garylampkin **NO SPOILERS**I'm a fan of the 50's creature feature genre, so this movie fits the category nicely. Unlike a lot of these low budget offerings with bad scripts, I happen to find this one has an entirely believable plot and some tension filled moments with decent acting to pull it off. Man screwing with the environment producing horrible results which is, in fact, what has happened to the real Salton Sea in SoCal. Finding out the details of the real story of the ongoing saga of that area makes the movie background and choice of location even more appealing. In reality, man's actions and inaction have created a beast of sorts affecting the whole region environmentally, and financially. If you enjoy a little irony I suggest watching this movie then look into the history behind the Salton Sea- which is really a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault. Check out the History Channel's 2006 episode "Engineering Disasters 18" (#13-04), from the television documentary series Modern Marvels, which describes the combined manmade and natural events leading to the creation of the Salton Sea in the early 20th century, its brief popularity as a resort destination midcentury, and its subsequent decline due to high salinity and farm runoff. Impacts to Salton Sea fish and bird populations are addressed and future plans to rescue the sea are described. I'm actually giving this a 6.5, but because IMDb won't add the half points to the voting it appears as a 6.

Michael_Elliott The Monster That Challenged the World (1957) ** 1/2 (out of 4) The coasts of California are under attack but no one seems to know who is behind it. Several people have disappeared while in the water and the only thing left behind are mutated bodies and some white slime. Lt. Twillinger (Tim Holt) begins to investigate and soon everyone realizes that large slugs are living at the bottom of the ocean and coming out at night for food.The 1950s were full of various sci-fi movies where various monsters became huge due to some sort of radiation, atomic bombs or countless other ways. This film manages to be rather entertaining thanks in large part to its cast and some fresh ideas from director Arnold Laven. The film manages to hold your interest despite some major flaws including the fact that the monster is rather lame. Yes, most monster movies succeed based on their monster but this one here is kind of the opposite.I say that because the monster here is incredibly fake looking and the thing is so still that you can't help but tell it's fake. There's really not even any use in trying to use your imagination because the monster is that bad. Still, there were a few good things from the horror elements including the look of the mutated bodies once they're found. I thought they were quite effective and especially the first body discovered as it pops out of the water. Another good item includes the white slime that is found throughout.Holt certainly makes for a very good hero as he manages to capture that tough guy image perfectly as well as deliver a strong performance. Audrey Dalton makes for a good love interest, although she's really not given too much to do except smile, flirty and scream when that time comes. The film also benefits from a nice music score as well as some good underwater sequences. It's not too hard to think that a young Steven Spielberg must have seen this picture because there are certain things in JAWS that could have been inspired by scenes here.THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD is a good example of what can be done with an extremely low-budget. There are certainly some flaws with the monster and there's no doubt that the film could have used about five or ten minutes cut but there's still plenty to enjoy here.

lemon_magic My scale for movies sometimes is affected by issues such as whether the movie has aged well/how well it holds up, how good it is ranked against other movies in its genre and time, and whether the movie gives me any excuse at all to enjoy it.On that scale, "Monster" isn't quite the classic as "Them!", but compares favorably to "Tarantula" (with Leo Carrol), and it beats the heck out of almost everything Corman and his studio has ever directed or produced.Sure, it's a little cheesy in spots, the lead role is pure cardboard (leavened with a bit of humanity here and there, and this is really how an official for "Navy Intelligence" might act)...and some of the other acting may leave something to be desired, but the director knows how to keep things moving, actors like Hans Conried manage to deliver a metric ton of exposition without faltering or dragging the movie down, the women are cute and adorable, the men are stalwart and heroic, and the scenario is an interesting one.The title turns out to be a bit of a misnomer, since the original monster is dispatched rather easily, but his brothers and descendants turn out to be the real problem, and I quite enjoyed some scenes that might have been boring and stupid in the hands of a lesser crew.Unjustly overlooked, seemingly forgotten, but worth your time to watch if you enjoy this sort of thing.

Sean Jump The Monster That Challenged the World is a highly entertaining science fiction thriller from the fertile 1950s that retains its appeal many years after its initial release. The eponymous monster is actually a cluster of over-sized prehistoric mollusks that are released from their underwater slumber by an untimely earthquake. Predatory and surprisingly adaptable (despite their aquatic nature, the mollusks sometimes surprise their victims by sneaking around on land), the creatures threaten to turn all of nature on its head. Arnold Laven directs the picture with a sure and competent touch, and though the movie is certainly not blessed with a lavish budget nothing ever really looks cheap. The mollusks are surprisingly monstrous and scary looking, and several scenes are highly suspenseful, including an exciting moment when the lovely Gail (played by Audrey Dalton) and her daughter are cornered by a rogue mollusk that won't be deterred by barred doors. Acting is solid all round, and while Tim Holt is a somewhat unconventional leading man he plays the role of the no-nonsense but kind-hearted soldier well, and his romance with the attractive Gail is realistically developed. I can't vouch for the science in this science fiction movie, but the rationale behind the mollusks' re-emergence and the threat they pose to the world is plausibly written within the context of the script. The story moves swiftly with a satisfying climax. Not as famous as some other monster hits from the 50s, The Monster That Challenged the World is actually one of the best of its breed and is still a great way to spend a lazy weekend afternoon.