An expedition exploring the Amazon River discover a ‘Gill Man’ – half man and half amphibian. Thought by the team to be the missing link in human evolution, the creature is captured and kept under observation. While in captivity it falls in love with the chief scientist’s (Richard Carlson) female assistant (Julie Adams), and kidnaps her before making its escape. Followed by two sequels, ‘Revenge of the Creature’ (1955) and ‘The Creature Walks Among Us’ (1956).
Starring: Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, Nestor Paiva
Directed by: Jack Arnold
Runtime: 76 minutes
Studio: Universal Pictures
Amazon USAmazon UKIMDBReview: Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
I’m not sure how many times in my life I’ve made reference to the Creature from the Black Lagoon but it’s many. I’ve never seen the film until now but I approached it with an open mind. I’m writing in an age when glitzy effects are unsurprising when they grace a film but back in the days of this film there were limitations so I knew I would certainly be going easy on the film with that in mind.
Following an expedition in the Amazon, a fossilized hand with webbed fingers is discovered, suggesting a link between land and sea animals. Dr Carl Maia (Antonio Moreno) who is in charge of the expedition needs funding for further research but he wants to enlist the expertise of his friend Dr David Reed (Richard Carlson) who works in marine biology and the two men get financial backing from Dr Mark Williams (Richard Denning). The hope is that they can uncover the rest of the fossil to unlock further clues about the past but the project is somewhat disrupted by a creature in the water who doesn’t take too kindly to their presence.
The film doesn’t take long to get into its stride. Our first sight of the creature is the webbed fingers coming out of the Amazon River and we’re soon witness to Dr Maia’s research team he has left behind being taken out! Dr Maia returns to the Amazon on board the Rita along with Dr Reed, his girlfriend Kay Lawrence (Julia Adams) and Dr Thompson (Whit Bissell). Finding the research team murdered, our group of scientists believe a jaguar is the culprit but the true perpetrator is beneath the surface of the black lagoon and observing them very closely.
The creature at the heart of the film is a guy in a suit but though there is little change in its expression it looks pretty good considering how old the film is. Deaths are implied in the film rather than giving us a brutal and visual denouement but you suspect financial as well as special effects restraints were in place here and for what it is I don’t think this is a bad film. Okay, it isn’t scary and the creature is more intimidating to the cast than he really should be but as an early example of a monster movie this has some good points.
The Creature from the Black Lagoon would win no prizes today as a scary horror film but putting it in the context of its time you’d have to say it must have been quite frightening when first released. It’s not a complex story, the creature isn’t the most convincing you’ll ever see but compared to some horror films released today this is still one Hollywood should be proud of.
Verdict: 3/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: The Creature from the Black Lagoon | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
