The Monster That Challenged the World

Rating:
Summary: Better than Average 50s Giant Monster Movie
Review: A better-than-average cast, higher production values, and an inventive monster raise this a notch above most of the 50s giant monster genre, though it's still a little dull in spots. Overall a worthwhile 50s gem.

Rating:
Summary: Better than Average 50s Giant Monster Movie
Review: A better-than-average cast, higher production values, and an inventive monster raise this a notch above most of the 50s giant monster genre, though it's still a little dull in spots. Overall a worthwhile 50s gem.

Rating:
Summary: Giant Mollusks On the Rampage!
Review: A nice twist to the *Giant Beastie* films with this entry from 1957. When people begin to disappear the Navy soon finds out that giant, prehistoric mollusks are the predators on the loose. It's up to Navy man, Tim Holt and scientist, Hans Conried to save the populace. Some very inspired moments and the *Beastie* is very well done, in this viewer's opinion.

Rating:
Summary: Monstrous Mollusks!
Review: A somewhat past-his-prime Tim Holt stars as the tough-but-compassionate military guy (okay, I admit, I don't know a Captain from a Majorette) who comes up against malevolent mollusks in the Salton Sea.

Hans Conreid is always fun, even when he's playing a serious scientist with a major denial problem when it comes to the effect of radiation on snails. Could it possibly turn them into man-eating creatures that will take over the world? Naaaah...!

The Monster That Challenged the World is an intelligent film (remember that this is a relative term), rather low-key but with great monsters that do not actually shoot laser beams out of their eyes, despite what the cover art depicts.

I like this one a lot and the DVD is bargain priced.

Rating:
Summary: An efficient 1950s monster thriller.
Review: A well-done, enjoyable 1950s "giant menace" thriller. The documentary-like use of real locations and military procedures makes it almost believable. Slightly unusual for the period is the fact that the menace (giant slugs in snail shells) are unleashed NOT by radiation, but merely by an earthquake which rouses them from hibernation beneath the Salton Sea. The big slugs are portrayed by full-size mechanical mock-ups (well, probably only one) and are more-or-less convincing. A bit too much time is spent on the romantic sub-plot. Worth seeing.

Rating:
Summary: Creepy Crawly Caterpillars - With Really Big Mandibles!
Review: As B-flick as a B-flick can get, what redeems this one is a really great monster - or nest of monsters, as the case may be, on the ocean floor. You know how it is, when our toxic dumps in the ocean start mutating natural animal life into something inexplicably hostile to man - and many times larger. In this case, the mutated beasties are sea anelids - big, creepy-crawly, segmented worms, with eno-o-o-ormous snapping mandibles, rather like two curved javelins. They have disgusting eating habits, slobbering gucky white poison all over the remains of their meals, which the damned things never bother to clean up after they've finished. They also suck people's body juices out ("Mm-mm - ! Tastes like chicken!") as if by a straw, leaving dried-out, mummified husks of men, where once stood the Navy's Finest (and you all thought the really militant Feminists were bad!).

Can the U.S. Navy clean up its hungry toxic mess? Will the dauntless Captain get the adorable girl-next-door, while they try? Do we really taste like chicken?

The answer to these and other questions you could care less about will go unnoticed, while you enjoy the great monster effects.

Bon appetit. (Burp.)

Rating:
Summary: Escargot, anyone?
Review: Big mollusks from the 1950s. A bit too understated to offer any chills.


Rating:
Summary: Classic 1950's Creature Feature With Good Story And Effects
Review: Despite it's grandiose title which screams out "B movie for the drive in circuit!", "The Monster That Challenged the World", is a good piece of 1950's science fiction, offering capable performances, an interesting, if not totally original storyline and an interesting "creature on the loose", in a giant mollusk that proceeds to drain all the blood from its victims in its quest for nourishment. The creature when it is eventually seen in its entirety is quite horrific and far more sophisticated than the usual rubber suit or tentacled fur balls employed in alot of Sci Fi films of this period. All of this is presented in a pleasing and (for this genre) largely non sensational manner and benefits greatly from some very effective locations filmed in and around Florida's famed Salton Sea.

"The Monster That Challenged the World", starts off with an explanation of the curious history of the Salton Sea and introduces us to the scientific base where most of the action develops from when it is rocked by a tremor which in itself is not serious but which with time is revealed to have created a "hiccup" with some of the "dormant", forms of life in the sea. All seems well until some of the military performing routine parachute jumps into the sea strike trouble with two men completely disappearing and the third being literally scared to death by some horrific vision. Put in charge of the investigation into what happened to the men Lt. John Twillinger (Tim Holt), finds one of the bodies rising to the surface which has been strangely drained of all of its blood. Meanwhile swimmers in the local area also begin to disappear and it becomes obvious that something is lurking in the sea that is unlike anything encountered before. Equally mystifying is that at each of the sights where a death has occured is found a strange sticky substance which when examined by the base scientist Dr. Jess Rogers (Hans Conried), is revealed to come from a prehistoric form of sea Mollusk that supposedly had been extinct for millions of years. During a further expedition out into the sea the divers discover strange egg sacs of a size never seen before and then encounter the creature in broad daylight as it attacks them in their boat. It appears that the prehistoric sea mollusk had lain dormant for millions of years below the sea and was shacken out by the tremor. Affected by elements of radioactivity present in the sea the mollusk had grown to a huge size with a decidely hostile manner. Beaten off by the men the gravity of the situation is revealed in that these creatures multiple rapidly and have a consuming appetite for other creatures blood. One of the egg sacs is taken back to the lab where it is kept at a neutral temperature to stop it from hatching so that it can be studied. In the lab Lt. Twillinger makes the acquaintance of lab assistant Gail Mackenzie (Audrey Dalton), a young widow with a child and they begin a romance. Closing off the sea's beaches patrols are set up of all the loch's leading from the sea. When one of the loch watchmen is killed in the same way as the divers, being drained of his blood, emergency measures are taken. The team manages to find the main nesting place of the creatures and divers proceed to blow them all up. It seems like the threat has now been removed however at the base Gail's young daughter has played with the temperature control on the observation tank and the creature hatches trapping both Gail and her daughter in a storage room. Not able to reach her on the telephone and sensing something is wrong Lt. Twillinger races back to the base and is confronted by the creature just as it is breaking down the door where Gail is trapped. The military then move in and destroy the creature with fire. The conclusion sees John and Gail happily reunited outside the burning base building.

For this kind of film the screenplay surprisingly presents the material in a fairly intelligent and well thought out manner. The creature of the title doesn't exactly threaten the whole world however its general look and the explanation of how it has got to the size it is is dealt with in an interesting manner. Performances are generally good for this type of effort. Tim Holt had had a long busy career appearing in many Hollywood "A" efforts prior to this film and indeed "The Monster That Challenged the World", was almost his final film performance. He looks decidely unfit in the unlikely role of the male romantic lead however he combines well with Audrey Dalton to make a fairly believable couple. The direction by Arnold Laven, is capable without being spectacular for science fiction. He keeps the action moving along and the old technique of not revealing the monster until the story is well set up is a standard one in 1950's sci fi which works well here. His direction of Audrey Dalton is probably the best part here as he doesn't reduce her character to the standard screaming damsel in distress as is normal. Gail is a resourceful and intelligent woman and when she is put into a crisis situation at the films conclusion proves herself to be level headed and capable of good judgement when faced with the sea mollusk on the rampage.

Certainly not top grade science fiction "The Monster That Challenged the World", however makes great viewing if like me, you are a fan of the "creature features", of the 1950's. I think its most appealing feature apart from the terrific monster is the fact that it has an almost at times low key, non sensational approach to the material. The earnest performances by Tim Holt, Audrey Dalton and Hans Conreid in particular give this film a certain credibility that is missing in some of its "B" cousins from the same period in Hollywood. Enjoy a nasty blood sucking creature awakened from its slumber after millions of years in United Artists "The Monster That Challenged the World".

Rating:
Summary: Classic 1950's Creature Feature With Good Story And Effects
Review: Despite it's grandiose title which screams out "B movie for the drive in circuit!", "The Monster That Challenged the World", is a good piece of 1950's science fiction, offering capable performances, an interesting, if not totally original storyline and an interesting "creature on the loose", in a giant mollusk that proceeds to drain all the blood from its victims in its quest for nourishment. The creature when it is eventually seen in its entirety is quite horrific and far more sophisticated than the usual rubber suit or tentacled fur balls employed in alot of Sci Fi films of this period. All of this is presented in a pleasing and (for this genre) largely non sensational manner and benefits greatly from some very effective locations filmed in and around Florida's famed Salton Sea.

"The Monster That Challenged the World", starts off with an explanation of the curious history of the Salton Sea and introduces us to the scientific base where most of the action develops from when it is rocked by a tremor which in itself is not serious but which with time is revealed to have created a "hiccup" with some of the "dormant", forms of life in the sea. All seems well until some of the military performing routine parachute jumps into the sea strike trouble with two men completely disappearing and the third being literally scared to death by some horrific vision. Put in charge of the investigation into what happened to the men Lt. John Twillinger (Tim Holt), finds one of the bodies rising to the surface which has been strangely drained of all of its blood. Meanwhile swimmers in the local area also begin to disappear and it becomes obvious that something is lurking in the sea that is unlike anything encountered before. Equally mystifying is that at each of the sights where a death has occured is found a strange sticky substance which when examined by the base scientist Dr. Jess Rogers (Hans Conried), is revealed to come from a prehistoric form of sea Mollusk that supposedly had been extinct for millions of years. During a further expedition out into the sea the divers discover strange egg sacs of a size never seen before and then encounter the creature in broad daylight as it attacks them in their boat. It appears that the prehistoric sea mollusk had lain dormant for millions of years below the sea and was shacken out by the tremor. Affected by elements of radioactivity present in the sea the mollusk had grown to a huge size with a decidely hostile manner. Beaten off by the men the gravity of the situation is revealed in that these creatures multiple rapidly and have a consuming appetite for other creatures blood. One of the egg sacs is taken back to the lab where it is kept at a neutral temperature to stop it from hatching so that it can be studied. In the lab Lt. Twillinger makes the acquaintance of lab assistant Gail Mackenzie (Audrey Dalton), a young widow with a child and they begin a romance. Closing off the sea's beaches patrols are set up of all the loch's leading from the sea. When one of the loch watchmen is killed in the same way as the divers, being drained of his blood, emergency measures are taken. The team manages to find the main nesting place of the creatures and divers proceed to blow them all up. It seems like the threat has now been removed however at the base Gail's young daughter has played with the temperature control on the observation tank and the creature hatches trapping both Gail and her daughter in a storage room. Not able to reach her on the telephone and sensing something is wrong Lt. Twillinger races back to the base and is confronted by the creature just as it is breaking down the door where Gail is trapped. The military then move in and destroy the creature with fire. The conclusion sees John and Gail happily reunited outside the burning base building.

For this kind of film the screenplay surprisingly presents the material in a fairly intelligent and well thought out manner. The creature of the title doesn't exactly threaten the whole world however its general look and the explanation of how it has got to the size it is is dealt with in an interesting manner. Performances are generally good for this type of effort. Tim Holt had had a long busy career appearing in many Hollywood "A" efforts prior to this film and indeed "The Monster That Challenged the World", was almost his final film performance. He looks decidely unfit in the unlikely role of the male romantic lead however he combines well with Audrey Dalton to make a fairly believable couple. The direction by Arnold Laven, is capable without being spectacular for science fiction. He keeps the action moving along and the old technique of not revealing the monster until the story is well set up is a standard one in 1950's sci fi which works well here. His direction of Audrey Dalton is probably the best part here as he doesn't reduce her character to the standard screaming damsel in distress as is normal. Gail is a resourceful and intelligent woman and when she is put into a crisis situation at the films conclusion proves herself to be level headed and capable of good judgement when faced with the sea mollusk on the rampage.

Certainly not top grade science fiction "The Monster That Challenged the World", however makes great viewing if like me, you are a fan of the "creature features", of the 1950's. I think its most appealing feature apart from the terrific monster is the fact that it has an almost at times low key, non sensational approach to the material. The earnest performances by Tim Holt, Audrey Dalton and Hans Conreid in particular give this film a certain credibility that is missing in some of its "B" cousins from the same period in Hollywood. Enjoy a nasty blood sucking creature awakened from its slumber after millions of years in United Artists "The Monster That Challenged the World".

Rating:
Summary: Bland monster B movie
Review: Former cowboy movie star Tim Holt walks through this one like a man on his way to his execution. This is a formulaic, bland, dull creature feature with every stereotypical '50's monster cliche included. Radioactivity! Giant (fill in the blank!), etc. The monster is not at all scary. Only for nostalgia/kitsch lovers.