Simply A Masterpiece

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

. . . whereas "GIANT BEHEMOTH" often serves to flesh out the meaning of "redundancy." Calling an ant a "tiny behemoth" would qualify as an oxymoron as well: "shrimp" is a synonym for "tiny," while "behemoth" can be found with "giant" in a thesaurus. If the title for this movie had been THE GREAT BIG HULKING HUGE BEHEMOTH, it may well have done better at the box office. But would the longer title have increased ticket sales enough to cover the overtime necessary for the marquee man to put up such an excessive amount of letters (plus the expense for purchasing several extra "H's" that doubtless would need to be special-ordered)? Behemoths--giant or not--seldom have appeared more threatening than the 200-footer with the radioactive death ray eyes featured during THE GIANT BEHEMOTH. In his head-long rush to pose for fatal selfies with the G.B., "Prof. Sampson" overlooks the obvious solution to London's moth infestation: let one of those "All creatures great and small" English veterinarians cure Big Boy of his radiation overdose. A homeopathic remedy such as brimstone would be bound to perk up Nestor in a day or two, and you know what they say: Healthy behemoths are the happiest (and safest) kind to have around!

Now, let me tell you I could be a little biased here with my scoring. For this film lit the light of remembrance and melancholy within me. As it took me back to my childhood. There was a time when the good old BBC would play these movies on a Saturday afternoon: On BBC2 while BBC1 had Grandstand. I remember watching these Sci-Fi monster flicks with my Nan on cold and wet winter days, usually in front of a warm gas fire. Those were good days. So, I thank the makers of the film for giving me this memory.What you have is a pretty bog-standard tale of nuclear radiation mutation... as was par for the course in the fifties. Here though, not only does it mutate a creature to an enormous size, but apparently resurrects a long-dead dinosaur. This then goes on the rampage through London. Though what makes this a little better than the average film in this genre is the extra details. We don't start in London but in a little fishing village in Cornwall where strange things have been occurring; a man being burned with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree burns, shoals of dead fish washing up on the beach, and strange lights under the surface of the sea. This pulls the viewer in with the mystery. There's also the brilliant usage of the radiation because if you get too close to the creature then you burn. When we arrive at the rampage, the director uses parts of London not fully rebuilt after the war to create an atmosphere that works well. Also, the large amount of extra's running from the monster is just right - not one or two people, but a hole streets worth of men and women.The director is very good at his work. He sets the pace of this film perfectly. There's a small crescendo at the beginning when Marine Biologist Steve Karnes' is warning the government about the possible side effects of radiation on the oceans and their populace. Then drops to a steadier pace with the mysterious happenings. Building up slowly to the rampage at the climax. Spot on perfect.The special effects, for their time, are not quite as good as others. However, they are passable. It's nice the puppeteer changed out to a fully automated Behemoth for the later scenes as the fixed mouth version that attacked the ferry looked a little silly. I have to admit I really loved the part where the Behemoth walks through the dockyards. The part where he wrecks one crane by tearing it apart with his teeth and the other by simply walking through it is one of the better stop animation sequences I've seen. I liked the fact the director filmed it from the position of the pavement, which had the effect of giving size to the creature.This was a very enjoyable flick, to say the least. The story and the filming were solid as too was the acting. Everybody put their skills into making this a very watchable movie. Not remembering the movie fully, I thought that the two main characters in the fishing village section Jean (Madison) and John (Turner) would be in the whole show, their acting is that good. However, when we leave the village we never see them again.If you've never caught a '50's sci-fi monster flick then this one would be a nice place to start. And if you are a fan of the genre, then find a copy and watch this once more, it's worth it.

Atomic Testing creates a monster. Perhaps an overused premise for science fiction, but Giant Behemoth does a very credible job in exploiting this premise. The film does a much better job in detailing the scientific investigation that methodically uncovers the nature of the beast than most films - past or present.The characters are likable and believable.The acting ranges from competent to very good.This is a well-directed, well acted film.Assuming you buy into the ability of radiation to create monsters, the plot line is quite credible.The special effects and the monster are decent for 1959, but vastly inferior to what we get today.Still it is a much better film than most modern sci-fi films.

An American biologist (Gene Evans) warns stuffy Brits about the dangers of dumping radioactive waste in the ocean. At first, they don't take him seriously. But soon radioactive fish, people suffering radiation burns, and sightings of a giant sea monster have them singing a different tune.Despite some changes (such as the country it's set in), this is essentially a rehash of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. Both films were directed by Eugene Lourie, who also co-wrote the screenplay for this. While the earlier movie is certainly better, this is an enjoyable atomic monster movie from the heyday of classic sci-fi. The cast is solid, made up of mostly fine British actors including the great Andre Morell. As was often the case with science fiction movies from the period that were filmed in the UK, an American actor is shoehorned into things. That would be Gene Evans here, a character actor best suited for playing tough guy roles in war movies and westerns. Despite being miscast as a scientist, he acquits himself well. This is one of the final films stop-motion special effects wizard Willis O'Brien worked on. It's not his best work but still charming in its way. This is far from one of my favorites but I do like it. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys classic sci-fi movies, particularly those movies about giant radioactive dinosaurs.