Anybody familiar with the creature features that this film helped spawn can at least half-guess the plot. A scientist (Antonio Moreno) uncovers a webbed hand on an archaeological dig in the Amazon and quickly recruits to search for similar remains: including Dr. Reed (Richard Carlson), Dr. Mark Williams (Richard Denning), Kay Lawrence (Julia Adams) and a curmudgeony steamboat captain (Nestor Paiva). As they travel deeper into the Amazon, they disturb the titular creature (variously Ben Chapman and Ricou Browning), who takes vengeance on the invading scientists.
The film is most memorable for its exquisite underwater scenes, which equal parts haunting and horrific. The scene in which Kay swims in the lagoon (mirrored, unbeknownst to her, by the "Gill Man" beneath the water's surface) is beautifully balletic. Contemporary audiences will be struck by its similarity to the scene in "WALL-E" where WALL-E and EVE engage in a stunningly-executed space-set dance. It is easily the most memorable moment in the film, which brilliantly captures the creature's fascination with the engaging beauty of Julia Adams.
The Creature is himself reasonably realistic-looking. Assisted by the lagoon's enshrouding flora and aquatic shadows, the "Gill Man" appears shockingly otherworldly (despite the film's very rational explanation for his existence). The moments where The Creature is half-surfaced (or, if you'd prefer, half-submerged) are when The Creature is most striking - both frighteningly alien and deeply sympathetic.
For its numerous positive qualities, the film is sadly very average. The acting, directing and writing are all rather utilitarian, never touching on the excellence or originality of other classic monster movies (such as 1922's "Nosferatu," 1931's "Dracula," "Frankenstein" and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," 1932's "The Mummy," 1933's "The Invisible Mane" and 1941's "The Wolf Man"). It is certainly worthwhile, but hardly more than merely noteworthy. Fans of monster movies and creature features alike will find this an incredibly entertaining romp, even if most can safely pass on what this film has to offer.
The film is most memorable for its exquisite underwater scenes, which equal parts haunting and horrific. The scene in which Kay swims in the lagoon (mirrored, unbeknownst to her, by the "Gill Man" beneath the water's surface) is beautifully balletic. Contemporary audiences will be struck by its similarity to the scene in "WALL-E" where WALL-E and EVE engage in a stunningly-executed space-set dance. It is easily the most memorable moment in the film, which brilliantly captures the creature's fascination with the engaging beauty of Julia Adams.
The Creature is himself reasonably realistic-looking. Assisted by the lagoon's enshrouding flora and aquatic shadows, the "Gill Man" appears shockingly otherworldly (despite the film's very rational explanation for his existence). The moments where The Creature is half-surfaced (or, if you'd prefer, half-submerged) are when The Creature is most striking - both frighteningly alien and deeply sympathetic.
For its numerous positive qualities, the film is sadly very average. The acting, directing and writing are all rather utilitarian, never touching on the excellence or originality of other classic monster movies (such as 1922's "Nosferatu," 1931's "Dracula," "Frankenstein" and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," 1932's "The Mummy," 1933's "The Invisible Mane" and 1941's "The Wolf Man"). It is certainly worthwhile, but hardly more than merely noteworthy. Fans of monster movies and creature features alike will find this an incredibly entertaining romp, even if most can safely pass on what this film has to offer.