispin was great, but this film itself was pretty awful. I didn't find any redeeming qualities to this plot. It didn't even have the charm that the original Psycho had. I wouldn't recommend this movie. There are plenty of better horror films out there.

Not too bad..

[sheff-3 · 14 August 2004]

If ever Crispin Glover needed a decent role then this was tailor made for him. After refusing to work on BTTF 3 and a terrible performance in Charlies Angels, i got the feeling that he thought too high and mighty of himself. But at last a role that he plays superbly as the victim of constant harassment at work who seeks revenge by taming and using the rats in his basement that he was supposed to get rid of. You can't help but feel sympathy for him ( I know I would like to do that to my Boss!!).

Altogether a very well made film that will give you the creeps, it falls into the watch once only category.

Final Verdict 7/10

Destined to be a cult classic

[Derek237 · 6/10 · 4 April 2003]

Willard is a movie that doesn't really fall into a specific category. Don't expect a traditional horror, but don't expect a B horror comedy either. If anything, it's a very morbid drama. There are some good characters in it that you end up caring for. Crispin Glover does a perfect job as Willard, it's his best performance yet, and R. Lee Eremey is great in the over-the-top role of Willard's boss. But what I found most surprising is how much you actually end up caring for the rats. The 2 lead rats even seem to have personalities.

There are some creepy scenes but nothing that will keep you up at night. It's a fairly predictable movie- you know from his very first scene that Willard's boss is going to get it. But that doesn't matter, the movie's entertaining and interesting, and that's enough. The end leaves a door open for a sequel, and I say bring it on. I'd like to see another Willard.

This is destined to be a cult classic. A movie about a guy and a bunch of rats isn't likely to become a world-wide hit, but I think this will be more popular on video. It's good late night movie.

My rating: 6/10

A very good remake of the 70s film.

[lost-in-limbo · 7/10 · 4 May 2020]

A remake that virtually keeps the same structure, losing some, or simply confining sub-plots to install a brisk pace and focus more so on Willard and the rats, while steering towards a humorously strange, yet darker tone that was character driven and horror skewed. Well up to a point, because the 1971 cult original had a much downer ending, which I prefered. Anyhow Crispin Glover evokes weirdness and a wired-up intensity like no other and his interactions with the rats (real & CGI) is genuinely affecting watching his timid nature change with the taste of power and control when the rats come on the scene. Then things start to get out of hand when a particular rat (a creepy looking Ben) begins to disobey him. There it becomes a battle with of wits of who's in charge, and Glover along with his mannerisms (which sometimes resembles a rat) were very captivating to watch. Not forgetting Jackie Burroughs' minor turn and of course R. Lee Ermey who commands the screen as the jerk boss making Willard's life hard at work. You can't wait to see his comeuppance - "Tear him up"! Director Glen Morgan's slick, twisted vision crafts few striking set-pieces - nothing quite like the sequence involving Michael Jackson's song "Ben".

A remake just as good as the original, albeit for different reasons

[MissSimonetta · 7/10 · 18 July 2022]

WILLARD is a remake done right, if you have to do a remake at all. It takes everything that was unique to the original 70s film, then re-contextualizes it with a different tone. The original film was more grounded and slower-paced, more a character study than a horror film. The 2003 version is a Burton-esque dark comedy, where the main character is mostly unhinged from the beginning. Unlike the original, this isn't so much a descent into madness as he's already halfway there to begin with.

I did have issues with the pacing, which seemed a bit more rushed than the 1971 movie, but the acting is splendid and the direction is strong, blending industrial and gothic aesthetic to perfection.

I fail to see what all these reviewers are ranting about

[jebiga · 2/10 · 12 October 2003]

Really boring movie! The lead actor is good, but then... what is theis movie about? Lonely guy incapable (or not wanting, whatever)to fit makes friends with rats... Whoooa! I can barely wait to see the sequels, and I hope there will be at least 10 of them! Actually what is worse is that there will be people who will be delighted with Willard 8 ('The return of Ben's great-uncle and sister-in-law').

Oh, by the way - there is nothing scary in the movie either....

Macabre fairy tale. Very atmospheric!!

[Coventry · 8/10 · 20 March 2004]

Glen Morgan's Willard isn't your ordinary mainstream remake! Unlike the bombastic and computerized money-making films like …oh, I don't know Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 13 Ghosts and Dawn of the Dead who're merely loud updates of classic horrific tales. Willard is a modest and respectful production that lays the stress on atmosphere and scenery instead of gory effects and good-looking young flesh. Willard is the tale of an extremely introvert middle-aged man (lives with his needy mother, no girlfriend, stuck in a hopeless job) who discover his ability to control and command little rodents…rats in particular. By communicating with these rats, he finally discovers what friendship feels like and it also gives him the opportunity to satisfy his deepest feelings of anger and vengeance towards his boss – Frank Martin. But the mob of rats slowly turns against Willard as he doesn't treat them alike. Thanks to the depressing scenery (Willard's old house, the morbid factory) and the under-exposure at times, Willard often looks like a 40's chiller! There's a good and constant variation of tension and sadistic humor, with the cat-chase as the absolute highlight to state this. Crispin Glover – the man with the most incomprehensible cult following in the film industry – is brilliantly cast as Willard. His goofy – yet spooky – charisma fits his character really well. R. Lee Ermey receives the change to be his old boisterous self again as the dreary factory-owner who's out to destroy Willard life. To conclude the cast, Laura Harding is very charming as the understanding and helpful Cathryn. This film may not show as many bloodshed and eccentric slaughtering as the nowadays public demands, but it surely made an impression on me. Willard is a very atmospheric and often frightening horror storytelling with some adorable fairy-tale aspects and playfully imaginative aspects. Highly recommended. I saw this film at a during a festival-night…after a series of gory slashers. The over-enthusiast public didn't appreciate it that much but I trust in the fact that Willard will build up a solid cult reputation.

Glover perfectly cast

[rosscinema · 6/10 · 28 June 2004]

This is yet another remake of a 1970's film that was extremely popular in it's day and while I do think that the original was a tad scarier this version benefits from an effective job of casting. Story is about a nerdy loser named Willard Stiles (Crispin Glover) who lives with his old and sick mother Henrietta (Jackie Burroughs) and works in the office of a company that his deceased father started. Willard's boss is the tyrannical Frank Martin (R. Lee Ermey) who loathes him and berates him in front of the other workers. At work one morning Willard notices a pretty temp named Cathryn (Laura Harring) and she seems to feel sorry for him but he is much to shy to talk to her. One day at home Willard discovers rats in his cellar and contemplates killing them but he befriends a white rat and names him Socrates. He teaches his new friend and all the other rats to obey his commands but a very big rat that he calls Ben pops up and Willard talks to him and tells him that Socrates is in charge.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Henrietta dies after discovering the rats in the cellar and after the funeral Frank won't let anything stop him from getting the house that Willard grew up in and even fires Willard from his job. Willard has brought Socrates to work and hides him in the supply room but is discovered by one of the employees which results in Frank killing Socrates. That night Willard and Ben and the other rats pay Frank a visit and after they chew him to pieces Willard abandons them with the hope that they will all go away but they don't and now Willard is Ben's target for payback.

This film is directed by Glen Morgan who makes his debut as a director and he's well known as a producer and a writer. While I don't think that this is especially scary I have to admit that this film does establish a legitimate mood and eeriness that I found effective. Some of the scenes with the rats are computer generated and unless your deathly afraid of rodents this really doesn't come off as a horror film. The film benefits from two very good choices in it's casting and the first is Ermey as Frank and his background in the Marine Corps. comes to use as he yells and insults Willard. Glover is the key to this film and without him this would be a film easily forgotten but Glover is such a good actor that his performance makes the viewer believe his sadness and loneliness. My favorite scene takes place when Willard puts a poor cat in his house and when the cat looks at the ocean of rats in front of him he immediately starts to urinate on the floor! One aspect of the film clearly doesn't work and there is no way that Harring's character would be interested in someone like Willard. In real life she would pity him and that would be as far as she would go with it. On a trivia note, the photo's of Willards father is of actor Bruce Davison who starred in the original 1971 film. This remake does have it's moments but the best thing about this film isn't the rats but the effective performance by Glover.

sadistic...

[vespertine · 3/10 · 13 February 2005]

Watching Willard is rather like torture. It's not a boring movie, and it's got good production value, but it sucks you into a downward spiral that lacks any sort of catharsis. We are introduced to the character of Willard and come to sympathize with him, as his sick mother and holier-than-thou boss constantly berate and belittle him. But it seems that as soon as Willard has our sympathies, the movie plunges into his descent, and we the viewer are left absolutely helpless, thinking, "No, Willard! Don't do that!" At one point in the movie, I actually had to pause the DVD and take a breather in order to continue. I can't even remember the last time I had to do that. The movie left me feeling anxious, angry, and depressed, but without catharsis. I personally didn't feel it had any underlying value to it, and I didn't gain any fresh insight into life while watching it. However, this isn't to say that the movie is completely worthless. Although it left me with severely negative feelings, the production design was quite good (I enjoyed how everything about Willard himself was anachronistic), the acting was likewise fine, the cinematography was also great, and it DID manage to produce a strong reaction in me, albeit not a positive one. So I just thought i would warn the IMDb community that while this movie itself is not bad, it's not enjoyable. In fact, I would go so far as to call it a masochistic experience. You've been warned.

Glover at the height of his powers

[RJC-99 · 8/10 · 5 January 2005]

Gloriously weird, Crispin Glover's performance seems to boil out of the rage-fueled emotionalism of an era before Botox: think Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster, blended with the latter-day fragility and introspection of Sean Penn. This role gives him the room to show off some astonishing gifts.

Glover is the best but far from the only reason to recommend this remake, superior in most ways to the 70s original. (There's some homage along the way, including a tongue-in-cheek set piece done to Michael Jackson's famous warble, "Ben". How time has made that hymn to interspecies love sound creepy!) Writer-director Glen Morgan has crafted a chewy little parable about capitalism, and his sardonic depiction of the real rat race, with a reliably savage Lee Ermey flogging his office employees behind a motivational sign reading "Prudent Aggression," gives the film more than the usual B horror subtext. The production design is sweet, too.

A terribly nice 100 minutes, and one of the best B horrors since Reanimator.

Willard: 7/10

[movieguy1021 · 7/10 · 15 March 2003]

If you've ever wondered if rodents can get revenge, here's the answer. Willard has Willard Stiles as a sociopath loner who lives in his giant house with his mother, who is even harder to look at than Kathy Bates in the hot tub in About Schmidt. He's a drone at an office that his father made with Frank Martin (R. Lee Ermey). He's not really happy with his current life, and he is very timid and shy, but we can see when he's angry. One day, he finds a rat in his basement and grows to like him and calls him Socrates. Even better, it seems that Socrates can understand perfect English and follow orders from Willard. Soon, more rats move in, including the wanna-be top-dog Ben, and they follow everything that Willard says.

Willard is rather creepy, but the thing that pushes this movie is not the scares, nor all of the rats, but the performance by Crispin Glover. He, as Willard, plays his role to perfection. He didn't make me think that he was Glover, I thought of him as Willard. Many people know Glover as George McFly in the Back to the Future movies, but he's faded for awhile. He's back now, folks, and better than ever! Even if you hate horror movies, if you hate movies in general, if you hate Glover, go see this movie just to witness this extraordinary achievement in modern acting.

Something I thought of impressive was all of the camera angles. Many times, they were shot from dollies and cranes, making first-time director Glen Morgan look like a natural. Ermey was also incredible, and I thought he was very good for a veteran of the screen.

Laura Elena Harring, who was Rita in Mulholland Drive, has a `nothing role' as Catherine, one of Willard's co-workers who feels attracted to him. She isn't exactly the best part of the movie. One of them, however, is the music, which really set the mood. It added to the semi-scares that came about. I wasn't `freaked out', per se, but I was creeped for a majority of the movie.

I'm not sure of the rats were CGI, or if they were real. If they were CGI, they looked incredible. If they were real, it must have taken a lot of time to train them. If you are a huge animal lover, I wouldn't suggest seeing this movie that pushes the limits of PG-13. If you aren't however, or you just can stomach a lot, I would recommend Willard to you.

My rating: 7/10

Rated PG-13 for terror/violence, some sexual content and language.

The best movie to be releases this week.

[fatesmagician · 5/10 · 14 March 2003]

I went in to this movie with low expectations from all the bad press it had been getting. I guess all the people who didn't like Willard are the same ones who praised the piece of puppy pooh which is Tears of The Sun. Crispin Glover gives a powerful performance that carries this film and also helps the viewer to believe in his love for his, little friends. It was not perfect, by any means, but it was better then I had expected which is more then I can say for most of the movies I've seen this year. LONG LIVE THE RATS. 7 out of 10.