Review: Arachnophobia

Arachnophobia opened in theaters on July 18, 1990. The Comedy/Thriller starred Jeff Daniels, Harley Jane Kozak and John Goodman. The film was directed by Frank Marshall.

Synopsis:

A rare and lethal spider makes its way from South America to the United States. It finds itself in a small town and it begins to terrorize and kill members of the close knit community. A doctor must protect his family, and deal with his own fear of spiders, to find a way to defeat the murderous species.

Positives:

• The film offers genuinely creepy moments – especially in the third act.

• The comedy and relationships in the film feel like a 80s sitcom, but they are handled in a mostly charming way.

• Jeff Daniels and John Goodman are the standouts in the film when it comes to performances.

Negatives:

• The opening of the film drags on too long. It takes a long time for us to get to the real heart of the story.

• At times the tone of the film is all over the place. Arachnophobiaoften goes from horror to camp without much cohesion.

• There are a lot of disposable characters in the film. Fewer characters would of given us the chance to focus on the ones we genuinely care about.

In Closing:

Arachnophobia is a precursor in a lot of ways to what the Amblin and Spielberg team would do with Jurassic Park 3 years later. There are also shades of Indiana Jones in the first act. The film suffers when it lingers on characters and situations that aren’t that interesting. The third act is a lot of fun and really ends the film on a high note.

Rating: C+