SnoopyStyle
The American military is on Operation Experiment in the high arctic. They denote a nuclear bomb which thaws out a gigantic dinosaur. Professor Tom Nesbitt encounters the beast but no one believes him. He is evacuated back home while the beast inevitably moves south. It leaves a trail of destruction and reaches New York City.Everything screams 50's sci-fi B-movie. The story is nothing special. The acting is mostly stiff and so is the directing. That is everything except Ray Harryhausen's work. This is his early stop-motion model animation and it is exquisite. The giant lizard eating the NY policeman is a major signpost in the field of special effects. It is cutting edge work brilliantly done by a fledgling master.
JPfanatic93
First dinosaur-on-a-rampage movie (beating the much more famous Japanese Gojira by one year) is still one of the best of its kind, mostly thanks to Ray Harryhausen's sublime stop motion animation. After an H-bomb test in the frozen Arctic wastelands, a scientist (Paul Hubschmid) spots a giant reptilian creature before being wounded in an avalanche. At first his wild stories are met with disbelief by his colleagues except for an old paleontologist (Cecil Kellaway) and his attractive female assistant (Paula Raymond). However, as soon as the monster, a fictional species of dinosaur dubbed Rhedosaurus, attacks Manhattan, doubt turns into terror and the scientists, in cooperation with the armed forces, race against time to find a way to stop the beast. This was Harryhausen's first solo project after having done most of the animation for Mighty Joe Young (1949) together with his mentor Willis O 'Brien. Apparently, Harryhausen was a good student, since the result of his skill in animation proved at least as great as the master's own work on King Kong (1933). Many creature-destroys-city films would follow in its wake, but very few would come even close to this level of realism. And fun.
LeonLouisRicci
Influential in many ways. Seminal to say the least. This is the first Monster to be unleashed by the awakening awesomeness of the Atomic Bomb. This is Ray Harryhausen's first solo outing (he was Willis O'Brien's (King Kong) assistant on Mighty Joe Young (1949). It has a crisp Black and White look and is a sharply defined matte of Monster and surroundings. From the early sets on the frozen tundra, to the depths of the Ocean, to the New York City Streets, to the Amusement Park finale, this is a beautiful low-budget Film. There are some stiff Performances and some that are lively. It pulls few punches in its depressing display of Radioactive Paranoia. Some unforgettable Highlights include the eerie Lighthouse encounter, the viciously impressive looking Dinosaur wreaking havoc between Skyscrapers, and the Roller Coaster imprisonment and execution.Note: Will all Godzilla and Toho fans please nod, bow, and applaud.
wes-connors
Nuclear testing at the North Pole thaws out a live dinosaur they're calling a Rhedosaurus. "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" turns out to be an excellent swimmer, and heads for home. Unfortunately for the population of a major American city, millions of years ago "The Beast" lived in the area we now call New York City. The homecoming turns out to be a disaster for both the monster and frightened citizens... Here, another monster follows in the "King Kong" (1933) footsteps. This is far from the best of the 1950s invasion pictures, but Ray Harryhausen's monster effects make it fun to watch.***** The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (6/13/53) Eugene Lourie ~ Paul Hubschmid, Paula Raymond, Cecil Kellaway, Kenneth Tobey
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