It Came from Beneath the Sea

There are many who feel that this film is a low-budget loser, even for the 1950's. But, I pooh-pooh that theory! *"Pooh-pooh" doesn't violate the no-swearing rule, does it?* Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion effects have been the inspiration for many of the CGI geniuses working in Hollywood, today. *Possible spoiler, here.* Sure, the original model of the sea monster had six rather than eight tentacles. BUT, LET'S NOT FORGET; IT'S SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN MUTATED BY RADIATION! So, if one stretches one's imagination, one can plausibly convert that money-saving blooper into stunted anatomical growth. And, personally? I give Harryhausen's Hexapod four stars, when I compare it to that laughable eight-armed animatron in SciFi Channel's "Octopus 2!" So, good night and good viewing.

Ray Harryhausen's giant octopus is a stop-motion MASTERPIECE! An excellent film & story! Trivia: The producer's budget wouldn't allow the creation of an 8-tentacled octopus, so it only has SIX legs (this isn't noticeable, 'cos u think the other two are under water!). And, the City of San Francisco didn't want the "landmark of their city", the Golden Gate Bridge destroyed (even in miniature!), so the cameras & crew had to be "smuggled" on the actual bridge! A MUST-SEE film from the 50's !

It Came From Beneath The Sea was the first of many movies involving the partnership of producer Charles H Schneer and Ray Harryhausen. A giant octopus makes its way to San Francisco and attacks several ships and submarines on the way. When there, it brings down the Golden Gate Bridge and destroys several other landmarks before being attacked by flame throwers to send it back into the sea, where is it blown to bits by a torpedo. The stop-motion animation by Ray Harryhausen is excellent, despite the fact that the movie's low budget made the octopus have six tentacles instead of eight. The cast is lead by 50's sci-fi regulars Kenneth Tobey (The Thing From Another World, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms), Faith Domergue (This Island Earth) and Donald Curtis (Earth vs the Flying Saucers). A love triangle develops with these stars to keep the movie going. I enjoyed this movie and is a must if you are a fan of 1950's sci-fi and Ray Harryhausen like me. Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

Greatly enjoyed viewing this film in the 1950's and all the audiences were thrilled at seeing this sea monster tackle the Golden Gate Bridge and terrify all the people in San Francisco. This film cannot compare to the films being made in 2000, however, in 1955 it was a great B Film and is presently and always will be a great Classic. Kenneth Tobey, who was a submarine captain, "Body Shot",'93 gave an outstanding performance along with Faith Domerque,"The House of Seven Corpses",'74 who was a beautiful young actress and acted like a very strong willed woman who was hard to charm off her feet. Unfortunately, Faith had a short career due to her struggle with cancer. This is truly a great Classic Film of the 50's. Enjoy!

1950s sci-fi monster movie about a giant octopus attacking ships and submarines. The Navy doesn't like it one bit. Slow-going with the monster octopus not fully showing up until three-quarters into the picture. Far too much focus in the first half on the nauseating romantic drama involving Kenneth Tobey's sub commander and scientists Faith Domergue and Donald Curtis. There is some fun to be had with the clichéd characters and some of their corny lines ("When you're driving that atomic submarine of yours, do you have time for romance?"). All of the octopus scenes are fun and the last quarter of the movie is the most interesting, due to the stop-motion effects from the legendary Ray Harryhausen. I normally love movies like this and would rate it higher, but it's just so talky and the romance makes me want to puke.

Ray Harryhausen wonderfully creates a giant octopus ravaging the Pacific Coast and then rooting itself in San Francisco Bay. The octopus is quite stunning and a marvel of stop-motion animation. Viewers are treated to it actually climbing on the Golden Gate Bridge(a model of course), squeezing a submarine, literally bringing a ship down to the depths, and throwing tentacles all over pedestrians in the San Francisco harbour. My only regret is that this is all too infrequent and most of it arriving at the end of the film. The rest of the story centers around Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domerge and Donald Curtis trying to discover what it is that held Tobey's submarine. There is also a weird love triangle among the three as well which enhances the story I believe. All in all this is a fine piece of classic science fiction entertainment.