After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

A Pacific island prince Kimo is put to death by his people even though he is innocent. After he is buried he comes back as a walking tree and wreaks his revenge on those who betrayed him. Great premise, poor film. It is quite slow, the acting is bland to say the least and the music score amusingly over the top. There are no notable actors. Linda Watkins as Mrs. Mae Kilgore for some reason has a hilarious Cockney accent easily on par with the legendary Dick Van Dyke accent in 'Mary Poppins'. As for the monster itself, Tabanga, I thought it was quite cute. One wonders why Tabanga dolls or models were never sold (with dagger in chest of course) at the time.

Apparently this particular 1950s sci-fi monster movie has managed to generate a sizeable cult over the decades, seeing that (believe it or not) it got a release on Blu-ray earlier this year. But I am not really sure why that cult managed to get generated in the first place, though I must confess that 1950s sci-fi monster movies are not really my thing. Still, I will confess that there is some entertainment to be found. The rubber killer tree suit is quite charming to the eye, certainly looking better than many modern day CGI monsters. And there are a few unintended laughs here and there, from the tropical island looking remarkably like southern California to the comic relief English lady, whose comic relief is so overdone that it becomes amusing in a way that wasn't intended. But I thought that the movie was somewhat lacking enough spark. Even though the movie is only 71 minutes long, it really feels stretched out and padded; the monster does not start its rampage until over 65% or so of the movie has passed! The movie is so leisurely - even to a degree with the monster scenes - that it doesn't excite or unintentionally amuse the audience enough. It could have been a lot worse, I admit, but it will somewhat try your patience at times.

Another classic from the 50's,a time when imagination was used, unlike so many of today's productions. This is quite simply a popcorn classic,a movie that will keep your attention for many different reasons. The plot is very straightforward, the highlight of course being the "monster", which has to be seen to be believed!The film can never be called boring as it rips along, all 71 minutes of it, at a fair old pace. Regarding the actors,Tod Andrews and Tina Carver as the good doctors are fine, but it's Linda Watkins as Mrs Mae Kilgore that steals the show for me. No matter what people say about this movie, it will always be remembered in some form, hated or loved. Me? I love it!

This also is one of my favorite childhood memories. I have searched for a decent copy of this movie for years, and now it is finally available at the Warner Brothers Archives. I bought a copy and its as close to as clear as blu-ray as you will ever fine. I have a 46" HDTV and the movie fills the entire screen and is crystal clear. After obtaining many mediocre copies over the years i really wasn't expecting too much til i bought the one from Warner Brothers. I was amazed and very pleased at the quality! Tobanga RULES! They should have made a sequel to it...like "Son of Tabonga" or something..there has never been a movie before or since this one came out!