THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953)

THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953)

Tagline: The seas master beast of the ages- raging up from the bottom of time!

(Sci-Fi, Horror, Prehistoric Mayhem From The Icy Depths) [G]

Note – This movie did not originally have an MPAA rating, but I am pretty sure it would have been a G. I am using GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS as a template because the two movies are so similar.  

If all the items of seamen reporting monsters were placed end on end, they would reach to the moon my boy.

In this one during atomic tests conducted under the name “Project Experiment” scientists awaken a prehistoric Rhedosaurus with radioactive properties. Professor Tom Nesbitt is the only witness but is questioned at every turn and treated like he is crazy. It doesn’t take long before more reports come in and the best makes its way to the east coast of the United States. Leaving massive destruction in its path, can this horrifying menace be stopped after conventional weapons are rendered useless?

First off, a lot of people think that this movie was directly responsible for GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS getting made. In fact, the storylines are so similar it's almost impossible to deny it. Both movies have giant radioactive monsters, movies have a pretty strong anti-atomic bomb message, both movies include a scene where a dude sees the beast and is so in shock he keeps repeating himself, both movies have the beast being responsible for ships being sunk and on and on. 

Where this movie excels is in the storyline and performances. Everyone in this is extremely good and the material is treated with a very serious tone which gives a film like this levity. The effects are also far superior to what we got in GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS and if you read my stuff, you know I gave that movie the highest rating I offer. This might be stop-motion-effects master Ray Harryhausen’s best film. The fluidity of the moments of the Rhedosaurus are extremely well done and smooth throughout. 

Acting-wise we get Paula Raymond who plays Lee Hunter. She racked up over 90 credits during her career and was also in the sci-fi film HAND OF DEATH. We also get a solid performance from Paul Hubschmid who plays Professor Tim Nesbitt. I found him to be a pretty likable lead which isn’t always the case even in the 1950s. Cecil Kellaway is also pretty good in this as Professor Thurgood Elson. He had over 145 acting credits during his career, but outside of this movie, I am not familiar with a lot of the films he was in.

Where this movie drops the ball for me is in the octopus vs. shark scene. I can’t really see the benefit of having shot it and put it in the movie other than to really nail down the fact that they were underwater. Apparently, the diving bell, ocean, and all of that weren’t enough to let us know that? I am not from PETA or anything and I know these things happen in the wild, it just seemed to throw off the pace of the flick. The other issue is that while I am positive this was not intentional, there is a scene where one of the helmets on one of the radiation suits looks a heck of a lot like a freakin KKK hood. Not something you EVER want in your movie unless it’s a movie about how evil they are and need to be wiped off the face of the earth. We also have a scene where the beast hasn’t even gotten to a building yet and part of it just randomly falls down. Probably an oversight in editing, but it was still a bit off for a movie that had so few issues. 

Overall this is a storytelling and spectacle wonder. Definitely one of the best films of the 1950s and like GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS I am going to give this a 7 out of 7 in spite of a few flaws. With a bit more foresight, it would have been nice to have a series of these movies to go alongside the Godzilla films all these years. 

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF JACK DIETZ PRODUCTIONS AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY. 

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