Little Shop of Horrors 4K review by Bobby Blakey
The world was first introduced to Seymour and Audrey in the 1960 film Little Shop of Horrors that also included a then unknown Jack Nicholson. In 1986 director and iconic puppeteer Frank Oz took the helm to remake the film into a comedy musical based on the stage production featuring an all-star cast including Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Academy Award Nominee Vincent Gardenia and Steve Martin and featuring Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold, Michelle Weeks, Jim Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Guest and Bill Murray. Could this cult classic musical still hit the right notes, or will it get gobbled up before the big finish?
Little Shop of Horrors follows an orphan and a nerd who works in a run-down flower shop on Skid Row – spends his time doing menial tasks and dreaming of his co-worker, Audrey. Then, one day, just after an eclipse of the sun, Seymour discovers a strange plant. The exotic plant draws customers, saves the flower shop from bankruptcy, and makes Seymour a hero in Audrey's eyes. But the plant has a rather unique appetite ... and it's getting interested in Audrey too.
I remember when I first discovered this film after its original release and became
one of my regular watches on cable. I don’t usually like musicals, but the silly fun of it all resonated with me for whatever reason. I haven’t watched it in years so wasn’t sure if I would connect with it in the same way upon revisiting it, but I was right back to singing along and shocked how much I still remembered.
It’s always entertaining to see young actors who have gone on to bigger things like Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold. I totally forgot they were part of the singing trio throughout the film. Part of the charm of this film is that the entire thing leans into the tongue in cheek nature with it feeling like a cartoon and silly yet still works. It screams stage production on a bigger scale, and I love the aesthetics to it and the world it creates.
As silly as the film is, the puppets bringing Audrey II to life are insanely impressive even to this day. The impressive work from the Jim Hensen company is still standout with not only the visuals, that is still impressive work, with the brilliant performance from the late Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops.
The entire cast is great and looks like they are all having a great time. Moranis is perfectly cast and revisiting it reminded me of his awkward brilliance as an actor and miss seeing him on the big screen. Even though they are all smaller roles with Martin having the biggest part, Candy, Murray and Martin steal the show and just add the fun and ridiculous characters this film needed to push it towards the wacky story it’s telling.
I dove right back in singing the songs, laughing out loud and having a great time. The high definition is fine for the film but doesn’t add all the much, but still a great chance to hit new audiences with the film that deserves to be seen.
Decide for yourself and grab your copy of Little Shop of Horrors available now on digital, 4K, Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Bros Home Entertainment.