The Illustrated Man

2007 • 103 minutes

About this movie

Rod Steiger plays the tattoo-covered title role in this fascinating vision of doom and danger based on the classic short story collection by futurist Ray Bradbury. Robert Drivas portrays a good-natured drifter who can't tear his eyes from Steiger's freakish illustrations. And Claire Bloom is the mysterious seductress who created the "art" that curses its bearer - and comes to life in a nightmarish trio of tales. Two spoiled children turn playtime into slay time (from The Veldt). Shipwrecked astronauts wander across a planet cursed by The Long Rain. And loving parents choose their children's fate when the end nears (from The Last Night of the World). Every one of The Illustrated Man's pictures tells a story. And every story ends in terror.

Ratings and reviews

Great flick, Bradbury's short stories are amazing and recreating them has got to be challenging especially with little to no cgi.This film does a decent job capturing the mood and tone of his stories. This was not made in 2007, but actually 1969

Tastes and Likes are highly individualized. Perhaps there is no accounting for them. This movie is not for everyone. It is not for those wanting a precise retelling of the Bradbury book. But it is a bold extension of the Bradbury theme; a variation in multiverses. It is not for those who want all loose ends tied up and all questions answered. Reality does not provide final answers. It is not for quibblers, technical snobs, or nit-pickers, who would lose the ethereal ambience and spirit of the film for trivialities. But it is a cult classic to me. If one is willing to put aside preconceived notions and enter into a world of multi-dimensional Sci-Fi in good faith, one will be rewarded with a mysterious, haunting Sci-Fi experience. Steiger is intense and riveting; Bloom subtle and seductive. Drivas is the perfect foil for Steiger, a hapless, innocent man caught up in a bizarre puzzlement. Seeing common California scenes come alive with a sense of otherworldliness amazed me. I am still searching for the exact location of the lake. Jerry Goldsmith's music beautifully compliments the haunting story. I will not say more. Watch, and enter the experience. But be careful not to stare too closely at the skin illustrations!

Not even a fair amount of the stories in the book were used to make it worth any more of anyone's time. READ THE BOOK.