Expected more

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

(Flash Review)A great classic piece of 50's monster fright. Scientists searching for fossils encounter a gilled man beast. A debate ensues whether to take it alive to study it in the name of science or to kill it….only because it has been terrorizing and killing them. Ha. The costume is great and obviously fake in a charming way and there are lots of underwater scenes (innovative for the time?). There was a really tense scene of the monster following an unaware female swimming in the lagoon. Several unsurprising cheesy scenes but it was good fun nonetheless. Overall, the film felt a little thin.

Most excellent entertainment at the time causing many to see this over and over for time well spent. A night out, a good movie, some chow and a date was the norm. Today, this flick holds for chills, thrills and the music score helps it do just that and more. Its a formula that works time and again. A mysterious expedition into the unknown where deaths and destruction await, add a woman, several characters and the adventure begins and discovery takes place. You will find yourself choosing sides with the different actors as they all express their point of views in their acting roles with the funny thing being that sympathizing with the Creature is an option too. I mean after all, he didn't get up one day and go looking for trouble but instead, it came to him and he handled it. If you get into the story, what Creature wouldn't try to protect itself and other things while they are at it. This one is no exception displaying intelligence and being crafty too but also taking unnecessary risks but then again maybe not. Only the Creature would know. This movie starts with intrigue and has some mystical philosophical discussion in it that compliment and set-up the story premise. You even start to think for yourself while watching. Good snack movie with a tasty drink to be sure. Its a fun, entertaining, thought provoking movie. All it needs is a viewer or two

One of my favorites among the universal monster flicks, second only to James Whale's original Frankenstein. This film has a bit more of a B movie tone than some of the other (original) films in the canon, but the pacing is swift, and the underwater work remains a marvel even now. Ricou Browning, who played Gillman during the swimming sequences, really created a unique, almost lyrical flow to the way the creature swam, adding a very inhuman element. Really fantastic work. The suit also was a work of brilliance--I don't think there's been a more gorgeous work of costume design before or since! The rest of the performances range from fine to eh, to okay--but that's not what we watch to a flick like this for anyway! Also the score leaves a bit to be desired, but overall the film is oodles of 50s charm. If you think you'd be interested in this film, and are a fan of fun B-creature features, absolutely you need to see this one. It is well worth your time. Check it out!

A typically engaging '50s monster romp in which a gill-man bumps off the crew of a stranded barge one by one. This was the last real classic monster that Universal created and it managed to give a generation of children nightmares (my father told me he saw the trailer which was enough!). However deep down, the story is one of doomed love, harking back to the days of KING KONG; our creature has fallen for a female research scientist.It is this multi-dimensional aspect to the monster which makes the film interesting. Otherwise, it is absolutely flawless in terms of photography (there's plenty of nice-looking underwater scenery), acting and pacing. The Amazon location is played for all it's worth, with crocodiles lurking around in the bushes. Richard Carlson is the square-jawed hero, and Richard Denning is his stubborn adversary who is obsessed with capturing or killing the monster. The tension and wordplay between these two is excellently played, and you could cut the atmosphere with a knife. Down in the cast list you might notice Whit Bissell as a doctor who gets his face hideously scarred. Bissell of course would go on to create his own monsters in various Herman Cohen B-flicks.The monster itself has a superb design; the rubber suit looks realistic and getting a real swimmer to fill out the suit gives it grace and presence as it glides through the water. Indeed, the scenes in which Adams and the creature swim side by side in the water are some of the most beautiful and understated of the decade. The pacing itself is fast, leaving little time for needless exposition, and there are plenty of battles and fights as both human and prehistoric adversaries come face to face. As an entertaining '50s B-movie, you can't do much better than this.