Review of Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) by Johnathon W — 13 Oct 2016

Classic monster movie that, while dated by todays standards, holds up as one of the best of the Universal creature features. The cast is solid but nothing to write home about, with the standout being the gorgeous Julie Adams, whose swimming scene alone shows why the creature falls in love with her.

The real star, of course, is the creature itself, with make-up effects that are still brilliant today, particularly in the underwater scenes. Behind the camera, director Jack Arnold keeps the story lean at 80 minutes while actually exploring some areas other monster movies didn't.

For example, the point is made that the humans are essentially breaking into his domain and you do feel for the monster as they try to kill or trap him. Arnold also films some remarkable underwater scenes (more notable in that they were shot in 3D) actually taking you into the creature's underwater world.

Granted, the dialogue is generic while the plot essentially is the same as "King Kong". Overall, a dated but still very important movie that set the standard for the monster movies to follow.