Review of The Giant Claw (1957) by Simon L — 29 Sep 2008

Oh man, this one's a doozy, friends. If you fancy yourself a fan of old school monster movies, you've probably seen the big bird of Giant Claw before. If you've ever seen ANYTHING that even REMOTELY touched on the subject of cheep, silly-looking monsters in 50s movies, chances are very good that you've seen at least a fleeting glimpse of this creature.

It honestly is one of the most hilarously ghastly creations of all time. But before we beat that dead horse, let's discus the fact that The Giant Claw just isn't a good movie no matter WHAT kind of monster is in it.

The plot is unbelieveable even by 50s standards, and the hillariously stiff writing only makes it worse. The characters are both unrealistic and unlikable, and the cast's performance borders on Ed Woods level of goofiness.

Oh, and we're even treated to that mind-boggling concept of a voiceover narating plot points AS THE CHARACTERS SILENTLY MOUTH DIALOG THAT SAYS THE EXACT SAME THING (man, just how bad were the original performances for THAT to be an improvement?).

Yep, it's a hoot and a holler, all right, and that's BEFORE we get a good look at the giant bird. And MAN... if ever a poorly concieved special effect deserved th be remembered, this awe inspiring puppet is it.

Imagine if Rodan had an offspring with that little vulture from those Bugs Bunny cartoons, and there was some Muppet DNA in there somehow. This is a genuinely horrendous movie, but it's the kind of flamboiant, energetic awfulness that makes for a laugh filled 75 minutes no matter who you are.