Rating: 3.5/5
Hoop-Tober | 7/31 | Decades 7/10 | 50s
Steve and Jane make out at Lovers’ Lane. A whistling red meteor falls from the sky. Steve speeds off in his Plymouth Cranbrook convertible, establishing first-time lead Steve McQueen as a car guy.
A barking dog wakes old man Barney. Oil lamp in tow, he goes out to see what has the dog in a fit. There, he finds the meteor, no bigger than a softball. He pokes the meteor with a stick. The rock is soft and cracked. Inside lay a small, mucusy blob. Barney pulls it onto his stick. The glob rushes up the rock, overtaking Barney and sending him racing into the woods.
Barney emerges from the woods. Steve accidentally hits Barney with his car. Steve and Jane pick up Barney and take him to Dr. Hallen. When they pull back the blanket over Barney’s hand, the blob on Barney’s hand has grown bigger.
This film established Steve McQueen as a leading man. It was also Burt Bacharach’s big break with his theme for The Blob.
The film wasn’t a success — the silly special effects and sluggish pacing turned a lot of folks off. But the movie holds up way better than a lot of its contemporaries. It’s not a hidden masterpiece or anything, but it’s enjoyable throughout.