"I think I need a root canal.
I definitely need a long, slow root canal."
Gotta love the 80’s…
A geeky florist gets his shot at romance with the help of a giant, alien, man-eating plant who demands blood.
Not being a fan of musicals, I wasn’t expecting to like ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ but I was pleasantly surprised. The music was catchy, the humour was good and the cast were excellent.
There are so many pop culture references to the film that I never even knew about until I saw the film, I’ll not be able to watch a lot of 'Family Guy' the same way again...
I can understand why it's so loved by so many generations.
Rick Moranis was perfect for the role of Seymour Krelborn and his chemistry with the evil plant, Audrey II, is better than with Audrey herself who is played by the forgettable Ellen Greene. I revelled in the fact that everything you see in the film is practical effects. The plant was designed and operated by veterans of the Jim Henson Company, the same company who did shows like ‘The Muppets’ and one of the operators was Brian Henson, Jim Henson’s son. With a team like that behind the puppeteering it's always going to be something special.
How Audrey II develops is fascinating, it slowly grows and develops from scene to scene, depending on how much it is being fed...
It's given so much personality that you forget that it’s a puppet. The finale is, of course, the pies de resistance of the puppeteering. There’s so much going on in each shot, from the singing plant to it’s little offspring and it all culminates into a spectacle that you just couldn’t capture with CGI. Levi Stubbs also adds another dimension to the character with his sizzling vocals and soulful voice.
The way the film is designed is interesting because it actually feels like you’re watching a stage play. All the sets look like sets and the characters are all breaking the fourth wall with the audience. It is fun and light hearted and you get the feeling that the cast are all genuinely enjoying themselves.
The songs were hit and miss for me.
Maybe it's because I'm not a big fan of musicals but the songs were my least favourite part of the film. The 50’s vibe that the soundtrack gives off is fun with songs like ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ and ‘Da-Doo’ which stand out to me. Levi Stubbs singing 'Mean Green Mother From Outer Space' is so soulful, badass and very... very 80's.
Other than a few other memorable tracks, the rest of the soundtrack was forgettable to me but that may be because I didn't see it in my childhood so the nostalgia factor isn't there for me.
Steve Martin steals the show as Orin Scrivello - D.D.S. He’s a comedy legend and I’d never seen or heard of him in this role before. He’s so dark and on the verge of pantomime but he gives a very intelligent and comedic performance as the psychotic dentist.
Bill Murray making an appearance as the twisted and kinky dentist patient, Arthur Denton, also made my day.
There are so many great cameos in the film from extremely well known actors that it's a fun surprise when another well known face pops up in a scene out of nowhere.
After doing a little research into the film, I discovered that there was an original ending that was 100% better than the theatrical ending that is in the final film. I feel relatively free to talk about the ending because I think I’m one of the few people on the planet from my generation that hadn’t actually seen ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ until now. The alternate ending starts with Audrey II eating Seymour which leads to the plant getting worldwide distribution. Absolute carnage breaks out with hundreds of plants attacking New York and killing everyone and everything in sight. Audrey II scales the Statue of Liberty and it ends with an ominous “THE END!?!?”. This alternate ending feels more like a 50’s monster flick, reminiscent of films like 'The Blob’ or ‘Attack of the 50 foot Woman’ which is a lot more in tone with the style of the rest of the film. Disappointing that it never made the cut.
There’s a lot to like about ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ and I’d definitely like to see the stage production after seeing the film.
It’s a nostalgic feeling film that has a lot of fun with some big musical numbers and a lot of phenomenal practical effects.
If you haven’t seen it then you must have been living under a rock like me…
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