Strange things are happening in England - thousands of dead fish are littering the shores, a strange substance has likewise appeared, people are suffering radiation burns. Two scientists working for the Atomic Energy Commission, Steve Karnes (Gene Evans), and James Bickford (Andre Morell), come to believe that an enormous marine animal, which is radioactive to boot, has been created. The culprit is a mammoth paleosaur, which wreaks havoc on London, until Karnes and Bickford and others can devise a weapon capable of destroying the beast in a safe manner.
"The Giant Behemoth" isn't bad, but it's basically a rehash of a plot that had already been done - and done better - by production designer / director Eugene Lourie on "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms". The script, by Lourie himself, gets bogged down in supposed "science fact" and talks itself to death for its first half. (That being said, there are still some good and atmospheric moments.) It isn't until the final 35 minutes or so that things really get interesting. The scenes of panic and action are as well directed as one could hope for.
The performances by the well chosen cast are very sincere and effective. Morell, as always, has an authoritative presence, but so does American actor Evans. Jack MacGowran makes the most of a rather small role as a paleontologist excited by these findings, and more than anything yearns to view the beast.
The special effects are handled by a handful of people, chief among them Willis O'Brien of "King Kong" fame who creates a pretty good stop motion animated monster. Once we get to see the monster in all of its glory and the chases begin, things get fun. It's just a matter of whether the audience will be able to sit through all of the set-up.
Good, but not great, for this type of thing.
Six out of 10.
"The Giant Behemoth" isn't bad, but it's basically a rehash of a plot that had already been done - and done better - by production designer / director Eugene Lourie on "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms". The script, by Lourie himself, gets bogged down in supposed "science fact" and talks itself to death for its first half. (That being said, there are still some good and atmospheric moments.) It isn't until the final 35 minutes or so that things really get interesting. The scenes of panic and action are as well directed as one could hope for.
The performances by the well chosen cast are very sincere and effective. Morell, as always, has an authoritative presence, but so does American actor Evans. Jack MacGowran makes the most of a rather small role as a paleontologist excited by these findings, and more than anything yearns to view the beast.
The special effects are handled by a handful of people, chief among them Willis O'Brien of "King Kong" fame who creates a pretty good stop motion animated monster. Once we get to see the monster in all of its glory and the chases begin, things get fun. It's just a matter of whether the audience will be able to sit through all of the set-up.
Good, but not great, for this type of thing.
Six out of 10.