CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, 1954
Movie Review

A group of scientists embark on a journey into the Amazon to find exotic fossils, but end up against a frightening, prehistoric creature.

CLICK HERE and watch TV SHOWS FOR FREE!

Take a look at what's new today!

REVIEW:

I had the fortunate opportunity to watch Creature from the Black Lagoon in 3D, as it was originally released, during my college days (along with live piano accompaniment). I remember only being wowed by how close a generic fish popped out near my face, but for the most part being underwhelmed by the entire show. 3D was more a distraction than anything, and even though the red/blue eyewear is long gone, replaced with thick, black glasses, I'm not one hundred percent sold that the 3D aspect nowadays would be anyway beneficial to the film-watching experience.

I digress. I rewatched the film for the purposes of this review, and now that I had the opportunity to actually pay attention to the action on screen, I was somewhat intrigued by the overall approach of the story. I've been watching a number of these B films thus far, and it's the first one I've seen with a definitive antagonist within the main group, a trope that would be utilized in pretty much every "group in bizarre/unknown territory" story from here on out.

It's odd that the concept of positioning a traitor among the protagonists haven't been toyed with more often in B-films. Movies where pseudo-science is king, the filmmakers toss around terminology and logic that befuddles the mind but seem like they make sense, include a "sexy" gal, and a denouement that mostly consists of the cast that stares collectively as the monster/disaster is killed or disposed of. Why not add another level of tension? I am aware that the propensity to keep the stories simple is paramount, budget and time-wise, but a little B-plot certainly would not complicate matters.

Creature of the Black Lagoon is the perfect example. When a strange fossil of a webbed hand is discovered near the Amazon, a team of American scientists head down the river to track its sedimentary trail to try and discover the origin. They end up pitted against the creature, and in time end up going through the same beats and tropes mentioned above. But the added dramatic layer has two of the main scientists clashing over the approach: one seeks fame and money, the other, scientific research and information. When the beast starts to grow more aggressive, guess which scientist wants to capture it alive at the expense of the group, and which ones just wants to get the hell out of there.

It's a familiar formula, hokey and cliched, but here, it seems rather fresh, especially coming from the 1950s. It has more going for it, which makes it stand out from the other low-budget sci-fi/horror flicks from this period.

TOP 100 MOVIE PAGES WATCH and SEE the best of film!

SEXY PHOTOS TOP 100 Sexiest people on the planet!

TOP 100 SEX PAGES WATCH and SEE the best of sex pages online

WATCH the TOP 100 NUDE SCENES of all-time SEE the best of naked film!

---

YouTube MySpace Facebook Twitter

NEXT Film Festival Night SUBMIT Your Film FILM Festival Videos SCREENPLAY Festival Videos

SUBMIT your Poetry SUBMIT Your Script SUBMIT Your TV Script SUBMIT Your 1 Page Script

WATCH Movies 2010 Movies COMEDY Movies VIRAL Videos

Movie SCENES Movie ACTORS Movie ACTRESSES Movie DIRECTORS

PICTURES Movies BY YEAR Movies GENRES Movie TRAILERS

Loading...

CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON