Swamp Thing (1982)

Cast:

Louis "I was brought back for the Return of Swamp Thing?" Jourdan is Dr. Anton Arcane
Adrienne "Call me Billie from Creepshow!!" Barbeau is Alice Cable
Ray Wise is Doctor Alec Holland
David Hess is Ferret
Nicholas "I was in Circuitry Man 2: Plughead's Revenge?" Worth is Bruno

What the IMDB says about the plot:

Dr. Alec Holland, hidden away in the depths of a murky swamp, is trying to create a new species - a combination of animal and plant capable of adapting and thriving in the harshest conditions. Unfortunately he becomes subject of his own creation and is transformed . . . Arcane, desperate for the formula attempts to capture the Swamp Thing. An explosive chase ensues that ultimately ends with a confrontation between Holland and a changed Arcane . . .

Plot:

Government troubleshooter, Alice Cable is brought to the swamp where scientific genius Alec Holland is working. She meets the illustrious genius who's trying to create a formula that crosses a plant with an animal survival instinct.

This is not a formula swiped from Dr. Herbert West...

Unfortunately, Anton Arcane and his mercenaries attack the lab. Arcane threatens to have Linda, Holland's sister, shot if he doesn't give the formula. She breaks away and gets shot. Alec is caught on fire and runs into the swamp. The mercenaries get rid of the witnesses.

Duck and cover also works for deranged millionaires mercenaries... They catch Alice and are about to drown her into the swamp when SWAMP THING strikes and rescues her.

Arcane examines Holland's work unfortunately, he doesn't have Holland's last notebook. He's told about some monster rescuing Alice.

Alice heads off and reaches a gas station, calling her superiors to report.

Why does the swamp need a gas station? However, she's unaware that Arcane has impersonated her boss. She sees Arcane's mercenaries approaching. Heading back into the swamp, Swamp Thing rescues her again.
My Rambo impression isn't going to stop the angry plant-monster.. Alice shooes him away afterwards.

Arcane wants his goons to catch Alice who has Holland's last notebook and use her as bait to catch Swamp Thing.

Swamp Thing returns to the wreckage of the lab. Alice and Jude, the boy who runs the gas station, pull up to the dock.

The goons search for Swamp Thing who gets the drop on them and let the swamp boat explosions ensue.

Can't have any move in a swamp without a boat being thrown out of the water..

Alice leaves Jude behind. The goons attack Jude and grab Alice. Later, Swamp Thing finds and heals Jude.

Alice is brought to Arcane's boat. She jumps overboard and reaches the shore. Yes, Swamp Thing to her rescue. Finally, he talks, and Alice realizes that he is Holland.

A woman torn between her career and love with Swamp Thin on the next Springer...

Goons grab Alice. Swamp Thing comes to her rescue again but is caught in a net. Later, at Arcane's mansion, let the celebration ensue. Arcane slips the formula to Bruno, goon who morphs into some disfigured midget.

In the dungeon, Arcane questions Swamp Thing about why Bruno got midget-ified. Apparently, the formula magnifies more of what you really are. Arcane runs off to try the formula himself and the transformation begins on him.

Swamp Thing is able to reach the sunlight which heals him, freeing himself and Alice. Bruno runs to warn them how the monsterfied Arcane will be after them and how to escape into the swamp. Wolfied Anton Arcane is in hot pursuit.

Swamp, Wolfied Anton Arcane versus Swamp Thing. The fight is on.

There's a wolf monster attacking the Lady in the Swamp? Wolfied Anton Arcane stabs Alice. Swamp Thing stabs Arcane and heals Alice. As monster fights go Wolfied Arcane isn't dead until Swamp Thing impales him with the sword.

Alice and Swamp Thing head off into the swamp. She wants to go with him but he leaves her behind.

It's kind of like the end of Shane Jude catches up with her and is sure that Swamp Thing will return.

What I say:

One of the first comic book to movie translations, Swamp Thing doesn't quite get the acknowledgement it should had it been about a more famous character. Swamp Thing was never in the same vein as DC's main super heroes like Bat Man or Superman. Marvel Comics even had their own version, Man-Thing as more a rampaging monster and didn't get a movie until the last few years. Swamp Thing was more horror-focused especially after Alan Moore really started the true Brit-writer comic book invasion in the 80s.

For mainly being known a second tier comic book character. Swamp Thing has quite a resume. Our vegetable man has had 2 movies. The first with Adrienne Barbeau, and the second even with Heather Locklear? A toy line. A cartoon series or at least a few episode pilot that fell apart. A USA Network series for 3 seasons.

"The swamp is my world. It is who I am; it is what I am. I was once a man. I know the evil men do. Do not bring your evil here, I warn you. Beware the wrath of Swamp Thing."
Sorry, I had to include the series opening narration...

The 1970s saw Wes Craven directing some pretty brutal movies: Hills Have Eyes and Last House on the Left. How did Craven managed to go from this movie to Nightmare on Elm Street? Well, the TV-movie Chiller was between them. After the Scream movies, he directed the most terrifying movie of the past 2 decades: Music of my Heart with the monstrous Meryl Streep.

Movie monsters crawling from the water. The good ones do come around from time to time like Creature From the Black Lagoon. We still have to endure the ones like Creature From the Haunted Sea, Curse of the Swamp Monster, and Zaat. Typically, we have some monster rampaging and must be stopped.

In the 70s and the early 80s, Adrienne Barbeau had the Fog and Escape From New York (Can you guess she was married to John Carpenter at this time?). The first of the movie, she is to be the tough competent government agent. By the half, she is running around, screams to be rescued, and repeats. Well, with a movie about Swamp Thing who needs goons to fight, Adrienne isn't going to be the tough as nails, Kung Fuin' female character, we've grown used at this point.

Off the top of my head, most movie villains that want to use some super-formula, they'll test it on themselves to disastrous results. Arcane actually tests the formula on someone else before himself. After seeing the results, he does question why it didn't work like it did on Holland. However, wouldn't something that turns somebody from a veritable giant of a man into a midget be something one would want to wait longer before testing on oneself? The monolguing about using a formula to accelerate one's superiority does get a bit tiring. After the ingestion, Arcane becomes some sort of wolf monster who loves to growl.

I've not seen any Louis Jourdan roles other than Octopussy, Return of Swamp Thing, and maybe a couple of TV guest starring episodes. He definitely can do the slimy, urbane mastermind villain type to a T.

The Swamp Thing costume was from back in the day of actual foam-laytex monster suits. I've ranted numerous times about how pathetic bad CG monsters ruin movies. Bad foam suits don't seem as bad. While the Swamp Thing suit looks fairly close to the comic book version. The Wolfman Arcane suit was pretty funny. In the comics, Arcane popped up numerous times in various monster forms and super-creepy-elderly form, as well.

Sadly, Dick Durock better known as Swamp Thing in both movies and for the 3 season USA show, passed away a couple of months ago.

Quotable Dialogue
"You think the Pope is Catholic?"
"I thought Arcane was dead?"
"We thin he bought the farm or the vegetable patch."
"Everything's a dream when you're alone."
"He'll be back..."
Morals of the Story
Possums love to swim...
Gas stations in the swamp are required to have phone booths.
Vending machines need to be punched.
Monsters can be "shoo"-ed away.
Healing has a bright energy glow.
Plants regenerate like lizards.
Inside every giant is a midget.
Wolf monsters are expert sword-masters.