Village of the Giants

If you want to watch a well made movie, this isn't it. 'Village of the Giants' seems to be a B movie that was intended to attract young kids and the teen audience of the early 1960s. What you will find here is a poorly directed, low budget, movie with bad acting, cheap special effects, and a plot that goes no where. You'll see a lot of bikini clad teenagers, go go dancing to some mild, early rock and roll music played by the Beau Brummels. The camera does show a lot of cleavage shots and wiggling butts that surely was and is one of the movies main attractions. This movie was most likely considered a little racy for it's day. Quite a bit of this movie brings up the anti authority, good teen versus bad teen issue. This is all very mild by today's standards. Actually this makes it humorous in today's world and it can be mildly entertaining if not taken too seriously. It is nice to see Ron Howard as a child actor in this movie playing the part of 'Genius'. You'll also find a couple of ex Mickey Mouse Club members in the cast. 'Village of the Giants' could be considered one of those 'it's so bad it's good' movies. You have to view this as a fun, but stupid movie and by no means look at it with a critical eye. Under the harsh light of criticism,'Village of the Giants' will disintegrate into the smallest piece of dust.

What do you get when you mix the children of famous Hollywood actors (Beau Bridges, Tisha Stirling and Tim Rooney), a couple of former child stars (Tommy Kirk and Johnny Crawford), a then current child star (Ron "Ronny" Howard) and a future one hit wonder (Toni "Micky" Basil) with a hack director (Burt I. Gordon). You get one of the biggest camp classics in the history of film. This film attempted to mix the then popular beach party flicks with the fading giant human pics. Gordon must have really been desperate for a hit because he figured that if he couldn't get Lloyd Bridges, Ann Southern and Mickey Rooney he could at least get their children to play in one of his quickie drive-in movie features. It's fun if you like camp, but as far as a great film, I'll stick with the films this mess rips off.

When the boy Genius (Ronny Howard) accidentally discovers a formula to increase the size of animals such as ducks and dog, his sister Nancy (Charla Doherty) and her boyfriend Mike (Tommy Kirk) believe that they will be rich with Genius' discovery. However, a group of rebellious teenagers led by Fred (Beau Bridges), see the ducks and decide to rob the substance. Then they take over the control of the village. What will happen next?

"Village of the Giants" is a silly and lame film directed by Bert I. Gordon. The plot is awful and watching this film is a waste of time. Good only to see how Beau Bridges and Ron Howard started their careers. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "A Cidade dos Gigantes" ("The Village of the Giants")

Bert I. Gordon's "Village of the Giants" is a humorously poor version of the "big thing make boom" movies in which a small group (Maybe 6, hardly a full village) of teens take a formula that makes them grow really big, talk really slow, and move like they are dying one breath at a time. It's all rather silly, and quite funny if you're up for this kind of movie. Of course, it's not funny in the way Gordon intended. Was it ever?

Tommy Kirk, also of the classic "Mars Needs Women" is fooling around with his lady friend in the start of the film, when Ronny Howard (Still with a full head o' hair, and answering to the modest name "Genius") creates a formula that makes things grow. When the no-good drifter teens get their hands on it, they cause some real trouble, and it's up to Tommy and Ronny to stop the chaosy.

The best scene is the first in which the teens appear before the town. They show up at an outdoor barbecue, and everyone is afraid, but really, not so afraid that they run away or anything, they just kind of look up and gasp a lot. So then the giants are making threats, and Tommy, in a fit of rage and large hair, picks up a chair (That just happened to be sitting around outside in a park) and breaks it over the giants legs (They pretend, use your imagination). He goes "Ow!" and then backfists Tommy who gets whalloped. Very nicely done.

The whole film takes place in a vacuum. No one seems to be much surprised or worried by the giants ducks that show up out of nowhere in the Whiskey A Go-Go and start dancing. They just kind of go along with it. Nor is anyone interested in calling the government in when the teens take over the town. They just sort of go with it. And really when these giants move as slow as they do, why would anyone be afraid of them? You can always outrun them, or if they try something, take two steps to the left. Bert I. Gordon, if you'll pardon the expression, just wasn't thinking "big" enough in this movie to really deal with the consequences of his ideas. The end is so banal and rather anti-climactic, especially for what is essentially a monster movie.

All in all, "Village of the Giants" is low on logic, but high on some good laughs, most at its expense.

Goofy, fun mid 60s has goo in the plot and on the brain. Teenagers go giant with a potion cooked up somehow by little Ron Howard. These giants love to go-go in sexy harem outfits that somehow grow to fit them. Tommy Kirk is, as usual, excellent and amusing -- I think he had real potention to become one of the best actors of his generation. This movie is a bit too cheezy to be exciting or scary, but it's worth a good laugh.