The Giant Behemoth (1959)

Something is amiss off the English coast., 29 July 2007

Something is amiss off the English coast. A fisherman is killed by what appears to be radiation burns. Soon thereafter, thousands upon thousands of fish wash up and die on the same beach. What's behind the mystery? All of Britain is soon to know when a giant prehistoric creature goes on a rampage through the streets of London.

The Giant Behemoth won't get my award for the best giant creature on a rampage film, but it is entertaining. While Willis O'Brien and the other special effects artists might have done better work in other movies, their efforts here are still a joy to watch. Their work is even more amazing when you consider what they had to work with. The budgets were obviously tight as we see the same car destroyed 3 times in less than 3 minutes. Even though you won't confuse the miniature work here with what Toho was doing at the same time, that only adds to the movie's charm as far as I'm concerned. Gene Evans and (especially) Andre Morell give solid performances as the scientists trying to unravel the mystery. My only complaint about the pair is that Evans is a little too rough around the edges to be a real effective movie lead. The rest of the cast is adequate. While The Giant Behemoth is not the kind of special effects extravaganza that seems to appeal to modern audiences, director Eugène Lourié keeps things moving at an entertaining pace. In particular, I found the opening scenes set in the village on the coast of Cornwall very creepy and nicely done. For what it's worth, I'll give this one a 6/10.

6/10