Man-Thing (4 Stars)

Marvel doesn't do horror films. That's what most people would say, and they're wrong. They're forgetting the 2005 gem "Man-Thing", based on the comic with the same name. It stands out in several ways. It's the only Marvel film in which bare breasts are shown, although these are necessary to the plot. The film follows the trope of horror films that whoever has sex dies, so we see that the Man-Thing attacks a couple while they're in the act. The man is ripped apart while he's in mid thrust, but the woman is spared. Maybe that's not a good thing, because she's so traumatised that she's no longer able to speak.

Didn't anyone ever tell Imogen Bailey you shouldn't have sex in a horror film? Maybe she knew that, but like everyone else she must have thought it's a Marvel film and Marvel doesn't do horror. But Marvel doesn't do bare breasts either, so that should have made her suspicious.

Kyle Williams is a young sheriff sent to the small Florida town of Bywater. There are 47 missing people, one of whom is the sheriff that he's been sent to replace.

There's almost a Stan Lee cameo. His photo is included among the missing people in the sheriff's office. It's bigger than the other photos, but why not? He's the man.

A few of the bodies are found, but they died under mysterious circumstances. There are branches and swamp bushes growing out of them. Kyle's investigations find that there's a horrific monster, the Man-Thing, which is defending the swamp against intruders. The swampland has recently been purchased by a petroleum company, but the swamp contains the Nexus of all Realities, a crossing point into different universes, that has to be kept secret at all costs.

Will the Man-Thing return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Maybe. If you were watching carefully you will have scene a statue of the Man-Thing on the Grandmaster's planet in "Thor: Ragnarok". Okay, if you're a Marvel fanboy like me you didn't need to be watching carefully. It jumped out of the screen the first time I watched the film, even though it was only a fuzzy image in the background.

"Man-Thing" hasn't yet been released on Blu-ray. That's regrettable. I know it was a big flop at the box office, but it's not all that bad. Marvel with gore, jump scares and bare breasts is worth seeing.

Success Rate:  - 27.3

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