Behemoth the Sea Monster

'Behemoth the Sea Monster' is a British entry into the monster movie genre (if you'll allow me to call it a genre), and follows in the 1950's tradition of giant monsters born from reckless nuclear testing. This time it isn't Tokyo or New York under attack, but good old London town!

The story begins with a lecture by scientist Steve Karnes, played with real enthusiasm and energy by Gene Evans. In it he warns of the dangers of nuclear testing, and of the "gemoterical progression of deadly menace" that may result from it . The story then switches to Cornwall, where dead fish are being washed up on the shore and a fisherman dies under mysterious circumstances. Before long, Karnes is on his way to the scene, suspecting giant monsters afoot.

'Behemoth the Sea Monster' is a thoroughly entertaining movie. Though relatively slow paced for the first half hour, it is never dull. The characters are engaging, and there are plenty of moments of unintentional humour (such as the wildly inconsistent 'Cornish' accents, the 'scientific' jargon, or the photograph of a giant footprint - so clearly a small footprint beside a Matchbox car).

That's not to say though that the film is so bad its good. In many ways it is simply good. The radioactive nature of the beast is exploited to good effect, with some scenes of radioactive burns being surprisingly grisly, highlighting the very serious warning on which the film is based. The victims of the violence are also surprising - children are killed on more than occasion. There is definitely a genuinely dark edge to 'Behemoth the Sea Monster' which serves it well.

The decision to keep the monster largely off-screen until the film's climax was most likely an economic rather than a dramatic one, but whatever the reason it works to the film's benefit, creating real suspense and allowing the viewer to imagine a more fearsome beastie than the one that eventually reveals itself. That said, the creature design and animation are perfectly adequate, and the dramatically lit scene in which it tears down a row of electricity pylons is particularly effective.

'Behemoth the Sea Monster (also known as 'The Giant Behemoth') is certainly not without its flaws. It is somewhat derivative of director Gene Lourie's own, earlier 'The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms' , and the eventual confrontation with the monster at sea is a bit of a disappointment, as is the missed opportunity to see it stomping on landmarks like Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.

But these are minor niggles about an otherwise enjoyable and curiously British monster movie which I can recommend.