I confess that as the beast ran amok in Manhattan I was distracted by the glimpses of the city from 65 years ago, parts of the film having been shot on location. The giant creatures of the 1950s films were more fantasy than science fiction, but to look at Manhattan as it was back then, as if visiting via time-machine--now that's science fiction! Still, it was a fun movie. The big lizard itself was nothing special, but Harryhausen's effects were pretty good. The beast really seemed to be moving around IN the city. The final scene of the creature expiring amid flames among collapsed roller coasters was exciting, and in the end you feel sorry for the big brute, as you often do in creature features.
Also effective was the opening sequence in the Arctic--not the first appearance of the creature so much as the desolate, stormy wasteland and the scientist trapped in the crevice.
The single best composition in the movie was probably the first view of the lonely lighthouse. Maybe I responded more to this because I knew it was inspired by the Ray Bradbury story, a good one.
The characters were nothing much, with the exception of Cecil Kellaway as the professor. He plays a likable old gent with real courage when his duty as a scientist calls for it.
A good picture to watch with a cold beer and some popcorn on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
Also effective was the opening sequence in the Arctic--not the first appearance of the creature so much as the desolate, stormy wasteland and the scientist trapped in the crevice.
The single best composition in the movie was probably the first view of the lonely lighthouse. Maybe I responded more to this because I knew it was inspired by the Ray Bradbury story, a good one.
The characters were nothing much, with the exception of Cecil Kellaway as the professor. He plays a likable old gent with real courage when his duty as a scientist calls for it.
A good picture to watch with a cold beer and some popcorn on a rainy Saturday afternoon.