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Robert Mammone, Jack Thompson, William Zappa, Steve Bastoni, Rawiri Paratene ... see more see more... , Matthew Le Nevez , Alex O'Lachlan , Imogen Bailey , Rachael Taylor , Patrick Thompson

Directed by Brett Leonard, Man-Thing is based on a comic book series of the same name from Marvel Comics. When one of real-estate tycoon F.A. Schist's crewmen is killed while developing a drilling sta... read more read more...tion, it's the local Seminole Indian tribe who are blamed, though they know that the real culprit is the Man-Thing, a vengeful Spirit inhabiting the body of fallen radical shaman, Ted Sallis. The monster resembles a towering mound of algae and plant life, with powers that can command plant life to take out the infringing human greed on its Louisiana swampland (with Australia sitting in for the Southern Bayou). Man-Thing features performances from Rawiri Paratene, Alex O'Lachlan, Rachel Taylor, Jack Thompson, and William Zappa. Long-delayed, the film bounced from home video to theatrical then over to cable as Lionsgate and Marvel debated the format that it'd be most successful. Eventually the film premiered on the Sci Fi Channel, and featured little resemblance to the comic character beside its use of names and basic creature design. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Flixster Users

30% want to see it

6,242 ratings

Critics

20% liked it

5 critics

R, 1 hr. 46 min.

Directed by: Brett Leonard

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DVD Release Date: June 14, 2005

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Flixster Reviews (330)


  • November 6, 2011
    On the plus side this film looks great truth be told, despite the low budget and little faith from Marvel the film does look the business. The swamp looks pretty much like a grotty, smelly, marsh-like festering pit with gnarled trees and lots of creeping vines, I was actually imp... read moreressed as I really was expecting a cheap looking B-movie. Again I must throw kudos on the creature effects too, a mix of cgi and rubber suit (I think), a great set of buzzing red eyes, nice creature sound effects and good use of the swamp for assisting in the stealth approach all add for a decent looking creature not too far from how 'Spawn' looked in his film debut (cgi version).

    On the down side, a major downer really, is the fact the original comicbook story has been completely ejected and replaced with a simple horror based yarn. Now the title creature is simply a monster that kills anyone with no remorse or mercy, its basically a total badguy. If your gonna make a film about a Marvel character then you really should stick to the original story, BUT to be honest the horror plot they have used does work even though its predictable and cliched. The makers really should have decided what they wanted to do here.

    So as said the plot is dumb and unoriginal but it does work as a fairly decent adult horror slasher type with plenty of gruesome moments, plenty of blood, plenty of body parts and absolutely no hang ups on not going down the kiddie route, well done.

    Other issues abound also such as major plot holes and some major explanation's needed simply because they haven't followed the comicbook so no one watching will know what on earth is actually happening. And on a final note despite the creature actually looking pretty darn good it also looks nothing like the original 'Man-Thing' should look like thus you wonder why they even called it 'Man-Thing' when really this film, even though its quite fun, isn't really anything to do with the Marvel character.
  • October 18, 2011
    An interesting, yet somehwat funny, horror flick...which could have done a little better.
  • January 17, 2011
    The real star of this film is the swamp set they created which has plenty of eerie atmosphere. Performances aren't bad despite a weak script. The plot is functional enough but is a large departure from the original comic book in several ways - the most disappointing being Man-Thi... read moreng himself who has become nothing more than a vengeful swamp spirit - his only similarities with the source character being that he's big, tough, ugly and lives in a swamp. A lost opportunity but not without entertainment value.

    PS. Parents beware - adult content.
  • October 5, 2010
    And I thought "Ghost Rider" was gonna go down in history as the worst Marvel Comics movie ever made.
  • June 10, 2009
    Of all the recent out-pouring of Marvel comic characters to make it to the big screen, this is by far my biggest disappointment...and it's a shame too really. This COULD HAVE been a good movie if the makers of the film had actually read a "Man-Thing" comic. An interesting and sym... read morepathetic character in the comics is now nothing more than another "B"-movie monster that kills indescriminately. A shame! :(
  • November 11, 2008
    If you thought that Daredevil, Fantastic 4 or Ghost Rider were bad movies made from Marvel comics you really haven't seen anything yet. I don't know that much about the comic book version of Swamp...er, Man-Thing but from what little I've read online he wasn't the bastard son of... read more the Jolly Green Giant and Jason Voorhees. This movie was just a bad direct to video horror movie that isn't even quite a slasher. Here's the plot, evil dude starts drilling for oil in the swamp, pisses off the indian guardian spirit which happens to be Man-Thing, Man-Thing kills everyone he sees. The new sheriff in town puts an end to the madness and about half an hour before the movie ends starts making out with the only female that shows up for no real apparent reason. The characters in this movie were less developed than a 6 year old girls chest. The overall plot was boring, and the mindless killing action was boring. Oh, and a personal favorite of mine when it comes to direct to video horror movies, every other word in the script was an expletive. This just made all other comic book movies look a whole lot better, even Superman 4.
  • October 20, 2008
    What an incredible waste of film. Awful. Just utterly detestable and worthless. Poorly written, poorly acted and poorly shot. It's just a crappy movie with few, if any charms.
  • May 24, 2008
    Suprisingly excellent adaptation of a Marvel classic. Check it if your a fan, anyone else might be confused and irritated by it.
  • August 13, 2007
    Not like the sweet Swamp Thing, this is a horror movie. Monstrous man-thing kills all who have disturbed the swamp and woke it up. One indian has tried to right this wrong and return it to slumber, a little too late.
  • May 9, 2007
    Better than alot of people give it credit for. Once again, a super-hero has an origin change. Would've liked to see him look closer to his comic book image.

Critic Reviews


Anton Bitel
June 15, 2007
Anton Bitel, Film4

the creature, a rather underwhelming specimen of plant life with glowing red CGI eyes, is only a little more wooden than the film's human characters. Full Review

David Cornelius
June 18, 2005
David Cornelius, eFilmCritic.com

Too lame to be genuinely entertaining, not stupid enough throughout to be laughable. Full Review

David Nusair
June 5, 2005
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

This is easily the worst comic book movie ever made, and no, I haven't forgotten about the original Punisher adaptation. Full Review

Brian Thomas
May 2, 2005
Brian Thomas, Now Playing Magazine

One comics adaptation that comes with a few key panels missing. Full Review

Clint Morris
March 29, 2005
Clint Morris, Moviehole

As by-the-numbers as Bingo... A far bigger blow than anything Linda Lovelace could've bought to the table

Felix Vasquez Jr.
April 29, 2009
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Man-Thing Trivia


  • What is the name of the company that is ruining the land in the movie "Man-Thing"  Answer »
  • Which movie is NOT based on a Marvel movie?  Answer »
  • Who directed Man-thing?  Answer »
  • Manthing was based on a comic from what comic book publisher?  Answer »

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