Review of Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) by Katchoo _ — 03 Jul 2010

During an expedition up the Amazon, a group of scientists are looking to find more evidence of a fossil that was discovered, but they come face-to-face with a hostile half-man, half-fish creature. Who takes a real fancy to the lady assistant of the group and kidnaps her after escaping the cage that the scientists had held him captive in.

This totally successful Universal classic creature feature is unquestionably a very influential imprint on the many horror / Sci-fi ilks that followed it. I have not seen the flick in ages, but the charm and polish was still there to considerate one of my all-time favourite Universal monster flicks. Originally, it was distributed in 3-D, but even without that gimmick it stands up marginally well. There's something crisp about these b/w Universal features and "Creature from the Black Lagoon" is no exception.

It's stoutly directed by Jack Arnold with extremely potent cinematography (especially the superbly executed murky underwater shots) and a robust to melodious patchwork music score. Though it's the star of the production were the limelight sticks on. The creature was thought-up through Universal compared to their other monsters that were found through literature. Bud Westmore's astounding rubber design for the beast was vividly crafted and had an imposing figure and personality about it. Rounding off the solid production were credible performances from Richard Carlson, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno and the simply gorgeous Julie Adams. No wonder why it's love at first sight for the creature! The to-the-point script rounds out the characters and situation they are in a durable manner. A "King Kong" aspect definitely shapes the premise, Beauty and the Gill-Man. And the leisurely story doesn't lean to far from its traditionally planned framework. In patches streamlining a certain eroticism found in some sequences breaks this mold. Director Arnold kicks away from sophistication to rally up genuinely compact suspense and an atmospheric air from its surroundings and natural sounds. It does have that feel of the scientists being out of their comfort zone, and we the audience acknowledge it too.

One of the best monster flicks of the 50's era. Unpretentiously, adventurous fun.