The robots in “Flubber” are also interesting [Mizumaru Kawahara’s CINEMONOLOGUE Vol.40]

Index

• Mysterious green object Flubber
• It's actually a story about robots.
• Dreamy inventions are attractive

Mysterious green object Flubber

Speaking of ``Flubber,'' starring Robin Williams, the image of the mysterious green object that plays the title role jumping and dancing endlessly is impressive, but the robots that appear are also interesting and attractive. When I watched it again recently, I felt that it had a presence that even surpassed Flubber in terms of story.

Professor Philip Brainard, played by Williams, is working on research into new energy while teaching chemistry at a university, but the university he works at is in financial difficulties, and his fiancée Sarah, who is the president, has attended two weddings. He was about to run out of affection for me (!?) for being completely absent-minded. However, everything should change for the better with the invention of new energy. Philip was completely immersed in his work, but this preoccupation was also the reason why he forgot about his wedding plans. On the day of his third and Being There wedding, he finally creates a fluid green object with enormous elasticity and kinetic energy. Philip calls it "Flying Rubber", or "Flubber" for short, because it keeps bouncing around endlessly when a shock is applied to it, and is ecstatic about his new invention, but as expected, he forgets the wedding and takes Sarah away. It completely pisses me off. Furthermore, her rival Wilson takes advantage of this opportunity to approach her, and the university is in danger. Philip tries to solve everything using Flubber...

Flubber's appearance and behavior, which is clear green like lime-flavored jelly, are of course interesting as an animation. In the scene where Philip touches Flubber for the first time, it feels as if he is actually touching this mysterious object with his hands. However, at the time, the film was still very foreign, but I think Robin Williams' imagination and acting made up for it. The highlight of Flubber is, without a doubt, the scene where Philip dances to the music inside the house while he is away, and the scene where Flubber splits into countless pieces and bounces around freely, and the mambo by Danny Elfman makes it very exciting. I remember rewinding just this line over and over again. In fact, Flubber, a round humanoid figure who appears in main visuals such as posters, only appears in this scene, and it can be said to be almost the only highlight of the character.

In addition to depictions of Flubber itself, Flubber processed into cream or liquid can be used to make a weak college basketball team pull off a comeback with a fake-like big jump, or a Ford Thunderbird can be loaded with Flubber and turned into a flying car. A series of fun videos showcasing its powerful elasticity, such as changing its shape and flying around the night sky. It's a flashy, easy-to-understand, and dreamy depiction, but as I wrote at the beginning, I realized that there are other appealing elements besides Flubber. These are the robots that help Philip at his house.

It's actually a story about robots.