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Summary: A Monster Movie That is Good Clean Fun
Review: I have seen "Creature From the Black Lagoon" many times,and I love it. I t is one of my favorite monster movies. For a person who loves old monster movies,this is certainly a good, fun movie to watch. I especially liked the gill man costume.I also liked seeing the beautiful Julia Adams with her beautiful hair all wet while swimming in the lagoon, she looked more beautiful in the bikini and wet,slicked back hair.Anybody who loves old monster movies,and Julia Adams,I recommend this movie
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Summary: Takes you away from the problems of the day
Review: Nice to go back to a simpler time, a time that reminds you of being at the movies on Saturday afternoon in the 50s/60s. And if you can't remember that cos you weren't there, TOO BAD, haha. Cool to watch vet silent film star Antonio Moreno steal every scene he's in, including the one where he's just staring at Julie Adams as she's speaking; not to mention the other character actor who plays the owner of the ship, Nestor Paiva. The young ones have great bodies of course and the creature is magnificent if a little cheesy. It's hard to see anyone seriously reviewing the film considering it probably was meant to be slightly camp. Anyway, I love it!...
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Summary: Oh Yeah! This is a great movie!
Review: Creature from the Black Lagoon....few films have a name that nearly everyone in the U.S. hasn't heard of, or wouldn't recognize a small plastic figurine if they saw it, and with good reason.This movie was cutting edge when it was made. It's production values were phenomenal, and the DVD is extraordinary. The film follows a group of scientists exploring the untamed reaches of the Amazon. The find a secluded lagoon where they hope to find fossils of the 'gill man'. Well folks, they find more than the bargained for when a living gill man finds them, and decides they're not leaving the lagoon alive. The actor who plays the gill man was apparently an olympic champion swimmer, and one scene in particular shows how great a swimmer he truly was. It has that 50's feel to it, so the drama is melodramatic at times, but that's part of the appeal of these old films. When I bought this movie, it was part of a limited run to determine the films popularity. Because it wasn't advertised well, it didn't sell well, and I ended up getting it from a collector. Now that it's available mainstream, anyone who loves classic science fiction should get a copy of it. It's a classic alright. Get a copy today, before it's gone.
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Summary: Horror classic with unforgettable Universal monster
Review: "Creature From The Black Lagoon" would have to go down as one of the classic titles of the 1950's horror/Sci Fi genre. Too often dismissed as drive-in fodder, this film is a real classic and is a film which grows more on me with each screening. Indeed I find more to like about this production all the time. It's enduring popularity is a great testimony to its excellent production values, good acting, intelligent storyline, and the real claustrophobic atmosphere it engenders. "Creature" also boosts one of the most memorable of Universal's great gallery of classic monsters in the form of the Gillman superbly realised by the genius of designer Bud Westmore. Coming quite late in the long tradition of Universal monsters the Gillman is right up there with such memorable creations as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein and The Wolfman. He was to return to the screen in two sequels "Revenge Of The Creature" and "The Creature Walks Among Us" however it is for this original effort that he is justly remembered. The story in reality is a simple one. A rare find of a clawed hand that has no relationship with any known link in evolution is unearthed during an excavation in the Amazon jungle. The possibilty of a sensational find prompts a group of scientists to set out on a expedition to find the rest of its body only to discover themselves having to deal with a live ancestor of this fossil in the form of a strange underwater Gillmam. Much to their distress they find themselves trapped in the eerie and mysterious Black Lagoon having to literally fight for their lives against this creature who is not only aggressive towards those that disturb his Amazion shelter but begins killing off the expedition team one by one. He also takes a shine to the only female member of the expedition (Julia Adams) and proceeds to kidnap her and take her down into his underwater cavern. The end result of this is that not only is the Gillman captured and then escapes but he manages to elude his unwelcome guests and disappear into the swamp without trace. The production boosts a first rate cast for its kind and has the services of veteran latin actor Antonio Moreno in the role of Dr. Maia who originally finds the fossil and is responsible for the expedition being formed to find the rest of it. The main focus of the story is on the three way relationship between the characters played by Richard Carlson (veteran of many 1950's Sci Fi efforts) Julie Adams and Richard Denning. The conflict situation between these three, Carlson wanting to protect the strange creature and Denning wanting to capture it and make money for the research institute from it, is very effectively done and as the crisis situation with the Gillman reaches its climax the sparks between them make for a very well crafted and realistic situation. Julie Adams, the love interest of the piece is perhaps best known for this role and her very memorable swimming sequence photographed by second unit camera man James C. Havens is magnificently done with the Gillman hovering just under Miss Adams in the shots with a strange combination of playfulness and menace. These scenes are probably the most famous from the film and indeed all the extensive underwater photography is excellent. The overall look of "Creature From The Black lagoon" is really unforgettable and the suit worn by the Gillman is excellent and by far the best of its kind in all the "creature features" of the 1950's. It looks realistic and like a real prehistoric skin and adds tremendously to the overall creepy appearance of the Gillman. Veteran director Jack Arnold who was a talented director of some of the best Sci Fi efforts of the 1950's guides here with a sure hand and the tight closed in set of the mysterious lagoon combined with shots of the causeways of the real Amazon basin used here, give the film a real feeling of isolation and fear with the monster always lurking nearby ready to attack. Indeed the atmosphere of the lagoon goes a long way to instilling the terror into this story. I personally love these 1950's horror and Sci Fi efforts and "Creature From The Black Lagoon" is one of the very best and is a personal favourite of mine. Its story when produced was an original one and the acting is undertaken with a seriousness about the material that places it above most of the other efforts of this period. For a thrilling piece of entertainment with a classic icon of horror cinema on display you can't go past "Creature From The Black Lagoon" for a great viewing experience.
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Summary: unforgettable monster classic
Review: CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON is a benchmark in the noble horror genre. Originally released in eye-popping 3D, CREATURE lives on in the minds of the hardcore classic-horror fans. A group of scientists (led by Richard Carlson and Richard Denning), journey deep into the Amazon to track down a mysterious gill-man who has been told of in folklore for generations. Kay (Julia Adams in her most fondly-remembered film), becomes the target of the monster's affections when he claps eyes on her lithsome figure in a super-tight swimsuit. Pretty soon, the creature is terrorising the unsuspecting crew in a series of rather hokey attacks, culminating in the abduction of Kay and the discovery of the creature's remarkably-dry undersea grotto. Pure classic horror film, ably-directed by Jack Arnold and featuring Bud Westmore's unfogettable design for the titular creature. The DVD includes commentary by film historian Tom Weaver, photo/poster gallery, "Back to the Black Lagoon" documentary and the trailer.
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Summary: THE CREATURE RULES!
Review: Though made in the [cheesy] monster period of the 50s, this movie is excellent, simply because it was made by Universal. The Creature ranks with the Wolf Man, Dracula, and Frankenstein. The plot is well done and suspensful. An expedition travels to the forbidden Black Lagoon of the Amazon in search of the remnants of a fossil, which may prove to be the missing link! Little do they know that one such creature still exsists, and it's determined to destroy all trespassers in its domain. This has always been one of my favorites because it's well done, and makes sense (like it could be true). Very highly recommended!
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Summary: HORROR FROM THE DEPTHS
Review: When a grizzled scientist unearths a prehistoric claw beyond current classification, a team of researchers treks to the Amazon to uncover the truth. There they stumble into the legendary Black Lagoon, described by their boat's captain as a paradise...from which no one ever returns. And the ultimate truth is the Gill Man (Ben Chapman) himself, a scaly, half-human amphibian who falls in love with the group's lovely female assistant, Kay (Julia Adams). When one of the scientists (Richard Denning) decides to make a trophy of the monster, the Gill Man strikes back. The men need only fear a grisly death--but for Kay the Gill Man plans a fate far worse... A classic of the horror/sci-fi genre, Creature From the Black Lagoon was the last great monster from Universal Studios. Reminiscent of the Deep Ones from the tales of horror scribe H.P. Lovecraft, FX man Bud Westmore's Gill Man suit turned actor Chapman into a truly scary presence. The rest of the cast handles each of their respective roles impressively, and the script not only makes the most of the archtypical plot (isolated researchers menaced by prehistoric beast), but tightens the suspense by building conflict between Denning's obsessive character and leading man Richard Carlson. The two's rivalry for both Kay (Carlson loves her; Denning needs her) and the creature (Carlson wants to study it; Denning wants to kill it) adds a realistic human element to the fantastic story. The film's setting, deep in the Amazon jungle, is eerie and evocative--anything could be lurking out there. Likewise, the movie's score is legendary among classic monster fans, the perfect complement to the mysterious locale. Creature From the Black Lagoon is my favorite of all the classic Universal monster movies. From the opening "creation prologue" to the Creature's first merciless attack, to the hypnotic dual water ballet as the delectable Kay strokes back and forth through the Lagoon's black waters, oblivious to the monster floating along with her, to the climax deep in the Gill Man's underground home, Creature From the Black Lagoon is a flawless masterpiece from sci-fi's golden age.
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Summary: Jack Arnold's Creature from the Black Lagoon
Review: This famous Universal picture features the giant gill man, who has risen in infamy to take his place right up there with the Wolf Man, Dracula, and Frankenstein's monster. On a dig in the Amazon, Antonio Moreno discovers the fossilized skeletal remains of a hand that has webbed fingers. He takes it back to a biological institute, where hunky guys Richard Carlson and Richard Denning await. Carlson is the good guy, Denning runs the institute and is just out for fame and fortune, Mother Earth be darned. Accompanied by Carlson's girlfriend, Julie Adams, the group return to the site in a rust bucket of a boat. Someone (or something) has killed the natives left to guard the site. The group puts a strange theory together that the rest of the fossil must have been washed down to a local lagoon, called the Black Lagoon. Adams thinks it should be called "the Beautiful Lagoon" when they arrive there (thanks, Julie, go lie down). As Carlson and Denning put on aqua lungs and bicker, we see a strange creature in the water, a half man and half fish. The creature from the black lagoon starts offing some of the boat's native crew, and is captured. Then it escapes, only this time hurts a white scientist guy. NOW we are mad. A couple of natives is one thing, but when you hurt anglos, you are in for it. The film then falls into an unfortunate routine: the burly men come up with a plan, gill man outsmarts them and kills or maims somebody, burly men come up with new plan. Toss in Carlson and Denning fighting worse than George Jefferson and Flo, and you have a cult horror sci-fi flick. Some of the stuff here is silly. Adams' only role seems to be to look cute in a one piece and scream every time the stealth like gill man gets on the boat, which is often. Denning and Carlson's arguing grates. At one point, to flush out the gill man, they poison the entire lagoon with a drug that renders aquatic life paralyzed for an hour or two! The gill man is shot twice with a harpoon yet still manages to live through it all. On the positive, the gill man's makeup is awesome. The suit is totally believable, and the effect is creepy. The suit seems pliable enough that the actor encased inside can still move around, and he gets involved in the action. James C. Havens directed the underwater sequences and did a great job. The shots are crystal clear, and even a silt filled fight between the creature and Denning comes off well. Director Arnold does well on dry land, turning the lagoon into a claustrophobic trap when the creature blocks the exit with a dead tree. Arnold seamlessly blends studio shots with location filming. All things considered, this is not a bad film. It is scarier and more entertaining than ninety percent of the horror and science fiction films that have come out since the mid 1950's. For nostalgia, you cannot beat it. I do recommend it. This is unrated, and contains physical violence, mild gun violence, and mild gore.
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Summary: 3-D or Not 3-D? That Is The Question
Review: One of few truly great "creature" films, THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON is a surprisingly effective horror film concerning a scientific expedition up the Amazon to investigate an unusual fossil find--but instead of fossils the crew members encounter an underwater creature of considerable intelligence that is bent on their destruction. The script is a bit dated by modern standards, but the cast (particularly Julie Adams) is effective, and the creature is easily one of Universal Studio's most memorable creations. And seen today in standard black and white, the film is quite enjoyable. But it doesn't hold a candle to the original 3-D format, which I was fortunate to see not once but twice during the 1970s and 1980s. Simply stated, BLACK LAGOON's cinematography was probably the best of all 3-D movies to date. As with most 3-D films, there is plenty of "coming at you" cinematography, and many viewers will be able to pick out such moments when seeing the film in standard black and white--but in addition to these, the film used 3-D in a remarkably subtle way; virtually every scene in the film is designed for 3-D, and the effect is exceptionally memorable in the underwater sequences. I remain disappointed that the 3-D version of BLACK LAGOON--not to mention such other 3-D films as HOUSE OF WAX, IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE, and DIAL "M" FOR MURDER--has never been released in 3-D format on video or disk; instead, we must make do with such bottom-budget 3-D ficks as THE MASK, CAT WOMEN ON THE MOON, and the like. Admittedly, the impact of the format is lessened by the small screen and demands some careful color adjusting, and the effect requires the use of 3-D glasses--but it is a shame that we must settle for ghosts of the originals when we could easily have the originals instead. In 3-D format, BLACK LAGOON would easily be a five-star film.
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Summary: STILL A CLASSIC
Review: I can't believe that MST 3000 did their thing on this movie; I don't think this movie is cheesy at all! The special effects are first-class, and the format is classic sci-fi!
There are scarier monsters out there, but there's something about the creature in this movie...He's cute!
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