Runtime: 94 minutes
Directed by: Gordon Douglas
Starring: James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, James Arness, Onslow Stevens
From: Warner Bros.
After a few early 80’s films in a row, expect me to review several pictures in a row where the military is a plot point, if not THE plot point. Via a DVR recording made last month, I got to see a TCM broadcast of a 50’s creature feature classic which somehow I hadn’t viewed before.
It isn’t until deep in the opening act that the characters discovered “the big bad” was giant ants that were mutated due to the first atomic bomb’s testing in the area; what an interesting double-bill this would be w/ the original Godzilla. There are chilling moments as the local police officers see the damage done to the area without knowing what the cause was, including a catatonic little girl. Thank heaven then there’s the expected eccentric old scientist and his pretty young daughter (who is shown to be a capable scientist herself) are there to reveal the truth.
To be frank, the first half of the film which is centered on a small area in New Mexico was preferable to when the scope expanded to “the entire country” then a famous city in the final minutes. Be that as it may, the film was still pretty good overall. The best of 50’s tech brought the massive insects to life; those critters were used sparingly so thank heavens then that most of the characters were captivated so my interest never wavered. One surprise was that more than one moment was a huge inspiration for James Cameron’s Aliens.
Those that like these 50’s creature features and want to experience one better than most-not to mention something far more serious than the norm-would be well-served to experience the carnage caused by the ants—and the bone-chilling sound they made.
No comments:
Post a Comment