`The 1950s saw a lot of sci-fi B-movies appear, many of them rather cheap on every level. But there were a few that clearly had some kind of budget going, and one of those would be 1953’s The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. In many ways, it isn’t overly special aside from one thing: this was special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen’s first movie, and it shows.
Yeah, that was one impressive monster for the era. Heck, it’s pretty good compared to some monsters right now. If nothing else, we got that.
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms is actually based rather loosely on a Ray Bradbury short story. Granted, Bradbury’s short story is about two guys in a lighthouse getting attacked by a giant monster, and that does happen in this movie, but that whole sequence lasts maybe two minutes of the hour-and-twenty-or-so minute movie. Instead, we get the standard 50s sci-fi hero in the form of a heroic scientist.
That scientist, Tom Nesbit (Paul Christian), is in the arctic looking into the effects of dropping an atomic bomb up there. If that sounds frivolous, keep in mind the government dropped atomic bombs all over the place for testing back then, as did other countries’ governments. However, unlike in real life, this explosion released a giant dinosaur of some kind from the ice, and though Tom sees it and survives the encounter, no one initially believes him. Meanwhile, the stop motion creature goes around sinking ships and even felling a lighthouse, with no one believing any of the survivors.
Much of the first half or so of this movie is very rote and, to be honest, kinda dull. It perks up whenever the monster appears onscreen, but most of it is Tom trying to find proof he isn’t crazy with the only help coming from the movie’s female leave. Also, they are apparently in love, maybe. We do see the two of them go off to see a ballet together, so apparently there’s no rush to find the giant monster that’s killing people.
But then the creature arrives in New York City and everything picks up. True, the movie sticks to the cliches, like screaming crowds, children in danger, blind men getting trampled, and every so often the beast eats a guy, but the cliches work pretty well here. The monster isn’t bulletproof, but his blood is also toxic, so it’ll be up the scientists to figure out how to kill it without blasting the monster’s toxic blood all over the place. That’s an interesting twist, and the final destruction of the beast is a nice set piece in an amusement park that includes a burning roller coaster. It makes for a fine bit of 50s action.
Oh, and despite similarities, there is nothing of Godzilla in The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. Yes, there’s a water-based giant lizard that seems indestructible rampaging through a city, one brought to life by atomic testing. But in reality, Beast from 20,000 Fathoms actually pre-dates Godzilla by a year or so. So, really, he’s a prototype for a much more popular destructive lizard, and this one comes from a master of stop motion special effects. That alone makes it worth a look.
Grade: B–
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