Creature from the Black Lagoon

Starring: Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, Nestor Paiva
Directed by: Jack Arnold
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Action, Drama
1954

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A group of scientists fight back against a strange creature living deep in the Amazon rainforest.

Review:

Tim: I actually enjoyed Creature from the Black Lagoon. Sure, the movie seems a bit silly by today's standards, but I like how the film approached the subject matter with grave seriousness. We have scientists contemplating the possible existence of a gill man, and how it could make sense in evolutionary terms. We also get some pretty good action and suspense scenes as well. This isn't a perfect movie, but it's fun and entertaining.

I really like the isolated setting of the film. Our protagonists are on a boat in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, at the titular black lagoon. There is no hope for rescue, and no civilization in hundreds of miles. This creates a sufficiently creepy setting, but it also gives the film an exotic feel. The creature likely wouldn't seem that plausible coming up out of the lake behind grandpa and grandma's house, but here, we almost believe some strange gill man could exist.

This film features some pretty stunning underwater cinematography. This was one of the best aspects of the film. I watched as the creature swam effortlessly through the water, wondering how any stunt swimmer could hold their breath that long. The scenes underwater are pretty extraordinary, and create a chilling setting for the creature to strike.

The makeup for the creature is impressive. Sure, it seems a bit silly by today's standards, but I've seen far worse special effects in creature features. This one at least felt somewhat believable most of the time. The movie bravely shows the creature quite a few times throughout the film. Sometimes monster movies try to hide the monster from the audience, so I appreciated that this one was out there in the open.

I like how the boat gets stuck in the black lagoon and what started as a scientific expedition soon becomes a struggle for survival. The film did a good job of raising the stakes as the film went on. The movie does a good job of balancing character development with frightening action scenes, which moves the film along.

The cast is decent, but there's very few standouts. Julie Adams is likely the highlight of the film. She brings a strong, optimistic feel to the cast and gives the most memorable performance of the film. She certainly has a few brushes with the creature, but her female presence was a welcome one in a film dominated by men. I thought Richard Carlson did a good job, but wasn't great.

Creature from the Black Lagoon is definitely a classic monster movie. While I don't think it's as good as some others from the 1950s, it still does enough to keep me entertained. I found it to be an interesting, enjoyable film. It is certainly worth seeing.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Revenge of the Creature, The Creature Walks Among Us