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Which is the better movie musical?
Think of this as Thunderdome: Two musicals enter. Only one may leave!
VS
Both films are pretty amazing cult classics with roots in pulpy, so-bad-it's-fun science fiction. Before it was a musical, "Little Shop of Horrors" was a Roger Corman (sound familiar, MSTies?) movie filmed in two whole days to the tune of $27,000. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is a trans-tastic parody of several sci-fi B-Movie tropes: the mad scientist, spooky castle, lost naive young protagonists, Frankenstein's monster, and aliens. (Well, ya gotta have aliens!) Both have their merits, but which one is better? Let's look at some of the vital parts of each film! Yay!
Protagonist:
Seymour Krelborn and Audrey The Squeaky (ok, so "The Squeaky" is my own addition.) vs. Brad Majors and Janet Weiss
"Little Shop" has the better protagonist. Why? We identify with the downtrodden nerd, not the smarmy couple. I had genuine sympathy for Seymour, the poor klutz who can't do anything right, while I just can’t give a crap about Brad and Janet. Yeah, they serve their purpose for the plot in "Rocky", but after a while they just seem to be there as a background to highlight the outrageous shenanigans of Frank-N-Furter, Rocky & Co.
Costumes:
It's unfair to include this category, really, for BEHOLD:
Tim. Curry's. LEGS. Two sticks of sex dynamite that move with a sultry, arrogant lady-swagger. Honestly? Fishnets will always win in my book. Fishnets and glitter and legs, oh my!
Celebrity Cameos:
"Little Shop" knocks this one out of the park with Bill Murray's masochistic dental "patient" who has been looking for that Special Someone to bring the pain. Then there's Eddie in "Rocky" who . . . sings a song and dies. Whee? C’mon, kids, are we really going to debate Bill Murray vs. Meatloaf here?
Songs:
While "Little Shop" has a few songs that really stand out ("Dentist" and "Mean Green Mother from Outer Space" in particular), I have to concede that "Rocky" has more memorable tunes overall, from "Science Fiction /Double Feature" to "Sweet Transvestite" to my personal fave "Don't Dream It." Also, "Little Shop" has some unfortunate numbers like “Suddenly, Seymour” and "Somewhere That's Green" sung by Ellen Greene, whose voice sounds like what I imagine Squirrel Girl's would. (The "Family Guy" parody of this song is actually pretty accurate that way!) Long, throaty, screechy ballads just don't do it for me!
Now THAT'S an awesome song, my friends!
Plot:
"Little Shop" has a coherent and simple plot that's communicated well through songs and dialogue. Poor "Rocky" hardly has a story beyond: "A couple goes into a kinky castle and a mad scientist/Sweet Transvestite sings about stuff and seduces everyone. Then aliens and The End!" However, I must give Rocky credit for having more of a plot that I initially thought it did.
Special Effects/Pizazz/"Wow" Factor:
Let's give it up for Frank Oz, everybody! This is Audrey II, a giant, a 23-person operated puppet voiced by Levi Stubbs. Audrey II's the star of "Little Shop" and, to quote the Wiki page, "During Audrey II's final stage of growth, 60 technicians were necessary to operate the one-ton puppet." Wow! Rocky has . . . fake ray gun lasers and giant switches. Yup.
Antagonist:
I want to see Tim Curry as Frank-n-Furter and Steve Martin as the Dentist do a dance off for this one! Can you imagine the violence, the passion, the high kicks? Arguably, Frank-N-Furter is a sympathetic villain. He's a "Sweet Transvestite," after all, and despite his selfishness and wayward antics, we feel bad for him at the end. While Frank-N-Furter does his share of evil (experimenting on & killing Eddie), I think we can agree that the Dentist is 100% , Grade A Super-Duper Nasty. (What with the girlfriend beating, puppy shooting, dental malpractice and all!) When Orin Scrivello, DDS bites the dust, nobody mourns him. Steve Martin’s leather jacket wearing, self-parking-motorcycle-driving, sadist-with-a-laughing gas addiction-Dentist WINS at evil.
Narrator:
"Rocky" has a British criminologist who narrates in speech, while "Little Shop" has Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon, who provide Motown-style exposition in song. "Little Shop" wins this category hands down, mostly because the Motown girls easily do-wop their way into any scene, while the criminologist abruptly breaks up scenes in Rocky to tell the audience what has already happened. He has a few good moments during the “Time Warp” and at the very end, but mostly he’s a shining example of musicalus interruptus. To be fair, I’m certain he works much better on stage than on screen, engaging the audience while scene changes are made. (Also, on stage there would be none of those obnoxious screen wipes.)
Conclusion:
"Little Shop of Horrors" tells its story better through song and has the added benefit of some amazing, stand out talent in the form of Frank Oz, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, and the voice of Levi Stubbs as Audrey II. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" features one extraordinarily talented man, Tim Curry, without who, let's face it, the musical would kinda blow. It wouldn't be a nightmare fashioned from excrement like "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark," but all its charm would evaporate pretty quickly for me.
However:
"Rocky" has been a bastion of weirdness since the late seventies, drawing countless nerds and freaks from the shadows to unite and bond at midnight shows. (Also, any movie that encourages men to wear fishnets and get in touch with their inner Frank-n-Furter is a-OK in my book.) So, while "Little Shop of Horrors" may be the better movie musical, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" has a special extra something that causes nerds and freaks to come together to bask in the glory of weird.
