by Ed Travis
When Olive Films announced their July lineup of titles getting the Blu-ray treatment, Wild Thing stood out from the pack. How could a 1980s set and shot urban vigilante Tarzan homage / superhero origin movie exist and I not even know about it? After seeing the film and doing a cursory glance around the internet, it does seem to be a largely forgotten footnote of 1980s pop cinema. And that’s kind of sad because Wild Thing follows a time-honored formula that is being regurgitated over and over again today in comic book blockbusters that are earning hundreds of millions of dollars. Was Wild Thing ahead of its time? Or does it deserve its lot in life as a curious 1980s footnote?
There are a number of endearing elements to Wild Thing. Being based upon Edgar Rice Burroughs’ most famous creation, Tarzan, is the biggest thing it has going for it. Not to mention a script from the great John Sayles (Alligator, The Howling, Lone Star). You’ve also got perennial baddie Robert Davi playing… a perennial baddie who killed a young boy’s hippie parents back in the 1960s. Because you already know without even seeing this movie… that young boy would grow up in the urban wilds of New York City to become Wild Thing! Other incredibly likeable elements to this film include the conspiracy theorist narrative that Wild Thing comes to adopt as his worldview which is imparted to him by the clearly “not right” homeless lady who raises him like a mother. This narrative includes a healthy fear of “white coats” and cops which ensures that Wild Thing, once truly on his own, stays borderline feral and distrustful of society. There’s also a 1980s magical realist New York City setting that includes period appropriate hip hop styles and sounds. Wild Thing learns all about sex and tai chi from spying on NYC residents, and ultimately adopts a cat sidekick, too. He adds repelling and a homemade crossbow to his repertoire and he’s ready to battle evil by the time this film’s version of Jane shows up.
Less successful is the casting of Wild Thing (Robert Knepper trying hard, but never feeling entirely comfortable in the role). Kathleen Quinlan as Jane is just fine, but her character is sadly unbelievable. Falling for Wild Thing romantically just never feels believable on any level, and the film would’ve been stronger without this forced romance.
One could do worse than to guess that many of the fun touches found throughout the film such as Wild Thing’s cat companion and crossbow were brought to the project by Sayles. But where ever the little details came from, come they did. And they’re the reason to dig Wild Thing out from the vault of forgotten films and take it all in. Add to that a superhero origin structure (which used to feel awe-inspiring to the kid in us all before superhero mania hit cinemas and rendered the origin story inert), the set design and art direction, and a few clever action set pieces, and you’ve got a super mainstream and easily digestible piece of 1980s nostalgia that’s almost guaranteed to put a smile or two on your face, even if it’s almost as certain to cause an eye roll or three.
Fans of Tarzan or Batman or simply 1980s cinema should definitely seek out Wild Thing as a harmless curiosity, if not essential viewing. This latest Olive Films release must be the ultimate way to discover the film for modern audiences. As per Olive’s mode of operation, you get only the movie here, with no bells and whistles, but a decent high definition transfer. If the mere existence of this movie is news to you as it was to me, but your curiosity is piqued, then by all means, determine for yourself if you’ll love the Wild Thing for sure.
And I’m Out.
Wild Thing is now available on Blu-ray from Olive Films