Amazon.com Essentials:
If a musical sci-fi satire about an alien transvestite named
Frank-n-Furter, who is building the perfect man while playing sexual games
with his virginal visitors, sounds like an intriguing premise for a movie,
then you're in for a treat. Not only is The Rocky Horror Picture
all this and more, but it stars the surprising cast of Susan Sarandon and
Barry Bostwick (as the demure Janet and uptight Brad, who get lost in a storm
and find themselves stranded at Frank-n-Furter's mansion), Meat Loaf (as the
rebel Eddie), Charles Gray (as our criminologist and narrator), and, of
course, the inimitable Tim Curry as our "sweet transvestite from
Transsexual, Transylvania."
Upon its release in 1975, the film was an astounding flop. But a few
devotees persuaded a New York theater to show it at midnight, and thus was
born one of the ultimate cult films of all time. The songs are addictive
(just try getting "The Time Warp" or "Toucha Toucha Touch Me" out of your
head), the raunchiness amusing, and the plot line utterly ridiculous--in
other words, this film is simply tremendous good fun. The downfall,
however, is that much of the amusement is found in the audience
participation that is obviously missing from a video version (viewers in
theaters shout lines at the screen and use props--such as holding up
newspapers and shooting water guns during the storm, and throwing rice
during a wedding scene). Watched alone as a straight movie, Rocky
Horror loses a tremendous amount of its charm. Yet, for those who wish
to perfect their lip-synching techniques for movie theater performances or
for those who want to gather a crowd around the TV at home for some good,
old-fashioned, rowdy fun, this film can't be beat. --Jenny Brown
