When I came to Epinions almost a year and a half ago, I had to choose a name for myself. I named myself after a character in my favorite movie -- the Rocky Horror Picture Show. One of my first reviews (one of six I wrote the day I signed up) was on this very movie. It seemed like the perfect thing to write about. After all, it was one of my favorite movies, and I knew it like the back of my hand.

Before long, I my opinion started getting comments like this one:

One of your early reviews, I noticed...
by cgjerome

Maybe you want to come back and edit it a little, add some more? I know you can write MUCH better than this... C'mon... tell us what you REALLY think. Or are you going to leave us hanging in antici...

...pation? :-)

cgjerome

She was right, I didn't do this movie justice.

What? That is such a stupid movie!

Hey, shut-up. Yes, it's very campy. It is a spoof on so many things. You have the two good kids, Brad and Janet, who are played by Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon. They fill the role of the Frankie and Anette type characters in this movie. You know, those good, clean, fun type of kids our parents all want us to become. Add to this some cheesy Science-Fiction spoofs, some good ole' Rock and Roll and the free love era and all the experimentation that went along with it.

The movie opens as a musical with the two wholesome kids who are madly in love. An unexpected circumstance sends them looking for shelter, and what luck!

"Say, didn't we pass a castle..."

Yes, Brad, you did. And perhaps they have a telephone you could use. Hey, maybe they will even have a party going on, and you can learn some new campy dances, and experiment with an alternative lifestyle. Ah, but I digress.

Add to our Frankie and Anette heros our Frankenistien-esque anti-hero, aptly named Frank-N-Furter. He has created his own creation named Rocky, who is much more of a man than a monster. Does this sound a little weird so far? Good, it gets even more strange later.

You see, Frank has also created a device which can shoot a ray of "pure anti-matter." Yes Brad, a real working vibrator. This device is capable of sending things "through space, and who knows, maybe even time itself." Oh, and our charming host does things even more diabolical than that. This is just the beginning.

At some points, our host is comparable to Hanibal the Canibal, but that's "a rather tender subject. Another slice anyone?" He is also the embodiment of the free-love era. He is ready for sex with anyone, of any type, at any time. Our charming host even gets our virginal couple to experiment in ways you might not expect. But, as the film does, I will leave much of that to your imagination.

Frank is somewhat the evil dictator. Sure, he is incredibly charismatic. He is even very persuasive. He is also very diabolical, methodical, and calculated. Eventually, his minions turn on him. This is the point where we see his most human side, as he performs in a floor show for us.

The deluded Frank is brought to tears as he remembers life as it was, and imagines himself being the ultimate hero. He is brought back into reality by my name-sake, and her brother/lover Riff Raff. At the climax of the movie, Frank's plaything, Rocky, picks him up like Fay Wray in King Kong and climbs a model of the famous RKO tower. Frank's dream, the movie, and the tower all come crashing down around him.

When the dust settles, only our two heros, those good-clean-fun kids, Brad and Janet, and Dr. Scott (a meddlesome professor) are left. It's tragic, in a very corny sort of way. We are left without knowing what becomes of the couple. Oh wait, that's why the God-awful sequel, Shock Treatment was created.

So as you can see, the plot is very convoluted.

But why would anyone want to see a movie about a mad-scientist transvestite? Why did she name herself after one of the characters in this bizarre movie? Why is she giving it so many stars? How could such a movie become a cult classic?

Whoa, Nelly. Chill. I can explain it all in one word. Exuberance.

Exuberance? Do explain your point, please.

Let me give you a little history lesson first. This movie bombed in theatres.

There's a surprise

Yeah, yeah. Well, anyway, a strange event started happened. In New York City, legions of fans started coming out of the wood-work for midnight showings of this movie. Soon more and more people were coming. Audience members memorized the script, and sang and spoke along with their favorite characters. People started bringing props and wearing costumes. Some people even started acting on stage while the movie was playing. Even more strange, this formula of midnight showings in metro-areas worked across the U.S. Soon, Rocky was a cult-event that no one could deny.

And why wouldn't it be? That exuberance I was talking about was there. The songs made you want to get up and dance. The message in the film is one where everyone (no matter how freaky) is accepted. The film works in so many bits of pop-culture that we all identify with. Yes, this movie is an exuberant mixture of pop-culture and acceptance of differences which gets everyone involved. Well, almost everyone.

There are always some people who will not like this movie. They think it is too liberal, or too weird, or two gay. Ok. I can accept that. Just accept that there are some people who enjoy the movie because it is a big spoof, and it is fun!

So there will always be a cult-following (especially at Halloween) of freaks, getting together, dressing as characters, calling out lines from the movie (and responding to them with their own "call-backs"). This is a fun movie which you should see at some point in your life. In fact, in some circles, the movie is a rite-of-passage. People who have never seen it are called "virgins", and at live showings, they might even have cherries thrown at them.

So why did I choose this movie to write about? Well, other than being one of my favorite movies, it was, one of the first reviews I wrote. And yes, I did not do the movie justice at that time. When Scmrak suggest a "Re-Write-Off" I thought it was a great idea. I got to work, wrote my review, and lost it into the abyss of cyber-space. So now, I present to you, my third review of this movie, as my entry in this write off.

Here are the rest of the participants in the write-off:

1truluv adjensen arada392 bermudabum bmcnichol cartman_2k ChrisJarmick colldy ed_grover eplovejoy fallyn96 jankp jcvsmom jo.com joubert korova lynnzop machkick magenta321 msmorvay naphtalia nfp proeditor
quasar saxguy scmrak sloucho Social14 tinasamuels

Or, you can go to Eplovejoy's profile page for a link to each review. You can find him at http://magentasepinionland.epinions.com/user-eplovejoy.

Enjoy the movie, and the other rewrites submitted in this write-off.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older