By james art Superhero movies are now quite prevalent in popular culture, but the genre wasn’t always as dominant as it is today. It was Richard Donneris Superman: The Movie it really proved for the first time that comic book stories could be adapted to the big screen, and even the success of this film didn’t lead to a spike in other adaptations. However, the lack of movies based on DC and Marvel characters doesn’t mean there haven’t been talented filmmakers interested in stories about super-powered individuals who have been put in dangerous positions. Although not always mentioned when discussing the most successful films of his career, Brian De Palmaan underrated thriller The rage united superheroes and body horror for a highly entertaining, if quite exhausting, experience.
What is The Fury about?
The rage examines a secret government agency’s attempts to find superpowered individuals which could potentially be used for experiments as part of a larger conspiracy. Located abroad, ex-government agent Peter Sanja (Kirk Douglas) plans to return home to the United States with her son Robin (Andrew Stevens), who has developed advanced psychic abilities. However, their plan is soon interrupted when Robin is kidnapped by spies working for Ben Childress (John Cassavetes), a powerful representative of the secretive Paragon Institute who claims he must “protect” Robin. Furious, Peter ends up teaming up with psychic teenager Gillian Belaver (Amy Irving) to discover his son’s whereabouts and ensure that Childress’ reign of terror ends.
The rage differs greatly from modern superhero films in that there is nothing inherently exciting about Robin’s discovery of his potential. While many superhero movies focus on the elation that comes with unlocking one’s abilities, Robin is instead distraught at the thought of being separated from his father. Under Childress’ watch, Robin’s powers grow, and Stevens does a great job adapting to the horror that De Palma adds to the story. The rage is particularly interesting because it’s told from a parent’s perspective, with the father-son dynamic at the heart of the story adding unexpected emotional weight.
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“Rage” highlighted the brilliance of Brian de Palma
It’s coming in two years Carrie and Mania, Rage further highlighted De Palma’s ability to balance atmospheric horror and gripping cinematic horror. As with many of De Palma’s greatest films, The rage touches on concerns about surveillance and insurgencyas Jillian and Robin were closely watched by the spies working for the Paragon Institute. The idea of a branch of government that was kept strictly “off the books” was particularly frightening to audiences in 1978, as the Watergate scandal and the backlash to the Vietnam War had made Americans more suspicious of their leaders than at any time in history. of the nation. De Palma makes the smart decision to never explicitly use words like “superhero,” which would have created more positive images; thus, referencing all supernatural elements in a rigorously scientific manner helps to do so The rage feel more grounded.
Although it certainly didn’t have the same blockbuster spectacle as Superman: The Movie boasted the same year, The rage contains all the brilliant technical filmmaking one would expect from a De Palma film. While there are a number of great chase sequences that succeed because of how realistic they are, The rage features some truly outstanding make-up effects, including an exploding head that can even impress David Cronenberg. The rage is quite dark and nihilistic at times, but shares many of the same qualities as the superhero movies that would dominate the box office a few decades later. De Palma’s films are often appreciated more in retrospect than at the time of their initial release, and The rage it’s certainly a hidden gem that deserves to be hailed for what a breakthrough it was.
The rage currently streaming on Max in the US
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