The Sci-Fi Horror Thriller Comic Book Classic Every Fan Should See, Stream Without Netflix
Prior to 1982, DC comic book characters that graced the big screen had been big name heroes from long-running books. Batman (1966), Superman (1978), and Superman 2 (1980) showed that caped heroes can do great at the box office, but prompted the question of whether or not a non-traditional hero could do the same. Swamp Thing the movie marked the first time DC tried it, and the wonderful result is now streaming for free more than 40 years later.
Swamp Thing
The Swamp Thing movie follows scientist Alec Holland (Ray Wise) and his team’s work at a facility deep in the swamps of Louisiana. After the death of one of the scientists working on a bioengineering project, young Alice Cable (Adrienne Barbeau) takes a boat to the remote location to take his place.
Alice arrives in time to see one of the experiments yield an explosive device that is made from plant-based materials that also possesses the ability to generate rapid plant growth.
Terrorists Strike
A group of terrorists led by the evil Anton Arcane (Louis Jourdan) make their way to the facility to steal Alec’s research.
After shooting and killing Alec’s sister Linda, Arcane tries to steal the scientist’s top-secret formula. Before he can succeed, Alec attempts to hurl a beaker full of the plant-based experiment at him.
The Birth Of Swamp Thing
But Alec stumbles and dumps the contents of the beaker onto himself and winds up setting himself on fire. Swamp Thing has the film’s hero leap into the water to extinguish the flames as a series of green lights and explosions emanate from where he leaped.
The movie continues with everyone assuming that Alec is dead as Arcane and his cronies destroy the facility and steal Alec’s notebooks and formulas.
When Arcane’s hired goons try to kill Alice in the swamp the next day, they are greeted by an enormous green humanoid that chases them off in terror. Referred to as the Swamp Thing, it is revealed that the creature is Alec after the chemical fire transformed him.
Swamp Thing has regenerative and restorative powers and is capable of healing injured people and reviving several people from death in the movie.
Not A Huge Budget
Alice and her son Jude are relentlessly pursued and captured by Arcane, prompting Swamp Thing to become an army of one and save the day.
The movie becomes a race to see if the new incarnation of Alec will be strong enough and crafty enough to get Alice and Jude out alive.
Swamp Thing shows that a comic book character doesn’t need to have a giant budget thrown behind it when the time comes for a cinematic adaptation.
On a 1982 budget of only $2.5 million, director Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street) was able to work with realistic sets and with great performers.
The studio utilized the Cypress Gardens nature preserve in South Carolina to give it the perfect real-life setting for the production and added more than just a touch of realism.
Stream It Now
GFR SCORE
Swamp Thing brought together the acting talents of legendary French actor Louis Jourdan and American scream queen Adrienne Barbeau.
Their respective portrayals of Anton Arcane and Alice Cable gave the movie the perfect pair of enemies whose on screen chemistry appeared as real as the ones they were making in the laboratory.
More than 40 years after its theatrical release, Swamp Thing remains one of the better film adaptations of comic characters, relying on better material and much more interesting storytelling than much of what the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been churning out over the last few years.
The movie certainly worked to give the comic book itself an honorable homage.
Swamp Thing is a must-see movie for fans of the character or science fiction fans.
You can stream Swamp Thing for free with Tubi or catch the movie On Demand with Prime, Vudu, Google Play, and AppleTV.
