Rating: 
Summary: They call this a classic?
Review: Rather cheesy story of a monster from Venus smashing it's way through Rome, and the army must stop it before it's too late. Very dated becase we know no life can exist on the hot planet that is Venus, and as with many 50's monster films, the acting is very wooden. Non-existent script.
Rating: 
Summary: The BEST 50's monster movie
Review: Truly a work of art. The main character of the film is the 'Ymir' and he is onscreen for almost the entire movie! I love the scene with the dog fight. Harryhausen was an underappreciated genius of his time and brought stop motion '20 million miles' from where that Kong guy was. A very cool movie nowhere near as cheesy as other 50's monster flicks. And critics regard 'THEM' as the monster classic? They must have missed this one!
Rating: 
Summary: Better than most of those awful 50's movies!
Review: This film's special effects are probably the only one that matches up to King Kong's wonderful effects! Oh, mabey because the effects are done by the wonderful Ray Harryhousan, whose insperation for every film he did was from "King Kong" (1933). The stop motion in here is great and mixing the alien effects with the humans actors is nothing less than perfect. The monster starts out the size of a small action figure when it is revealed in a starship that crashed from Venus. It then grows to the size of a human and kills cows, dogs, and a farmer as the police track it's tail. Finally, it grows to the size of King Kong as it finds it's way out of the farmland and makes his way down the streets of Rome. The best scene in the film is when the monster attacks a traveling circus and has a vicious battle with an elephant as they both fight down the city streets of a roman city. The story leaves you wondering and pondering what will happen next as the alien claws, bites, and steps on residents of the city. The effects are nothing less than spectacular. The quality of the VHS is great with it being in the SP mode and remastered from the original film. This is a movie that I never get board with because every time you watch, you spot something that you didn't notice before! It's much better than most of those movies that were made in the 1950's.
Rating:
Summary: Stranger in a Strange Land
Review: Ray Harryhausen transforms a Grade B film into a magic experience by his special effects wizardry. The Venus creature, sometimes known as the "Ymir," arrives on Earth via a returning manned spaceflight that crashes off the coast of Italy. One of the things salvaged from the wreck is the tubular shaped egg of a Venus life form. The egg hatches a tiny, two-legged reptilian creature that gradually grows to monstrous proportions in Earth's alien atmosphere. After the creature escapes its captors, it rampages through the streets of Rome. The creature at times seems bewildered by its strange surroundings. Its acts of violence and mayhem could be seen as defensive rather than malicious. Harryhausen's transformation of the grotesque Ymir into a figure of pathos in a world it doesn't understand avoids the maudlin and is eerily effective. The night segment in the farmer's barn, before Ymir grows gigantic, has "an old dark house" quality of suspense that raises the hackles. The howling cry of the creature achieves a peculiar blend of an elephant's trumpet and a primate's screech with a unique inflection all its own. It is the stuff of troubled dreams. The flowing motion of the animation and the seamless blending with the real world backgrounds helps the viewer suspend disbelief and really enjoy the action. The movie suffers from a weak script that merely serves as a reason for the special effects. Some corny dialogue and bland acting detracts from the film.Beware the Italian kid with a yen for Texas. Negative comments aside, this film is great sci-fi/fantasy fun. A good "creature feature" of 40 years ago. Recommended viewing.
Rating:
Summary: Another Harryhausen classic and one of his best creations
Review: This is the type of film I love. Good story,good effects and a GREAT monster THE YMIR to boot. This is what hollywood needs to do is go back look at films like this and realize that its substance to a movie not CGI effects that tell and make a story. Im 24 and have a old school style when it comes to sci-fi/horror which I TRULY LOVE. If you are a monster fan or a sci-fi/horror movie collector this is a must see and have movie either for the first time or for your movie collection. To me this is one of Harryhausens best creature designs and the creature himself has substance that makes you want to root for him. For the sci-fi lover in you rent this or buy this but whatever you do see this masterpiece from the golden-age of science fiction. Bring back the old school!
Rating:
Summary: Another Harryhausen classic and one of his best creatures
Review: This is the type of movie along with the 50's style horror/sci-fi that I truely love. We need more movies with such a basic plot and story now adays. The movie is good and the Ymir which of all of Harryhausen's wonderful creations is my personal favorite is very amazing. Im 24 and I have an old school logic about me when it comes to horror/ sci-fi so I recommend this film for monster buffs as well as a great sci-fi film for anyones sci-fi collection. Bring the old school back to the new school!
Rating:
Summary: YMIR: The Sultan of Monsters
Review: OF COURSE the monster is the star of this HARRYHAUSEN puppetfest! Even on video, my girls S H R I E K E D and freaked in the barn scene. This was originally released on a double bill; how well I remember enduring "The Twenty Seventh Day" to get to the premier space monster amokflik of the fifties. (And whatever happened to the '27th'?) This movie MUST be seen on the biggest set you can find - preferably outside on the patio on a moonless night!
Rating:
Summary: A True Classic
Review: This movie is a classic that belongs in every horror/scifi collection. This movie ranks up there with Jurassic Park and Alien for its thrills and special effects.The fight scene with the elephant is a classic.
Rating:
Summary: One of his best!
Review: Ray Harryhausen created the best Alien creature of it's time with the Ymir! And unlike many sci-fi films of the fifties where you only see the monsters really good in the last ten minutes of the movie, the Ymir is actually as much the star in this film as King Kong was in that old classic. Speaking of King Kong, the ending of this one seems familiar eh? Never the less, I enjoyed this movie as a child, and I never get tired of seeing it over and over again. 8^D
Rating: 
Summary: Average but also decent example of the genre.
Review: Thursday, February 24, 2005 / 3 of 5 / Average but also decent example of the genre.
Black and white late 50's fare with Harryhausen effects. Venusian resident is brought back to earth and grows from pod to threatening 20 foot monster. As usual, if left alone it probably would have just wandered off, but that's not the way they did it back then, heh. Prodded, caged, juiced it's understandable it was a bit peeved. Great fight scene with an elephant foreshadowing some of his later Sinbad monster conflicts. Italian locale is a different choice, but n otherwise average telling. Still a nice example of the genre.
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