it is weird movie at any point. It was beautiful movie. This is probably the word that describes it best. It may sound stupid, but I know that I have a good taste in movies. *coughs* That's why I can say that "Willard" is definitely one of the best recent movies and I can tell that it is not just personal opinion, it is one of the best movies. If it is a bad movie, then what do you consider a good movie?.. OK, it worked just because of Crispin Glover. He glued everything together. Without him it would be stupid and pointless. But he makes the concept believable. It should of get a few Oscar nomination, that's for sure, but no one surprised that it didn't. The music score was really outstanding, gave it a real feeling, kudos to composer. Definitely deserves an Oscar nom. The production design as well. Superb atmosphere. CGI was great! It was a real surprise and delight to see that CGI is great. Glen Morgan, he did such a great job. He had some small mistakes, but he is way much more superior than today's directors. It still hard to say about his style, because there is a lot of Hitchcock in him, but he did a great job in "Willard" without doubt. Kudos! Now, the acting. What can I say about Crispin Glover? He is a genius! An absolutely amazing genius! The Academy is just an ass, but it is not surprise. But he definitely deserves an Oscar, he owns it, it is THE best performance of 2003! He scared me to death, in good way. He has so much emotion in him, I couldn't believe how amazing his performance is! I have no right words to give him a credit. I'm just speechless… R. Lee Ermey, I like him a lot. He is one of my favorites too. Such a fun man. Kudos to you, R. Lee Ermey! Jackie Barroughs…creepy! In a good way, she did a great job, she really is! I mean, without her scary mother the movie wouldn't be the same! Laura Harring, I like her too, she was great in "Mullholand Drive". I know some people say that she was completely wasted and they right, but she still was a nice touch. I mean, it is always nice to look at her, she has that good quality about her. I don't know, but maybe she regret that she wasted her time here, but if I could I would say to her, that I think it's better to be a part of this labor of love, than some crappy Hollywood s***. If you watch deleted scenes on DVD it doesn't seem like she is wasted at all. And, the end. I like the new ending better, because it gives you to think about more, the old ending, IMHO, is quite pointless. So, to end the review. It is a masterpiece on its own right. It is an absolutely beautiful movie. So sensitive, so atmospheric, so emotional. My eyes were just glued to the screen. I know that Glen Morgan feels bad about the movie's failure, but he shouldn't, it was not his fault! It IS a great movie! When it ended I hoped that the teenagers will love it I'm a teenager, myself , because the studio target at them, I hoped that this beautiful movie will be an exception, when they gonna love it for not being a usual stupid movies. But when they didn't, I just realized that some people will always be stupid no matter what. Well, their loss. It is one of my favorites. It is a deep, emotional movie. I'm sure Crispin Glover would be happy to know that "Willard" makes people think. It really is, esp. about human condition. I thought a lot about this movie and I'm not the only one. I recommend it highly. Definitely 10/10.

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...

marketing Willard as a horror flick, since that is what would inevitably sell better. But Willard is really more of a movie for people who genuinely like rats, not those who fear them. It's a movie for people who find greater horror in failure and abuse and solitude than buckets of blood and gore. Willard is the kind of movie that aims to make you uncomfortable, but not truly horrified. It uses few of the common elements of the horror movie, including graphic violence, deformity, fear of the unknown, and sudden, unexpected movement or loud noises to propel you from your seat. It is slow moving and subtle, and often uses crude humor to detract from the more creepy moments. It shows itself as a juvenile in those moments, a child who has put on his father's suit and is masquerading as a serious adult. It is much like the character of Willard, in that sense, and the coincidence is almost admirable.The movie is unquestionably more subtle, evocative, and well-crafted than its predecessor; it is also more faithful to the original novel, Ratman's Notebooks, than the version starring Bruce Davison. It's a dubious honor, some might say.Willard deserves no prizes, but it is well-made to be what it is... not a horror movie, nor a drama, nor a thriller. It's an intimate little movie about a boy and his rat, and it is all the better for it.

has a serious rat infestation. Willard befriends the rats and is able to command them to do his bidding. One of the rats, Ben, begins to feel resentment toward Willard due to his bullying and soon begins a sort of ratlike revolt. There were scenes in this film that scared the hell out of me. There's one scene involving a cat that I had to cover my eyes at. Crispin Glover plays Willard with so much personality and charisma, and yet I was able to forget that he was Crispin Glover due to his completely pitiful and grim situation and how quickly things go bad for him. There were some very clever little homages to the original. The portrait of the actor on the wall and the use of the song 'Ben' by Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 were on display in a way that didn't call so much attention to itself to remind you that it's a remake, but rather they were neat little trinkets put in the film for those who are fans. The house that Willard occupies looks like the Bates Motel. The scene where he attempts to kill himself had me in tears. I haven't even mentioned Socrates yet! Oh man. This film is funny as hell too. The scene where Willard goes to his bosses garage has hilarious. The film manages to stay just on that right balance of horror and comedy and is able to switch in a way that does catch the viewer off guard, like the scene with the dog barking at Willard while he's walking home. Willard's mother was creepy as hell. Willard's boss, played by R Lee Ermney, was ridiculously cruel but still incredibly believable to me. The whole film was really creepy and it ends on a very creepy note. The film's goal was obviously to make the audience sympathize with Willard. I think it pulled this off perfectly. I felt remarkably bad for him and when he starts going off the deep end and gets crazy I wasn't surprised and felt even worse because I wanted things to turn out better. This film was an emotional experience for me and I applaud Crispin Glover and director Glen Morgan for pulling off such a wonderful film.PROS: -Scary atmosphere -Top notch performance by Crispin Glover -A chilling ending -Successfully a horrifying and disturbing film -cool homages to the original CONS: -The PG-13 rating is misleading. The film is really full of very mature and dark themes and I think an R rating would be more appropriate.

many lines and moments you will long remember.

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.

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'

it, which gives every element of it more weight. The plot focuses on a loner named Willard Stiles. Willard lives with his aging, decrepit mother in an old house. Willard works for a Mr Martin, the partner of his father in the business that belonged to the pair of them. There's some litigation that says Martin can't fire Willard - but that doesn't stop him trying! Feeling humiliated at work and at the hands of his mother, Willard turns to the rats in his cellar for friendship...One of my main criticisms of the 1971 original was that Bruce Davison wasn't creepy enough for the role. That problem has certainly been solved here as Crispin Glover was pretty much born to play this part! Glover fits the role like a glove, and even manages to convince during Willard's outburst scenes, which in fairness are pretty pathetic. The Ernest Borgnine role is taken over by R. Lee Ermey, who again fits into the role nicely. He's excellent at the sadistic roles, and this film enforces that. The opening credit sequence will give you a pretty good idea of what you're in for - director Glen Morgan has given the film a dark fantasy feel, which is brought about by the eerie old house in which most of the film takes place and the dark cinematography. The rats themselves are made much better use of in this film too, and the central pair of Socrates and Ben are almost given a human character. There's a fair bit of gore, and while the special effects can sometimes go over the top; that always fits with the style of the film. The director wasn't afraid to take a chance either - the sequence with a cat and the Jackson 5's "Ben" really ran the risk of being a little too silly, but again it comes off well. Overall, this remake is a really good film and easily one of the best modern re-imaging's. Highly recommended!