Of Unknown Origin

Of Unknown Origin follows Peter Weller’s Bart Hughes as he’s forced to put his life on hold after his recently-renovated townhouse is attacked by a tenacious rat, with Bart’s subsequent (and failed) efforts at exterminating the rodent paving the way for a human-vs-rodent third act that’s more ridiculous than frightening. Before it reaches that tedious stretch, however, Of Unknown Origin establishes itself as a fairly promising creature feature that benefits substantially from star Weller’s compelling turn and director George P. Cosmatos’ deliberate sensibilities – with, in terms of the latter, Cosmatos’ decision to initially keep the rat in the shadows proving instrumental in cultivating an atmosphere of mysterious dread. It’s only as the movie rolls into its increasingly repetitive and padded-out midsection that one’s interest begins to wane, as Cosmatos attempts to compensate for the less-than-eventful storyline by emphasizing a whole host of frustratingly needless elements (eg Bart’s ongoing difficulties at work, Bart’s flirtation with a coworker, etc) – which does, as a result, ensure that the inevitable game of cat and mouse between Bart and the seemingly unstoppable rodent is simply unable to pack the visceral punch that Cosmatos and scripter Brian Taggert have intended. (This is despite the irresistible nature of Weller’s progressively unhinged performance and the inclusion of a few strong stand-alone sequences.) It’s ultimately clear that Of Unknown Origin might’ve worked as a half hour short yet is simply unable to sustain an 88 minute running time, with the spinning-its-wheels vibe diminishing the effectiveness of its positive attributes (eg a fantastic scene in which Bart horrifies his dining companions with grotesque rat statistics) and cementing its place as a forgettable relic of the 1980s.

*1/2 out of ****