If Plan 9 from Outer Space is Ed Wood's Citizen Kane, then Bride of the Monster is his Casablanca. The weird thing is, even though this is a bad movie, again you can't hate Ed Wood for it, because he put a lot of passion into it. Also this was one of his better films, while it could be a bit dull at times and over the top fake with that octopus monster, he had a good story that with a bit of patching could have been a really decent sci-fi flick. But how could I dismiss Ed Wood? This was his baby, he and Bela Legosi put so much love into this movie. Bella proves that he still has that strong presence on screen. I'm so glad that he had more screen time than what was written originally, it shows such a precious time in his life where when you think he would have fallen still in his typecast of horror movies, he could still deliver a great speech with such honor. Bride of the Monster offers silliness and a not so scary monster, but nevertheless what else could you want from an Ed Wood movie? It was the 1950's after all and he was just trying to make a name for himself with this script.
Dr. Eric Vornoff, is experimenting with nuclear power with the help of his mute assistant, Lobo. His goal is to eventually create an army of super soldiers that he will use to conquer the earth. Their residence, an old mansion, is guarded by a giant octopus of Dr. Vornoff's own creation which lives in the surrounding swamp. The Octopus has been responsible for the deaths of local townspeople. Newspaper reporter Janet Lawton investigates further, becoming a prisoner of Dr. Vornoff in the process. The police eventually follow, led by lieutenant Dick Craig, who is also Lawton's boyfriend. Meanwhile, an official from Dr. Vornoff's home country, Professor Strowksi, arrives and tries to persuade him to return to their homeland in hopes that his research will benefit their nation. However, Strowski is killed and Lobo unwittingly turns Dr. Vornoff into an atomic-powered superhuman being.
I absolutely love the ending with a passion, I loved the out of no where explosion that also happened to be a nuclear bomb that somehow didn't effect anyone. The silly effects that were also offered, I found it hilarious that Bela Legosi's character couldn't operate his own machine that he built, but the minute that his deformed side kick operates it, it works for him just fine. The only flaw that I found with this movie is that there are times where it could be a bit dull and felt a little dragged on. With Plan 9 you never got that, because as silly as it was it never stopped entertaining you. So like I said while this was Ed Wood's better film, it just seemed like we had to wait a while before any fun action scenes. But if you like Ed Wood or goofy movies, I definitely would recommend this one, it's not as silly as some of his other films but you'll get a great kick out of people "wrestling" with the octopus. Gotta give those actors credit, no CGI back then, only a silly doll to play dead with.
6/10
Dr. Eric Vornoff, is experimenting with nuclear power with the help of his mute assistant, Lobo. His goal is to eventually create an army of super soldiers that he will use to conquer the earth. Their residence, an old mansion, is guarded by a giant octopus of Dr. Vornoff's own creation which lives in the surrounding swamp. The Octopus has been responsible for the deaths of local townspeople. Newspaper reporter Janet Lawton investigates further, becoming a prisoner of Dr. Vornoff in the process. The police eventually follow, led by lieutenant Dick Craig, who is also Lawton's boyfriend. Meanwhile, an official from Dr. Vornoff's home country, Professor Strowksi, arrives and tries to persuade him to return to their homeland in hopes that his research will benefit their nation. However, Strowski is killed and Lobo unwittingly turns Dr. Vornoff into an atomic-powered superhuman being.
I absolutely love the ending with a passion, I loved the out of no where explosion that also happened to be a nuclear bomb that somehow didn't effect anyone. The silly effects that were also offered, I found it hilarious that Bela Legosi's character couldn't operate his own machine that he built, but the minute that his deformed side kick operates it, it works for him just fine. The only flaw that I found with this movie is that there are times where it could be a bit dull and felt a little dragged on. With Plan 9 you never got that, because as silly as it was it never stopped entertaining you. So like I said while this was Ed Wood's better film, it just seemed like we had to wait a while before any fun action scenes. But if you like Ed Wood or goofy movies, I definitely would recommend this one, it's not as silly as some of his other films but you'll get a great kick out of people "wrestling" with the octopus. Gotta give those actors credit, no CGI back then, only a silly doll to play dead with.
6/10