Spontaneous Combustion (1990)

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Spontaneous Combustion (1990) * 1/2 (out of 4)Sam (Brad Dourif) is a man who realizes that there's something not quite right with him but he's in for a shock when he realizes that he has the power to set things on fire. It turns out that his parents were involved in a government research project and they passed their contamination down to him.Tobe Hooper was ending an interesting period of his career. After the massive success of POLTERGEIST he found himself not really getting the type of projects that you'd expect. He ended up at Cannon and turned out LIFEFORCE, THE Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 and INVADERS FROM MARS. All three films were critical and commercial flops so the director had to find work elsewhere and this is that project. Sadly, this here is a pretty bland and boring movie that comes off more of a wannabe FIRESTARTER than anything else.There are all sorts of problems with this movie but the biggest for me was its structure. The story is centered on Sam yet for some reason his character really doesn't enter the picture until after the twenty-minute mark. The opening of the movie deals with the parents and to be quite honest this stuff was boring and it went nowhere. It certainly got the film off on the wrong track and I'd argue that it really messed with the flow of the picture. Things got marginally better once Sam's character takes over but even here there are long periods where nothing of interest happens.Dourif manages to turn in a very good performance in the lead and it's really a shame that he didn't have more to work with. His character was certainly an interesting one and so many things could have been done with him but the screenplay instead throws in a mad doctor sub-plot that just really doesn't go anywhere. For what it's worth, even the special effects aren't all that memorable.

A man discovers that his parents were part of a nuclear experiment in the 50's and that he now has the power to... burst into flames! I was really geared up for this film, what with being directed by the great Toby Hooper and staring wild card Brad Dourif. Unfortunately it didn't rise above the average individual-with-violent-powers movie. Spontaneous Combustion has an interesting premise behind it, unfortunately it never seems to live up to its potential and prolongs its plot too much. The special effects aren't bad though and help to carry the movie to the finale.The cast isn't bad, Dourif does steal the show.All around, no classic but it's not the worst of its kind either.** out of ****

It's not so much that SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION had little potential. Indeed the under-explored title phenomenon is quite intriguing and, for at least the opening half, this Tobe Hooper effort promises to entertain in a way only cheesy '90s horror can. But somewhere between Brad Dourif's on-again-off-again performance and the overly intricate plot, this would-be thriller loses its way.Dourif, featured here before his built-in horror fan base had accumulated, is average guy Sam. Of course average guys don't stay average for long in horror movies, so after a well-done origin outline, we see Sam's various body parts start to ignite. Soon he's igniting other people, too, much to the consternation of gal pal Lisa, played unmemorably by Cynthia Bain.While the title of the film implies a fire-happy monster on the loose, director Hooper opted to make Sam an unwilling killer. This approach gives the film an added human depth it would otherwise lack, but it also prevents us from truly fearing the human flamethrower. We're left wondering whether this would have worked better as a straight-up villain-versus-everyone effort ala NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET.SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION is a pretty nominal effort when all is said and done. It will carry added appeal for Dourif's fans and those who can't get enough 1990s horror, be it good, bad or in between, but only on a slow night.

Now, i hired this movie because Brad Dourif was in it. He is an excellent actor, BRILLIANT in everything...except this movie. And i think that was only because he realized how stupid this movie was, and didn't bother with a good performance. This movie is a unintentional-comedy. Some of the lines just crack me up. And them there are some lines that make no sense, and it seems like Tobe Hooper just throw lines in without thinking about the plot. Oh! BTW the plot is BAD! But it one of those films that is TAHT BAD that its actually PAINFUL to watch. I recommend this only for BIG Brad Dourif fans, or fans of any of the other actors, because the plot is pathetic.