El monstruo vengador

MORD39 RATING: *** out of ****

Why Oh Why do so many fans never let go of an original film and denounce any improvement that might be made? While the original film is a classic of the fifties, I think that was purely because it was the first (a distinct advantage most first films in a series have!)

The second film was only "okay," and was a rehash of the first one. But why I like #3 so much is due to the daring change made to the Creature himself. He looks truly menacing and powerful when he becomes a land being, but more importantly he becomes much more human-like. We get to see how docile he truly is, and how it turns out to be that destructive animal known as Man who really makes him wild.

When the Creature DOES get wild in this one, he's a REAL killing machine! The rampage he goes on in this movie still packs a jolt for me.

THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US has another group of scientists trying to capture the gill man in his storied lagoon. This time, they're led by demented zillionaire, Dr. William Barton (Jeff Morrow) who has big plans for the scaly monster. Among others, Barton has enlisted Dr. Thomas Morgan (Rex Reason) to help in his endeavor. Along for the ride is Barton's beautiful, bored wife, Marcia (Leigh Snowden), who gets her turn at an obligatory "swim scene".

As in the first two films, the humans can't leave well enough alone. After drugging and burning the poor creature, they have to save his life, making an astonishing discovery in the process. Back at Barton's estate -after what feels like a century- the beast must adjust to his new life as a landlubber! An electrified prison is his new "home".

In reality, this installment has more depth than the first two movies. The creature becomes a sympathetic being, a true "fish out of water". Barton, who's neglected wife has been cavorting with Morgan, is driven mad with jealousy and rage. Who is the true "monster"? A great movie with a terrific, totally berserk ending.

P.S.- It's cool to see Morrow and Reason reunited after having starred together in THIS ISLAND EARTH...

"The Creature Walks Among Us" may not be everyone's cup of tea, but as a monster movie fan, I enjoyed it. It continues is the same vein (and vein-tearing) of the previous two "Black Lagoon" films, but while the level of violence, mayhem, and male protagonists goes down, there's more contemplation, "philosophy," and questioning the nature of the creature. It maintains the aura of man vs. nature, but a bit more intellectual than the other two. A good way to end the series, methinks. The acting, of course, isn't exactly its strong point, but in that aspect, it differs little from its predecessors. I must say, the creature's makeover into a more-man-than-gill is done with astonishingly good special effects- considering the time in history and the resources at hand. Overall, if you liked "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," you're bound to like this deeper, more eerie sequel, which is a little less blatant and a little more figure-it-out-yourself.

Like a few other posters, I consider THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US the best in the Gill Man series. Granted that's not saying a whole lot because I never cared for the Creature films anyway. The concept of an amphibious monster lurking underwater was just way too limited and never really held my interest. Still, in CREATURE WALKS AMONG US he becomes a much more intriguing character due to the plight his human costars impose on him, and Don Megowen's (uncredited) performance as the Creature is very good. Like Christopher Lee in Hammer's THE MUMMY he manages to convey emotion without the benefit of dialog or even facial expressions. And his final rampage through the house is terrific for such a low budget film. There's a real sense of brute power as he smashes everything in his path in his attempt to reach his human tormentor. And like almost everyone else, I find the ending surprisingly poignant.

I seem to differ from many of my fellow "monster movie" fans because I find this film the best of the series and in many ways one of the better horror flicks from this era. The reason for this preference on my part is because the human characters are rich, the actors do an excellent job, especially Jeff Morrow, and the focus is on the relationships between the characters against the backdrop of the adventure of again capturing the creature and then dealing with what to do with him when they get him. These relationships are as complex as my last sentence. The film opens with establishing a very strained relationship between Dr. Barton and his wife Marsha by inference of their nonverbal behavior. We soon find that Dr. Barton is not simply a very suspicious man afraid of being turned into a cock old by his young sexy wife. He is exploding with paranoia and she is repelled by him. This sets the underplay of all the remaining events in the film. Dr. Barton is a narcissistic, arrogant man besides paranoid. And, these are his more charming features. Jeff Morrow, who usually played a good natured hero, gets to show his muscles an actor by making himself totally repulsive in this role. Rex Reason is very good in his role and does so by using his good looks, great voice and easy charm to underplay his part. Thus, he makes himself a pleasant contrast to the splenetic Dr. Barton. Leigh Snowden as Dr. Barton's wife Marsha is, well, very good and also underplays her sexuality so well that it becomes intense. For those who look at a "monster movie" and think the plot of the movie is the monster, which in a good monster film would never take place, this film is not for that person. For those who like a little gem of good acting and interesting characters- enjoy this film.