Intended to be something of a "Rodent-On-A-Rampage" Thriller - Unfortunately, Ben turned out to be just too saccharine-sweet for its own good.
This early-1970s revenge story about a boy (Danny) and his dog... (oops!)... I mean, his rat (Ben), was just too cute and too Disney-like to pack a substantial enough wallop to appeal in any way to an audience over the age of 15 years.
Set in Los Angeles - 8-year-old Danny Garrison is a kid with a heart condition who, often enough, finds himself a victim to the tough clique of bullies who hang out in his neighbourhood.
Alone & frightened, Danny soon finds some true friendship with a rogue rat named Ben.
As a means of communicating with Danny, Ben often squeaks away in various octaves. Sounding very much like a rubber ducky, Danny does not seem to have any trouble understanding Ben's bizarre form of lingo.
Anyways - When it comes to the likes of thrills & chills - Ben's the sort of "ho-hum" type of movie that certainly promises the viewer plenty, but inevitably delivers next to nothing.
This film did its best to cash in on the fact that its title song was, indeed, written & sung by the 14-year-old Michael Jackson who, at the time, was budding into quite a dynamic, little pop star.
This early-1970s revenge story about a boy (Danny) and his dog... (oops!)... I mean, his rat (Ben), was just too cute and too Disney-like to pack a substantial enough wallop to appeal in any way to an audience over the age of 15 years.
Set in Los Angeles - 8-year-old Danny Garrison is a kid with a heart condition who, often enough, finds himself a victim to the tough clique of bullies who hang out in his neighbourhood.
Alone & frightened, Danny soon finds some true friendship with a rogue rat named Ben.
As a means of communicating with Danny, Ben often squeaks away in various octaves. Sounding very much like a rubber ducky, Danny does not seem to have any trouble understanding Ben's bizarre form of lingo.
Anyways - When it comes to the likes of thrills & chills - Ben's the sort of "ho-hum" type of movie that certainly promises the viewer plenty, but inevitably delivers next to nothing.
This film did its best to cash in on the fact that its title song was, indeed, written & sung by the 14-year-old Michael Jackson who, at the time, was budding into quite a dynamic, little pop star.