“One of the most ridiculous films of all time”: the 1958 cult classic Eric Bana would watch forever
Something remarkable about Eric Bana is that he may have held on to the honour of being “the world’s most underrated actor” for nearly three decades.
Bana’s amazing breakthrough performance in the Australian crime thriller Chopper signified that he might follow in the same footsteps as many other actors from his home country, such as Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and Mel Gibson.
While he didn’t necessarily become an A-lister, Bana has been giving great performances ever since; between Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, Wolfgang Peterson, Judd Apatow, and JJ Abrams, he’s become a favourite among a unique array of filmmakers.
One of the most admirable aspects of Bana’s approach to acting is that he is unapologetic in what projects he chooses, and is capable of doing both prestige films and popcorn entertainment. Despite the fact that Ang Lee’s Hulk didn’t work out for him (even though he does give a good performance as Bruce Banner), Bana has still been willing to take on very silly blockbusters and comedy roles, such as Uther in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword or Nero in 2009’s Star Trek.
While some might look down upon doing these sorts of roles, Bana seemed to recognise that appearing in schlock is a staple of any great movie star, and cited Steve McQueen as the perfect example. Bana spoke fondly about The Blob, a 1958 science fiction film that McQueen appeared in. Although the film was only accessible in Australia when it came on television, Bana said that he made a priority to watch it.
“If it was a Saturday and The Blob came on, it was like ‘game on, we’re sitting through The Blob,’” Bana said. “I’ve probably seen this film like ten times over the course of my life. Steve McQueen, of course, is in this film.”
“I’m not sure if many people are aware that this is one of Steve McQueen’s early films. One of the most ridiculous films of all-time.”
Eric Bana on The Blob
The Blob is one of the many 1950s B-movies that became widely parodied once it became more readily accessible on television, as Mystery Science Theatre 3000 even did an episode parodying it. While it is a film that is fun to laugh at because of its campiness, Bana did mention that The Blob is “slightly scary when you’re a kid,” and that it does work for its intended audience. The Blob is a perfect work of “gateway horror” that can get younger cinephiles interested in the genre, and has held up for that reason.
Making films that appeal to young moviegoers is something that Bana has clearly valued in his own career, even though he is typically associated with more serious roles – he’s provided vocal performances for films like Finding Nemo and Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, a decision that makes a lot of sense when considering that he has two children.
Bana may have seemed like the type of actor who would be stuck with the reputation of being “A B-list star with A-list talent,” but he earned a surprising breakthrough last year with the Netflix crime series Untamed. Even though the show was intended to be a limited event, Bana’s performance received unanimous praise, prompting Netflix to renew it for a second season.
