loading...
Creature From The Black Lagoon
1954
A research team digging in the Amazon comes across the fossilized hand of a human fish creature. That night, the creature emerges from the swamp to kill. So begins one of the more recognizable classics of the science fiction and horror genres. Shot originally in 3-D, this has been a late-night TV hit for decades. The hand makes .. Read more
| Starring | Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno |
|---|---|
| Director | Jack Arnold |
| Genres | Horror |
loading...
-
Critics' reviews (3)
View all -
It's horribly dated, the acting's lousy, the 3-D effects are worthless and the monster is a man in a rubber suit. Yet Creature from the Black Lagoon remains one of the all-time classic monster movies. The by-the-numbers plot — explorers encounter a half-man, half-fish that has the hots for Julia Adams — is enlivened by director Jack Arnold's atmospheric use of the Florida Everglades locations and a sympathetic portrait of the “Gill-Man”. (Champion swimmer Ricou Browning was picked for the role because he could hold his breath for four minutes at a time.) The underwater sequences are particularly memorable, while the scene where Adams swims alone with the creature watching from below plays upon all our fears of what may lurk beneath the sea. (That same fear was brilliantly exploited decades later in Jaws.) A massive hit in its day, the Gill-Man justly entered the horror hall of fame alongside Universal's other great monsters, Dracula and Frankenstein. Avoid the two turgid sequels that followed.
-
Unpersuasive and unsuspenseful horror hokum from the bottom drawer of imagination: it did, however, coin enough pennies to generate two even worse sequels, Revenge of the Creature (1955) and The Creature Walks Among Us (1956). And the underw
-
The routine story - members of a scientific expedition exploring the Amazon discover and are menaced by an amphibious... read more on Time Out
-
Most helpful members' reviews (3)
View all -
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Average movie, great extras.
'Creature from the Black Lagoon' is an average 50's monster flick that largely relies on the design of the monster. While it might've been successful 50 years ago, in these CGI times it's almost quaint. For fans of the genre only.
The DVD is excellent, first and foremost is the commentary from Tom Weaver, which races and 100 miles an hour with facts, trivia and anecdotes; quite simply it's the best commentary from a film historian there is. The documentary 'Black to Black Lagoon' is almost as good, it looks at the design of the monster, the impact of the initial movie and it's sequels, with interviews with some of the cast and crew (including the monster). -
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
film for a rainy night
an old b movie horror classic for the family.
no gore ,sex or strong violence.
but a classic from a golden age.
perhaps laughable by todays standards but it was one of 'the' original monster films ,and set the standard for future monster movies. -
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
SEE IT IN 3D
This restored print of CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON is in2D, but if you have Colorcode3D or Tridef3D installed on your pc,then you can see it in most of its original glory.One of the best 3d scenes is the fish in the aquarium tank.
-
Most recent members' reviews (2)
View all -
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Average movie, great extras.
'Creature from the Black Lagoon' is an average 50's monster flick that largely relies on the design of the monster. While it might've been successful 50 years ago, in these CGI times it's almost quaint. For fans of the genre only.
The DVD is excellent, first and foremost is the commentary from Tom Weaver, which races and 100 miles an hour with facts, trivia and anecdotes; quite simply it's the best commentary from a film historian there is. The documentary 'Black to Black Lagoon' is almost as good, it looks at the design of the monster, the impact of the initial movie and it's sequels, with interviews with some of the cast and crew (including the monster). -
So-so 'classic'
The first 20 or so minutes of this film are simply dreadful. No suspense. No interesting story. Nada. Then things pick up a bit. The underwater scenes with the creature are pretty good, close to excellent at times. But the rest is just pedestrian. A 'classic' in the sense that it was an important genre movie, but not exactly enjoyable. A good example of how some films don't age very well.
-
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Average movie, great extras.
'Creature from the Black Lagoon' is an average 50's monster flick that largely relies on the design of the monster. While it might've been successful 50 years ago, in these CGI times it's almost quaint. For fans of the genre only.
The DVD is excellent, first and foremost is the commentary from Tom Weaver, which races and 100 miles an hour with facts, trivia and anecdotes; quite simply it's the best commentary from a film historian there is. The documentary 'Black to Black Lagoon' is almost as good, it looks at the design of the monster, the impact of the initial movie and it's sequels, with interviews with some of the cast and crew (including the monster). -
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
film for a rainy night
an old b movie horror classic for the family.
no gore ,sex or strong violence.
but a classic from a golden age.
perhaps laughable by todays standards but it was one of 'the' original monster films ,and set the standard for future monster movies. -
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
SEE IT IN 3D
This restored print of CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON is in2D, but if you have Colorcode3D or Tridef3D installed on your pc,then you can see it in most of its original glory.One of the best 3d scenes is the fish in the aquarium tank.
-
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Classic monster movie
'Creature' ranks up there with Universal's other great monster films- The Wolf Man, Frankenstein, etc. With absolutely stunning underwater photography, the creature itself steals the show- watching it move through the water, it looks totally realistic. And this movie is all about the monster- the other characters are purely incidental.
A definite must-have for fans of classic horror movies. -
A Fishy Tale
Quite a good monster movie with dodgy acting, a damsel in distress, and it comes with a documentary which claims the film had sexual undertones and an enviromental message. Well it made me laugh. Rent it if you have seen and liked all the other classic Universal horror films.
-
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful
The Ultimate Creature Feature
The Creature from the Black Lagoon is what every creature feature should be,It has a monster that we can all sympethise with and the villen comes in a human form.If this film had never been made then we would not have some of the classic horror movies we have today. This is an excelent film that has stood the test of time,if it had been made in colour most people would never geuss it was made in the fifties!
-
- Cruicky from Peterhead
- Posted 10 Apr 2006 12:21
-
So-so 'classic'
The first 20 or so minutes of this film are simply dreadful. No suspense. No interesting story. Nada. Then things pick up a bit. The underwater scenes with the creature are pretty good, close to excellent at times. But the rest is just pedestrian. A 'classic' in the sense that it was an important genre movie, but not exactly enjoyable. A good example of how some films don't age very well.
-
[Highly rated reviewer]
The Original Monster film
Good for its time. Not so good now. What is was scary in parts and also sweet in parts.
-
Classic B feature
Despite its limited budget and the market it was aimed at in the 1950s this is a classic piece of '50s sci-fi which is a cut above of most offerings of this genre.
-
Fairly Presentable
It's all too easy to mock these films from the past as we live in so-called enlightened times. The decidedly non-scary creature, the sexist remark quoted in all innocence “As you’re a woman” – the conical bikini and the way she always looks glamorous even in the most desperate of circumstances.
It was ground-breaking in its use of underwater photography, and compared to similar films of this period the narrative runs smoothly and effectively. The acting ranges from wooden to over-theatrical without the methodical gap in between – it seems that in the fifties the desire to over-emote still reared its ugly head from the days of the stage and the silent flick.
So – fairly presentable amongst its fifties peers, but comical now the years have flown by – but of course that’s not to say the films of 2008 are perfect – what reviews will they receive in fifty years?
Critics' reviews (3)
-
It's horribly dated, the acting's lousy, the 3-D effects are worthless and the monster is a man in a rubber suit. Yet Creature from the Black Lagoon remains one of the all-time classic monster movies. The by-the-numbers plot — explorers encounter a half-man, half-fish that has the hots for Julia Adams — is enlivened by director Jack Arnold's atmospheric use of the Florida Everglades locations and a sympathetic portrait of the “Gill-Man”. (Champion swimmer Ricou Browning was picked for the role because he could hold his breath for four minutes at a time.) The underwater sequences are particularly memorable, while the scene where Adams swims alone with the creature watching from below plays upon all our fears of what may lurk beneath the sea. (That same fear was brilliantly exploited decades later in Jaws.) A massive hit in its day, the Gill-Man justly entered the horror hall of fame alongside Universal's other great monsters, Dracula and Frankenstein. Avoid the two turgid sequels that followed.
-
Unpersuasive and unsuspenseful horror hokum from the bottom drawer of imagination: it did, however, coin enough pennies to generate two even worse sequels, Revenge of the Creature (1955) and The Creature Walks Among Us (1956). And the underw
-
The routine story - members of a scientific expedition exploring the Amazon discover and are menaced by an amphibious... read more on Time Out
Buy from the LOVEFiLM shop
-
-
-
Creature From The Black Lagoon
A research team digging in the Amazon comes across the fossilized hand of a human fish creature. That night, the creature emerges from the swamp to kill. So begins one of the more recognizable classics of the science fiction and horror genres. Shot originally in 3-D, this has been a late-night TV ...
-
Related News & Features
Related user collection
Movie Masochism (10)
81.2% from 9 members
Celebrity collection
Matt Damon (3)
76.6% from 63 members
Showing 1 to 3 of 3
