monbergski This is a really cracking 50's movie, all of today's monster movies are way to similar in my eye's, this takes you back to a simpler time. and love the stop motion dinosaurs much better than the computer generated one's, admittedly mightn't look quite as realistic, but that's part of the charm too, a really enjoyable way to spend a hour and a half.

O2D Once again, atomic bomb testing has awakened an ancient monster.That's an extremely over used plot device but considering that this came out in 1953, there's a good possibility that this was the first movie to do it.Of course Ray Harryhausen's special effects are awesome.The beast is a rather generic looking lizard but the stop motion animation is top notch.My only problem with this movie is that the entire first half is just the first guy who saw the beast trying to convince other people that it really exists.But as soon he convinces the elderly scientist, you know what that old man is going to do.You should watch this and all Ray Harryhausen movies.

Scott LeBrun Messrs. Harryhausen and Bradbury serve up a thoroughly enjoyable dinosaur epic with a reasonable amount of thrills and typically excellent effects work by Harryhausen. It's rather heavy on plot and dialogue for a while, so the less patient of viewers may get a little restless waiting for the next good bit of dinosaur action. However, whatever pacing issues there may be are compensated for with some wonderfully iconic shots & scenes. The lighthouse sequence in particular is a gem.Based on the Saturday Evening Post short story "The Fog Horn" by Bradbury, this tells of an atomic test in the Arctic that unleashes a ferocious rhedosaurus from its icy tomb. It goes about doing just what you'd expect any monster to do in this type of tale, making its way to NYC for the grand finale. Nuclear physicist Tom Nesbitt (Paul Hubschmid), one of the first to glimpse the monster, must convince paleontologist Thurgood Elson (Cecil Kellaway) that he wasn't hallucinating, and also enlists the services of Jack Evans (Kenneth Tobey) in hunting down and destroying this beast.The acting is engaging across the board, with Hubschmid very likable in the lead; Paula Raymond plays his leading lady (fortunately, hints of romance that might slow down the action further are kept to a bare minimum). Intrepid Tobey is once again terrific as the kind of hero you need in such a story, and Kellaway is delightful as the old pro who is willing to put vacation plans on hold in order to participate in a historic expedition. Donald Woods, Lee Van Cleef, Jack Pennick, Frank Ferguson, King Donovan, and an uncredited James Best can be seen among the top notch supporting cast.The exciting amusement park finale is of course the best part, with expert marksman Van Cleef and Hubschmid taking on the beast from atop a roller coaster.Good fun overall.Seven out of 10.

bkoganbing The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms is a real science fiction pleaser in which Ray Harryhausen invents his own creature, a Theseasarus. Say it quickly and it sounds like a reference book. In fact Harryhausen liked this one so much he used it again in a few films. Check some of his future work out and see what I mean. He had many cousins.Talk about global warming our military is conducting atomic tests in the Arctic Ocean and a hydrogen bomb blast awakens this creature from a long several million year slumber. Theseasaurus wakes up and heads for the only place where his fossils have been found, the Hudson Valley which is probably the Theseasaurus burial ground.Scientist Paul Hubschmid sees the thing after it wakes up, but nobody believes him at first. As other incidents occur he gains some converts which include paleontologists Cecil Kellaway and Paula Raymond. The military also gets involved in the persons of Kenneth Tobey and Donald Woods.It won't be easy to bring old Thesee down because when they do wound him contact with his blood is infecting anyone who comes near with some millions of years old germs which have died out and man has no immunity to. But our military is capable.When I first saw The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms decades ago I was scared out of my wits when Cecil Kellaway and a navy yeoman go down in a diving bell to observe the creature and midst description, the bell is swallowed whole in one gulp. Looking at it now I think how stupid is this, to be absolutely helpless in that bell, why would you do it in the first place. Saying that though it still is one of the most frightening moments I've ever seen in any science fiction film.Issues like global warming and cryogenic freezing are actually if superficially dealt with in The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms. Even with its mythical dinosaur, the film still is marvelous fright entertainment.