This is another instance where I can’t remember what came first, the reading of the novelization or the discovery of the movie in Comics Scene #7. I know Fangoria covered it in issue #82, but with that one I know for a fact I didn’t read that article until after I owned Comics Scene #7. At any rate my go-to memory concerning this film is after I bought the novelization at the local bookstore downtown, The Berkshire Bookshop. One of two bookstores we used to have, the other being The Bookend on Main Street. Both have been out of business for decades now. I can’t remember the exact moment I bought it, but the moment that always creeps up is after I bought it and read it, when I was in the store again, I saw a couple of semi-hot girls point out the book, and one of them said to the other, “I’m dying to see this.”

The novelization was excellent, but I had doubts long before I saw it whether it would match the book. Everything I had seen in Fangoria and Comics Scene made it look good, but not quite to the scope the book laid out. And when I finally did see it, I’ll admit I was disappointed, and that’s putting it mildly. It was nothing like the book, and because of that I remembering chucking the book in the garbage after I saw it on cable one night. To date we still haven’t had a worthy Swamp Thing movie, but at least Wes Craven’s film tried to take the material seriously, Wynorski’s film is so camp it almost feels like they modeled it after the Adam West Batman series of the sixties. What I think Wynorski did right and probably better in his film than Craven’s are the action scenes with Swampy whooping mutant ass. Those scenes are shot very theatrically, very big, and probably where most of the money was allocated (Wynorski says in his interview on the disc the money went to creating the sets). The second place, I assume, Wynorski put his cash is with the effects. There are more monsters in this one and those practical effects look great! What I remember disappointing me was everything in between, and nothing more disappointing was hearing Swamp Thing speak like a human being, in complete sentences, I mean. At least Craven did that better, showing a creature who may be able to think what he wants to say as clearly and concise as he used to when he was human, but in his new form not being able to, thoughts coming out in short, struggling bursts. I will say, though, the opening credits in Wynorski’s sequel, showing actual panels from various Swamp Thing comics is brilliant! It reminded me of the opening of Flash Gordon (1980).

Article from Fangoria #82. Click photos to enlarge and read. 

When I first read about this I had some concerns whether this was a true sequel or not, since Anton Arcane (Louis Jourdan) is still the main villain. How is that possible when Swampy killed him at the end of Craven’s flick after he mutated into a monster and they fought in the swamp? I’ll get at that in a moment, but before that explanation comes around in the final act, earlier we get a flashback to Craven’s film when Swampy explains to Abby (Heather Locklear) how he was accidentally turned into the monster, so, yes, it’s a valid sequel, but what about Arcane? Explaining himself to Abby he tells her Dr. Rochelle (Ace Mask) and Dr. Lana Zurell (Sarah Douglas) found him in the swamp after his fatal battle with Holland, and they took him back to the lab and managed to revive him and revert him back to human form, but this form isn’t holding. This is where his step-daughter, Abby, comes into play. She just so happens to have issues with him, specifically the mysterious death of her mother, and decides this is a great time in her life to finally confront him about that. Her trip to his mansion deep in the woods is beyond fortuitous. He needs some of her DNA, plus that of Holland, and both of them combined he’ll become immortal. As a side note, Louis Jourdan played the villain in Year Of The Comet (1992) and he was looking for a similar formula in that film too. Abby is a major character from the Swamp Thing comics; Cable (Adrienne Barbeau) from Wes Craven’s film is a very loose adaptation of her. She’s Holland’s love interest in the comics.

As I previously mentioned there are more monsters in the sequel. Gene spliced mutants Rochelle and Zurell have been making, but they don’t get featured as much as I wished they had. There’s an elephant-man, an alligator-man, and a cockroach-man. The former two are displayed in all their practical effects eye candy glory in their cells long enough for one to relish the freakish effects. The cockroach-man is a full on animatronic effect strapped to a gurney, then shoved into a machine to be disintegrated. There are two other mutants, ones Swampy actually does battle with, an impressive Leech-Man, and in the final act in Arcane’s lab what I think is a tribute to The Outer Limits episode, “The Sixth Finger,” a mutant with a big brain! It’s a mutated Dr. Rochelle. Swampy does not battle a mutated Arcane again; he remains in human form, but trapped under a door, and buys the farm when the whole lab and the mansion blow sky high.

Interview from Starlog #142 with the late Dick Durok, who played Swamp Thing in both films and the television series that ran from 1990-1993 on the USA Network. Click photos to enlarge and read. 

80s Scream Queen Monique Parent has a small role as one of Arcane’s security personnel, Miss Pointsettia; very James Bondian, if you ask me. There are two little kids who pop up from time to time, this subplot is one of the things that just crippled the movie for me when I first saw it. There’s also a moment during an escape Swampy and Abby make from Arcane’s property that has Swampy driving a jeep, while Abby is tossing grenades that also crippled the flick for me. Yes, you read that right—Swamp Thing drives a jeep in the movie. Drives. A. Jeep. I revisited this film a few years ago when I had the urge to buy one of the DVDs and my opinion of the overall flick had not changed. So, why am I now reviewing the blu-ray? Well, goddammit, I tell you. I talked about this during my review of The Church, but there are some movies I’ve seen that even though they didn’t do anything for me, when they hit blu-ray and get spiffy new transfers, an odd thing happens, sometimes giving a film a new remaster makes it more “likeable.” I don’t know why this happens for me, but it happened with The Church, and now it’s happened with The Return Of Swamp Thing. Go figure.

As I of this review DC Entertainment is in the midst of creating their own streaming channel, and news broke recently James Wan is executive producing a new live action Swamp Thing series that’ll air on it in 2019!

Image Entertainment first put out The Return Of Swamp Thing (1989) in 2003, then Lightyear Entertainment acquired it and re-released it in 2008. New boutique distributor on the block, MVD Rewind Collection (a division of the MVD Entertainment Group), has now gotten their mitts on it and finally given it a blu-ray release via a DVD/Blu-ray Combo! Buy it here on Amazon!

UPDATE: This movie now has a UHD counterpart, having come from Lightyear Video, and you can get that it on Amazon too. I have yet to acquire it, when I do, I’ll update this review!

COLLECTIBLE MINI-POSTER

VIDEO/AUDIO/SUBTITLES: 1080p 1.85:1 High Definition Widescreen—5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio, 2.0 English Stereo Surround—No Subs

The new transfer on the blu-ray is goddamn impressive! Clarity and colors pop, especially a night scene where you can see this translucent green slime on Swamp Thing’s body! I’ve never seen that before until now.

EXTRAS INCLUDED . . .

  • 2003 Audio Commentary With Director Jim Wynorski
  • Audio Commentary With Director Jim Wynorski, Chuck Cirino & Leslie Rosenthal (NEW)
  • Interview With Jim Wynorski (17:39) (NEW)
  • Interview With Arnie Holland (5:20) (NEW)
  • Interview With Chuck Cirino (6:47) (NEW)
  • Interview With Leslie Rosenthal (9:25) (NEW)
  • Behind The Scenes Slideshow (1:34) (NEW)
  • 1989 Promo Reel (5:18) (NEW)
  • 6 Promotional TV Clips (6:68) (NEW)
  • Public Service Announcements (1:33)
  • 2 TV Spots (1:32)
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Collectible Mini-Poster
  • Reverse Cover Art