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Old 01-24-2017, 08:56 AM
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TheUltimateDreamWarrior TheUltimateDreamWarrior is offline
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It's Alive (1974) - Is the Main Character Likable? Yea or nay?

I didn't really like Frank Davis (John Ryan). I thought he was an unlikable protagonist, a jerk. Yes, I know the baby's a mutant but if I was his wife I would have divorced him after all that took place. That ending tore my heart out. It was so grim. What did you think? Do you think he's a likable character or not. It wasn't a bad film, I just didn't like the main character. The only other film that made me that mad was Angst (1983). I think a film that can anger its audience is a powerful film.

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Old 01-24-2017, 10:30 AM
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IT'S ALIVE 75!!
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Old 01-24-2017, 11:55 AM
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SPOILERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS:::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
MoreS'ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssss



Interesting post, UDW. I really enjoy It's Alive and I have since I saw it at the drive-in when it first was released. Pretty sure I was well under age and I thank my parents for their rare lapse in judgement.
I think the Character, Frank(enstein) Davis has to do some pretty awful things in the movie, so he has a strike against him from the jump. No dude who has to hunt down and kill his own baby is going to win any Father off the Year award, nor will he make fans of movie goers.
I do think the film maker, Larry Cohen does make an effort to show Frank's likeable traits, his affection for his son and his sense of humor, for instance. But he doesn't want seem awfully sensitive to his wife's feelings at all, and his absolute lack of grace under pressure only serves to make the horrible Killer Baby situation that much worse. I guess my answer would be no, Frank Davis isn't a sympathetic or likable character.
That said, I think the character's likability is hampered by the actor who plays him. I can attest to John Ryan's talent, as I've seen him in dozens of solid parts over the years, but I don't find it particularly pleasant to watch him perform. I'm not saying every fan finds him kind of...weasely and...I don't know, mottled? but I don't like his damn face!

And not fer nuthin, but I love Angst. One of our regs, Deadbeat At Dawn recommended it and I was blown away.
I absolutely agree, a powerful film.

Last edited by Repo'd; 01-24-2017 at 12:13 PM.
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Old 01-24-2017, 01:22 PM
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TheUltimateDreamWarrior TheUltimateDreamWarrior is offline
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Originally Posted by Angra View Post
IT'S ALIVE 75!!
Is the Mandela Effect happening here, because I just checked Wikipedia and it says the initial release date for It's Alive was October 18, 1974? Which one of us is dimension hopping, Angra?
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"O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams." - Shakespeare, Hamlet Act 2, Scene 2
Quote:
"Fool: Well I don't want in, I want out.
Alice: Sometimes 'in' is out." - Wes Craven, People Under the Stairs
Quote:
"I take back every bit of energy I gave you. You're nothing. You're $%^&." - Wes Craven, A Nightmare on Elm Street
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Old 01-24-2017, 01:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Repo'd View Post
SPOILERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS:::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
MoreS'ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssss



Interesting post, UDW. I really enjoy It's Alive and I have since I saw it at the drive-in when it first was released. Pretty sure I was well under age and I thank my parents for their rare lapse in judgement.
I think the Character, Frank(enstein) Davis has to do some pretty awful things in the movie, so he has a strike against him from the jump. No dude who has to hunt down and kill his own baby is going to win any Father off the Year award, nor will he make fans of movie goers.
I do think the film maker, Larry Cohen does make an effort to show Frank's likeable traits, his affection for his son and his sense of humor, for instance. But he doesn't want seem awfully sensitive to his wife's feelings at all, and his absolute lack of grace under pressure only serves to make the horrible Killer Baby situation that much worse. I guess my answer would be no, Frank Davis isn't a sympathetic or likable character.
That said, I think the character's likability is hampered by the actor who plays him. I can attest to John Ryan's talent, as I've seen him in dozens of solid parts over the years, but I don't find it particularly pleasant to watch him perform. I'm not saying every fan finds him kind of...weasely and...I don't know, mottled? but I don't like his damn face!

And not fer nuthin, but I love Angst. One of our regs, Deadbeat At Dawn recommended it and I was blown away.
I absolutely agree, a powerful film.
I guess you're right. I should go back and rewatch it. Frank just seems so crude of a character in that film. The ending scene only added to my dislike of him. I guess the same could be said about Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead. I've heard fans say that they liked the show, at first, but then Rick started becoming an unlikable character. In my opinion, except for a few characters like Dale, there are a lot of unlikeable characters in that show that the audience related to and I didn't.

I guess that's the truth about life, though. When it comes to human beings we see both the strengths and weakness of others once we get to know them. Maybe that's what both the creators of The Walking Dead and It's Alive were trying to show us, that these characters are flawed, they're not perfect, they're just people.

I agree with you. John Ryan does look weaselly and mottled. I hate to pass judgment but it's the truth. He has a harsh cold look about him, that makes audience members like myself subconsciously associate him with someone who is unlikeable. He seems so angry in that film.

I should have put a SPOILER ALERT in the title of this thread. If a moderator wants to do so be my guest.
__________________
Quote:
"O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams." - Shakespeare, Hamlet Act 2, Scene 2
Quote:
"Fool: Well I don't want in, I want out.
Alice: Sometimes 'in' is out." - Wes Craven, People Under the Stairs
Quote:
"I take back every bit of energy I gave you. You're nothing. You're $%^&." - Wes Craven, A Nightmare on Elm Street
The Ultimate Dream Warrior
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  #6  
Old 05-17-2018, 09:36 AM
idoneus1957 idoneus1957 is offline
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level of violence

It's Alive is one of those movies where people who haven't scene it think it's more gory than it actually is. Another is Texas Chain Saw Massacre (the original.)
The director of It's Alive is always complaining about the ratings board. He says they are arbitrary, and unfair, and let the major studios get away with stuff that they don't let the independents get away with. I think the original It's Alive was rated gp, and they rated the sequel R. Cohen protested that it was just like the first movie in terms of violence, sex, bad language, etc. They answered something like "We just feel that parents would expect us to give an R rating to this type of movie."
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Old 05-17-2018, 10:00 AM
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I've never seen the movie but I hate jerk heroes too. Those types of heroes seem to be a lot more common in action movies than in horror movies though.

Also the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacere was pretty gory but I never saw the original.

Last edited by LuvablePsycho; 05-17-2018 at 10:02 AM.
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