Customer Reviews

The Giant Behemoth [VHS]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Basically the story goes like this; a Cornish fisherman is found by his daughter covered with radiation burns. His last "word" to her on the surf is, "behemoth," a citation from the bible which we understand means some kind of monster did this to him. Eventually, England is besieged by this dinosaur which as the film unfolds is evidently the tragic by-product of careless atomic fallout in the Pacific. Ultimately, only a special torpedo fired from a two man sub in London harbor can save London and ultimately the world.

Yes, the story line is rather cliché, but there is more, much more.
Around 1960 I saw "THE GIANT BEHEMOTH" many times and each time I was genuinely enchanted and terrified by it. The premise of a dinosaur suddenly appearing and destroying a major city, London in this case, had been done before and perhaps somewhat better in "THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS. However, this was a new setting, England and ultimately London and this monster spewed radiation at anyone and anything within its sight, a take off on the germ carrying "Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" naturally, but still something new. Also, the Behemoth was invisible to radar so its movements were impossible to track as it traveled mostly underwater. This virtual invisibility caused more than a few fatalities including the venerable Doctor Sampson [Jack MacGowran] who was in a helicopter over the Thames trying to get a closer look at what no one who saw lived to tell about. Of course we had to wait an hour into this 79 minute flick to actually see the monster, but this type of invisible sneaky monster becomes visible in these old creature features incrementally which adds to both the campiness and suspense. Somehow after several failed attempts and desperate situations the monster is vanquished!

BUT .. BUT .. BUT .. As the film ends we hear on the car radio that dead fish are covering the shores of New England just as they had in England just prior to this whole thing beginning! The two scientists having just barely survived this ordeal looked at each other rather ominously, and without uttering a word we knew that they knew, that it was all about to happen again! Maybe we would not be so lucky again!?

For a long time I debated as to whether this film or the "BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS" was superior. I have recently concluded that the stories are about equal though very similar as is the acting, but the superior stop action animation by Ray Harryhausen in "The Beast" gives it a clear edge. Although Eugène Lourié Directed both films [plus Gorgo] and Willis O'Brien did some of the Special Effects for the "Giant Behemoth" there are some major visual weaknesses and much less visual air time in the "Giant Behemoth" for the featured monster. Also as I recall one pretty gritty scene where the Behemoth trashes a ferry and does leave some people dead in the water has not made it to video, having been edited out in the transfer probably because it was deleted from the TV version that played in the 1960's. Too much gore?

Well, whichever film is better is now for you to judge.

If this genre [50's style atomic creature/features] is appealing to you, this film is among the best of its kind. The film transfer is very good for a 46 year old film, and very well worth viewing. Nevertheless a DVD, preferably remastered with the lost ferry scene restored would be greatly appreciated and make a more equitable rival for "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms".

to say this movie is underrated is well an understatement. I'm amazed that all the astute fan reviews have not noted the magnificent spine tingling music score the dramatic lighting in many scenes and the juicy sound effects not to mention the distinctive memorable roar of the monster. There was only one perfect giant monster picture and that was the Beast from 20,000 Fathoms but while the Beast is equivalent to the technical polish of say TVs Twilight Zone
the Giant Behemoth is like TV's the Outer Limits, rich with atmosphere and it scares the hell out of you. Those hair raising closeups of the monster with those piercing, hypnotic Plutonian eyes. The superbly played out Sherlock Holmes style hunt for the creature in sharp B&W photography filmed mostly on location. Finally the grippingly presented theme of radioactive fallout was never portrayed to such dramatic effect not even in Godzilla 54'. The ferry scene is chilling because it plays like a commercial almost, seemingly out of place int he movie with a tame documentary style routine and then a female passenger sees somthing big and funny looking in the water and starts to point at it with mild amusement until we hear a woman's scream and the rest is horror movie history. This scene although flawed has taken a famed life of it's own by the infamous deletions it faced in many releases. Like it was banned for being too grim perhaps which is likely because the movie was given an x certificate in it's first uk release which in a way makes sense because the film does scare children for real. but from the opening heaving shots of the deep atlantic to the,eyepopping shots of the monster chewing dock cranes ,industrial power lines and incinerating farm boys on piles of hay to the daring underwater climax the Giant Behemoth will make you say WHOA! one way or another before it is over. It's a true classic.

Okay, a lot of criticism has been said about this movie,and I'd like to also add my two cents worth. First, like most science fiction movies in the 50's, this wasn't meant to be a major production, unlike most of the movies like this at that time, the makers wanted to have a monster that wasn't a man in suit or other and opted to have what was known at that time as the best special effect for these types of film known as stop-motion animation, only two people did stop-motion at that time that was really good, Ray Harryhausen, who did all the animation himself, and gotten really exspensive, and the team with Willis O'Brien, which was usually Pete Peterson doing most or all of the animation. Yes, this is the English version sort to speak of "Beast From 20,000 Fathoms",but for all its shortcomings still is a decent monster flick. Aside from the same car being stepped on 3 times in different ranges of the same shot, I find the animation of the Behemoth as pretty good, especially when it comes up on the dock, walks down the pier, and attacks a crane all in the same shot, also the same when it attacks power lines later on in the film. Also the skin detail has to be one of the most realistic I've ever seen on an animated model, actually looking like real reptile skin. Performances by the actors are all good, never could figure why they got Gene Evens though, who usually played in westerns or as tough guy sergents, although he is good and beleivable in this film. Another thing about this film is has to be the most butchered film I've ever seen. The video release from Warners Bros video has the ferry scene and several others gone from it as well as what follows after that scene, making it 9 minutes shorter than it really is. I bought this video twice with that problem. After that I tried to record it off the SCI-FI Channel and it was really cut, all the way down to 67 minutes. I finally thought I'd buy it again and this time it has all the scenes in making it the 80 minute film it was origially timed at. I guess what really intrigues about this film is how it starts off as a mysterious death type play and finally comes down to a huge prehistoric beast attacking London. One thing to take in consideration about movies like this, movies like these are for us people who grew up with these films and know what they had to offer, unlike the CGI films that promise alot and then (fizz)out.

Giant Behemoth, and isn't that just a bit redundant, was directed by Eugene Lourie who was no stranger when it came to films in this genre having directed the 1953 classic Beast From 20,000 Fathoms and 1958's Colossus of New York and would go on to direct Gorgo in 1961. Clearly the man liked giant monsters. Behemoth is in the latter in terms of quality behind both Gorgo and Beast from 20,000 fathoms. This creature threatens the shores of England not only with his size but also being able to emit radiation to burn people. The stop-motion animation was done by Willis O' Brien who did King Kong and was Ray harryhausen's mentor. The animation itself looks very good as you might expect but the the monster up close looks a little cheap and cheesy. At any rate the best rampages through London, even destroying London Bridge. The movie was on a very low budget and it shows but it's more laughable rather than being a detriment to the film. The performances in the film are adequate, in fact better than you might expect for a movie with such a small budget, so kudos to the mostly British cast. Not as good as many other giant, radiation-created monsters of the 1950's but still worth a view.

A Great film but shame on Warner Bros. for releasing an edited version! Film quality is good, but the FERRY SCENE where the creature attacks and sinks the ferry is MISSING! Great sequence involving people boarding a ferry for an afternoon ride, when suddenly the creature attacks. Old woman eating, little girl with doll, full ship of people become victims of the beast. Memorable last scene in this sequence showing bodies floating, burned from the creatures radioactive rays, gruesome, yet an important part of the movie, What Happened To This Scene? Too long to blame it on broken film, obviously they used an Edited print! Too bad, hopefully the eventual DVD release will be INTACT! And COMPLETE!

This movie is well directed and the acting is good without being "over dramatic", like we see in other movies like this. The special effects are not necessarily the best, but it WAS made in the 1950's and NOT the 1990's. There are moments when "Behemoth" may seem to be more like a spoiled puppy than a rampaging dinosaur, but nonetheless I find this movie to be very enjoyable and entertaining. I loved this movie since I was a child and when I found out it was available on video, I was delighted! Also a big "Thumbs Up" for the apparent message here concerning nuclear power..."It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature".

In fairness, the Giant Behemoth suffers badly from some rather ambitious filmmaking that simply didn't have the technology needed to bring off the special effects. The plot line is average for this genre, although very predictable. In many ways, this is a low budget clone of "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms." Still, the film manages to hold one's attention, and benefits from a nasty if not terribly original ending. The Giant Behemoth is nothing to write home about, but you won't be reaching for the remote control, either.

"The Giant Behemoth" or "Behemoth, The Sea Monster" (as it is known in England) is one of the finer monster movies of the 50's. The effects were pretty fake, but hey it's the 50's. The acting was not bad, the story line may have been better if the monster it's self was featured more in it. Did anyone besides me notice that the monster's head didn't move when it sunk the fairy. I read this was because the monster's head was broken off, and with no time to fix it, they nailed it back on for the filming of that scene. It's a good one if you like old movies!

"The Giant Behemoth", while following the fairly standard formula of "Creature Features" from the 1950's has the unique advantage of being produced in England with a largely British cast and settings which help considerly to make the film more enjoyable. Certainly the budget and special effects are on a smaller scale than its Hollywood counter parts in the Sci Fi department at this time but "The Giant Behemoth", is still an enjoyable watch even if the monster of the title is certainly a low budget version of its spectacular American "cousins".

The overall approach is a very serious one here as we are informed in the opening scenes when Steve Karnes (Gene Evans) a visiting American expert on the environment is giving a lecture to some leading British officials about how the world powers are slowly poisoning the waterways and oceans through their waste disposal and atomic testing. This part of the film curiously has a quite modern ring to it considering the era in which it was made, in regard to pollution etc. Karnes warns of the possibly dangerous side effects of this testing on the sea life and their environments and sure enough before long strange occurences begin being reported from along the English coast line. Massive amounts of fish begin being swept onto the beaches that are radioactive and then some local fishermen are burnt by what seems to be radioactive fallout that leaves them, in some cases fatally with burns like those of Hiroshima. Steve begins to suspect that some radioactive animal of an huge size is responsible. After a few sightings and attacks on coastal areas the beast which turns out to be a prehistoric Platosaurus which has consumed huge doses of radioactive matter and is literally burning itself to pieces from the inside,turns up in the Thames and begins a destructive attack on London. Steve with the assistance of Professor James Bickford devises a type of torpedo to be shot at the beast from a small submarine which contains radioactive material which on contact will explode internally killing the beast but not spreading its effects beyond the carcass of the dinosaur. After a perilous time in the small sub which is almost destroyed by the beast Steve succeeds in killing the beast with the torpedo thus for the moment ending the danger. After congratulating themselves at this successful outcome the men hear an announcement that fish have begun washing up on the American coastline which tells them that other "Behemoth's" are possibly out in the oceans and the problem is not yet solved.

"The Giant Behemoth", while sincerely presented and benefiting from great onlocation photography does have a number of weaknesses to it. The famed Willis O'Brien responsible for so many stunning stop motion effects in a number of science fiction and horror features, in particular the classic "King Kong", here comes up with a below par creature that at times looks fairly artificial. The scenes of the monsters attack on London are well staged and the sight of the dinosaur chomping into power lines is a superb image that really heightens the drama going on however the beast has no real character at all due to the obviously limited budget. Another fatal mistake was to not properly introduce the beast until well into the story by which time the initial interest does tend to drop a bit. There is evidence that the video version has cut an earlier scene of the beast destroying a ferry boat so if that is the case then it is not the film's fault in being slow in bringing the beast to the foreground. Directed with obvious sincerity by Eugene Lourie who was responsible for one of my favourite sci fi films of the 1950's "The Beast Fron 20,000 Fathoms", here I think the poor special effects do tend to defeat him but the dialogue and the absense of the usual love story help give "The Giant Behemoth", a unique quality of its own. These elements help make "The Giant Behemoth", enjoyable if lower level entertainment that other similiar features from around this period. The concluding twist on the usual happy ending for these types of features is also a highly original and excellent way for the story to conclude indicating as it does more serious trouble on the horizon.

The 1950's produced alot of these "efects of atomic testing" tales and while "The Giant Behemoth", would never be in anyone's top five of memorable creatures of the sci fi genre it is still worth a look. The excellent British cast work wonders with the limited material they have at their disposal and even if the monster is something of a let down the other parts of this film are definately well done. "The Giant Behemoth", is a film I do enjoy once a year and I recommend you at least take a look at how the British handled the "Monster on the loose", theme which was at the time being heavily used by Hollywood to great Box Office effect.

Good news movie fans, the newly released DVD edition of "The Giant Behemoth" has the ferry scene in it! This scene was missing from the VHS copy, which many of the reviews here are talking about. So for all of you out there (like me) who have been waiting for a better copy of this movie, go for the DVD version!