The Love Bug (1997)

I have seen this movie twice, and I was surprised to learn that this was a 'made for TV' release. I would never have guessed.I haven't seen the original "Love bug" but I'm sure this one could be just as good if not better than the original. It is great fun to watch, with some good special effects to go with. The all star cast really helps too. I can even remember almost crying at one stage.Bruce Campbell is great in the lead role, even if this movie is different to his usual style, and Alexandra Wentworth is a great match. John Hannah is good in the bad guy role.Overall, this movie is anything but a 'made for TV' movie and I'm giving it 7/10. I Highly recommend it to people who are usually disappointed with Disney's usual straight to video sequels.

5th film in the Love Bug series (following The Love Bug, Herbie Rides Again, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, and Herbie Goes Bananas), incorrectly labeled a remake is actually a sequel despite it's title (a lot of the original film's plot is reworked but isn't that true of most sequels?) Dean Jones portrays original owner Jim Douglas in the odd numbered films, including this one but he is delegated to a much smaller part (but it does assure us this is a sequel and not a remake.) Bruce Campbell takes over as the new owner of Herbie (hey, if Ken Berry could do it?) Not as good as the first three (Dean Jones was in one and three and how can you beat Helen Hayes driving Herbie around a high rise ledge in number two?) but better than the fourth (which always seemed more like a Benji film to me), and better than the short-lived series that had buried the series for a long time. Apparently there were many changes of continuity in story line from the original and the VW's detailing (hey it's been 28 years and quite a few crashes, why not a little face lift?), but this isn't the type of film to worry about such things. Just have fun and enjoy. It's good to see Herbie working again and he's held up better than most of Hollywood's movie stars.

How disney roped Horror LEGEND Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, Xena) and Scottish bloke John Hannah (The Mummy, Sliding Doors) into this poor re-make of the kids classic is a question best not answered. However, the all star cast, including a cameo from Dean Jones (Jim Douglas in the original)make this into an eminently watchable film. Straight to video it may be, but if you're quite drunk, it's the best film ever made. Cue a witty John Hannah remark about 'the yanks'...

Disney, in making this movie, made lots of mistakes. First of all, the script was not at all like previous Herbie films. There was swearing and other bad words there. in addition, the "story" how Herbie was created was all lies. Everyone knows that Jim Douglas' friend Tennesee Steinmetz first named Herbie, and that all VWs had this peculiar quality (shown in Herbie Rides Again). This "Stumphel" thing was totally off. Also, Herbie himself was done wrong! Color, stripe color, sunroof color, interior, 53s, and other things too numerous. The only positive thing was Dean Jones, who was by far the best actor in that movie! I wish Disney would make another quality movie!