Creature From the Black Lagoon

This was my first "monster" film. I can remember the stir that it caused when it was first released and remember that my mother would not allow me to attend. Now telling an ten year old boy that there is "forbidden fruit" at the local cinema, and telling him that there was no way he was going to attend, is a pretty sure fire way of getting that kid in the theater, one way or another. Yup, I went. (I fear this is indicative of a character trait, or flaw, if you will, that is with me still, after all these years). You have to remember that this was in 1954 and things were quite different. We lived in a very small town, Southern and quite conservative, and ticket prices at the time were .10 cents for kids under twelve, and there was no rating system. Anyway, this movie absolutely terrified me, and it terrified my friends...it was GREAT! We loved it!

I recently watched this movie again and was delighted that so much had stuck with me over the years. It seemed like only yesterday that I first saw it. The movie is of course is in black and white, which to my mind, made so many of those old monster/space/horror movies so effective. The acting in this one is actually quite good. Now you must remember that at ten years old, I was just beginning to figure out that there was a profound difference between girls and boys, and it was a difference I very much felt I liked...did not really know why, just knew I liked it. In current terms, I could only describe Julie Adams and her white bathing suit as "hot." Apparently the creature did too, because he spent most of the film trying to drag her off. Can't say as I really blame him much either. Anyway, I think I probably had my first "actress" crush at that time.

The story line is rather good in this picture and is probably known my most folks in the known universe, who have the slightest interest in films of this genre. The plot is well covered by other reviewers here. It has been raised to the status of "classic," and this rating, in my opinion, is well deserved. You must remember that this film was done without the advantage of special effects, color and high tech sound. The creature wore a rubber suit, but looked oh so real! The underwater sequences are still as good today as they were at the time the movie was made. For this grade and class of movie, the casting and acting were quite well done, rather amazingly so, when you consider some of the other clunkers that were fed to us in those days (and still are being fed to us, when you think about it).

Now several reviewers, and critics alike, have pointed out that the monster in this particular picture was, of all the monsters in those times, the least loveable and least able to gain sympathy from the audience. I personally did not find this to be true. I remember at the time I first saw it, I was more on the creatures side that on the boat load of scientists. I have to admit, after recently watching it again; my sympathies were still with the monster. As unlovable as he was, I still sort of felt sorry for him and could see his side if the issues.

If you love movies, something I dearly love, no matter the genre, this is really one you should see, if you have not already done so. It is part of our movie heritage and it would be a shame to miss it. And by the way, 54 years later....I still think Julie Adams and her white bathing suit was pretty hot!
Creature from the Black Lagoon
D. Blankenship

CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON is one of the least scary monster movies I have ever seen. Sure, it probably seemed more frightening to the original 1954 audience who saw it in 3D on a big screen but it's tough for the modern viewer to forget the creature is a man in a rubber suit and the actors are rather obviously on a LA back lot not the Amazon. The story is basically a love triangle (or would that be a love quadrangle?) Gorgeous Kay (played by the lovely Julie Adams) somehow manages to look immaculate in her rather revealing wardrobe even after days floating on a boat through the Amazon jungle. Kay, we are told, is a research scientist who owes her career to Mark a trigger happy rich guy who is the leader of this Amazonian expedition and in love with her. She really loves fellow scientist David, a more sensitive type with a respect for nature. The creature is her third love interest who watches her from afar before reaching up the courage to grab her and take her to his grotto. There are some violent scenes and several crew member meet death at the monster's hands though the gore level is minimal. The movie has several well done underwater scenes but since like most of Universal's monster movies this is filmed in black and white the viewer feels a little cheated in missing some of the beautiful river life. A real pleasure of the film is the music and the creature even has his own theme which is played whenever he makes an appearance conveniently calling wondering attentions back to the movie. For lovers of classic monster movies this is likely a must see but for the average film fan like myself it is nothing out of the ordinary.

This film was another of Universal Studio's accomplishments which I now rate at only 3 stars, however, at the time it was released would have rated at 5.

When I first went to see the CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON at the urging of my older brother, I was an eight year old who had no idea what he was in store for. I had no knowledge that this film was to be presented in 3D format by our local neighborhood theater and the projectionist did an excellent job.

There were no problems with visible double images, no headaches, and none of the usual complaints leveled against 3D films. In fact, if all 3D productions had been presented this well I think that technology would have caught on.

The plot was basic enough but more than adequate for the demonstration of the new technology. The full body Creature garment was amazing for any studio including Universal, and would have been advanced for a movie produced today. It enabled the actor to be filmed from all angles and aspects and looked very convincing. Again, this was more of a technical achievement than something like the makeup magic of a Jack Pierce or the like.

I hope that this film can be released in some future HDTV format along with a full and convincing 3D track. This is something I have read is well within the capability of certain modern LCD sets but will require the use of special glasses which block one of the stereo pairs while the other is permitted to be viewed, and so on. This will require a certain interest on the part of the public which currently appears to exist only in the gaming community.

'The Creature From The Black Lagoon' is an important film as it has been copied to death from the time it was released to this day! Besides having the coolest "guy in a rubber suit" monster you'll ever see, it rises above it's "B movie" origins and is still a thrilling experience. The Creature itself, is so iconic it has surpassed all it's brothers in the Universal Monster family in popularity......at least in a collectable sense. The suit was designed by Bud Westmore who took over the reigns when Genius make-up master Jack Pierce was shamefully fired for not changing with the times! The Creature is Bud Westmore's crown jewel as I don't think he is anywhere near being in Jack Pierce's league. Anyway......

Watching this film now, I was amazed how much it reminded me of the movie 'Jaws'! The underwater scenes are tense and it's the only time I have been startled watching a Universal Horror film, that I can remember. There are some unintentionally funny little things in this film but, they are brief and it only adds to the endearment I have for these old classics. If you haven't seen it in a while it's time to go back to the Black Lagoon. The DVD transfer looks great and there are some very good extras. This is available with the two sequels on The Creature From The Black Lagoon Legacy Collection.

It is not true that a special projecting procedure is necessary to view this film in 3D. It was broadcast once in the 80ies in German TV and 3D glasses were given out for free at the newsstands the days before. Maybe the effect is not as good as watching it in a cinema, but I still remember very good how I saw air bubbles emerging out of the ground in front of me sitting in my armchair :) So I will definitely wait for the 3D version on DVD!