In a contrivance, I’m quite ecstatic that every attempt to remake this movie has failed to materialize; were Universal to remake it now, it would be a neo-slasher crap fest laced with nothing but screaming teenagers and a totally unsympathetic gore factory of a monster. And while there are purists out there who may claim that the Gill Man doesn’t really belong in the company of the other clssic Universal Monsters, the truth is that “The Creature From The Shaded Lagoon” IS the last broad Universal monster movie. What’s more, its sequels actually aren’t as unpleasant as others may want you to bear, particularly since they do attain the rare task of telling a different legend in each entry – more than the “Jaws” sequels could manage – and as the central sympathetic character of each fraction, the Creature himself does indicate notable character development over the course of three movies without degenerating into the high-camp arrive that has since destroyed the likes of Jason Vorhees and Freddy Krueger.

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DISC ONE:

CREATURE FROM THE Sad LAGOON

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Where better to inaugurate than the beginning? You probably know the drill: a group of scientists – one of whom happens to contemplate particularly comely in a white bathing suit – putters down the Amazon in search of the fossils of a ‘missing link’ between man and fish, only to rep the living truth hiding out in a forgotten tributary. And it becomes positive that the Gill Man wants only two things: female companionship and solitude from everybody else. The state resplendent standard sci-fi fare for the 1950s (and earlier when you reflect the first two movies are naught but a submerged remake of ‘King Kong’, but more on that later), but it’s the execution of it that sets CFTBL above all other contenders of the era.

Under the expert direction of Jack Arnold, the cast is up to their task – as Kay Lawrence, Julia (Julie) Adams does sufficient acting to convince us she could have some scientific prowess despite her expedient screaming ability and sizable legs; Richard Carlson does another superior job of playing a scientist-hero type – something he was known for in ’50s sci-fi – as Kay’s fiance David Reed; Richard Denning makes a astronomical antagonistic figure in the perform of David and Kay’s boss Sign Williams; and Nestor Paiva provides silly relief as Lucas, the eccentric captain of the RITA. Then, of course, there’s the ’star’, or rather both of him: Ben Chapman is the man inside the monster suit – with the slickest and most iconic monster originate of the ’50s – while topside, with Ricou Browning playing the Gill Man beneath the waves, a role he would reprise for the two sequels.

Filled with equal measures of emotional resonance, textbook dialogue and worthy conventional shivers – accompanied by one of the most surprisingly functional ‘patchwork’ music scores ever produced – CFTBL is unquestionably the best monster movie of the ’50s, and one of the best sci-fi movies of that time.

BONUS FEATURES

Considering how few who were eager in making this movies are quiet around today, Universal does an impressive job assembling its resources for the bonus features:

* The documentary “Succor To The Dusky Lagoon”, by film historian and Universal monster aficionado David Skal, provides some sharp insights into the making of the Gill Man trilogy, including such revelations as:

- The studio’s recent vision for the study of the Gill Man, and what they intended to do with that survey after it was scrapped.

- The sincere makers of the Gill Man – including idea artist Milicent Patrick and sculptors Chris Mueller and Jack Keban.

- Amusing anecdotes of on-set mishaps though-provoking an eyebrow-raising trade-paper photo and a man-eating sea turtle.

- The principle late the 3-D in which the first two movies were filmed, and the truth leisurely why the fad stale so expeditiously.

- Discussion about subtexts and implications in the films, and the progression of the Gill Man as a character.

* Audio commentary by film historian Tom Weaver, whose laborious dialogue drowns out the rest of the movie yet level-headed provides ever more appealing details into the making of the films – as he himself admits early on, he does have mighty more to say and short running times to do it in. Through these commentaries you learn such intelligent limited tidbits as what role Orson Welles played in the genesis of the Gill Man, and how the first two Gill Man movies resemble a determined classic movie about a giant ape.

* Theatrical trailers for the first film, which when watched back-to-back, as they’re presented, can earn a diminutive expressionless since most of the trailers enjoy the same rehashed footage and voiceover.

DISC TWO:

REVENGE OF THE CREATURE

A year has passed, and some more dazzling confident scientists choose to acquire the Gill Man and bring him befriend to civilization and attach him on prove in a marine life park, where he’s observed by a blooming blond icthyologist. I don’t reflect I need to define the rest.

Needless to say, with a state like that, you can safely consume none of the characters from the unique film are going to get any return appearances, except for, of course, the laughable relief, Nestor Paiva, and then for a cameo. Serene, John Agar as professor Clete Ferguson and Lori Nelson as icthyologist Helen Dobson do get a cute scientist couple, with John Bromfield playing the obligatory macho shark-wrangler type/monster fodder Joseph Hayes. And there are two other very well-known cameos – one a topside appearance by Ricou Browning as a lab tech, the other a funny appearance by a young Clint Eastwood. Tom Hennessey is the topside Gill Man this outing, with Browning succor in the suit for underwater shots.

Like most sequels, ROTC has its flaws, to be positive – one scene involves some visibly-imperfect wire work for one of the Gill Man’s victims, and for some reason the sculptors gave the classic Gill Man compose a pair of ping-pong-ball monster eyes, possibly for visibility purposes for the actors. But given the act it had to follow, ROTC is actually gorgeous worthwhile…especially when you deem that this DID obtain remade by Universal, sort of, as “Jaws 3″. You figure out which one you’d rather view.

THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US

Fitting that for the last Gill Man movie, the Gill Man be forcibly removed from the undersea environment he’s at home in – this time by being doused in kerosene and flames by the dunderheaded assistant of obsessive scientist William Barton (Jeff Morrow), who’s sure to reshape the Gill Man into a land-lubber – we never do glean out why – fair as powerful as he’s positive to develop a complete subordinate out of his disillusioned child-bride wife Marcia (Leigh Snowden) . Once again, a nobler scientific mind enters the equation, Tom Morgan (Rex Reason), and his rescue of the Gill Man from determined death, combined with the Gill Man’s affinity for the opposite sex regardless of species, point to suitable for Tom and Marcia when Dr. Barton begins eyeing those eyeing his wife with kill on his mind.

A lot of ‘fans’ don’t like this movie, but I do. It solidifies the two overall themes of the Gill Man movies – that humankind is its possess worst enemy, and that the Gill Man must deal with a world in which he doesn’t belong. The chemistry between the human characters closely resembles that of the first film – one scientific philosophy that suggests we could help spiritually from what we learn, whereas another takes the path of benefitting materially from knowledge – and surprisingly, this time out the beast doesn’t earn a beeline for the beauty, although he does retort her – maybe the Gill Man is objective tired of having his heart broken. The land-locked Gill Man is played by Don Megowan, with the character’s peek radically altered as the result of being burned (a dwelling draw re-used by Universal in “Jaws 2″ to cheesier attain) – heck, they even keep him in clothes! And Ricou Browning does accomplish one final appearance as the submerged Gill Man, with the encourage of stock footage from the first two films.

All in all, TCWAU does tie up the record handsome effectively, if not necessarily happily – the last scene of the describe is resplendent sunless – and with any luck Universal won’t besmirch what is a well-behaved trilogy of films with a crappy trend-driven remake.

BONUS FEATURES

* More audio commentary by Tom Weaver, joined by Bob Burns for ROTC and TCWAU, and Lori Nelson on ROTC. It’s fun to hear shared stories among the group, particularly Ms. Nelson talking about her film career and Burns sharing stories from members of the production team, so these commentaries are a lot less tight than that of the first film.

* More theatrical trailers, which are always a hoot, particularly the trailer for ROTC.

The bottom line: if you like your monster-movie series waterlogged, don’t demolish your time with the “Jaws” sequels. Universal got it accurate aid in the ’50s, and this is the proof. Lift this situation, by cracky!

As one of the six “Legacy” collections featuring the common Universal monsters, the Creature state has some distinctly new features. In one device, it’s the sparsest collection, with only three movies, but it also is the only one with commentaries on all the films. Perhaps more importantly is the nature of the Creature himself. While the other monsters are either purely supernatural (Dracula, the Wolf Man), purely man-made (Frankenstein’s monster, the Invisible Man) or a combination of the two (the Mummy), only the Creature is a natural creature.

What also stands out in the Creature movies is that humanity in general comes off as the dreadful guys and the Creature is the most sympathetic figure. Acting in a generally defensive manner, the Creature is subjected to greater and greater torments. He actually is similar in this fashion to King Kong (which is not surprising, since the first two movies, when combined, are essentially remakes of that giant ape classic) .

As is typically the case, the first movie – The Creature from the Gloomy Lagoon – is the best in the bunch. Several scientists – as well as the necessary female worship interest – go to South America in search of the bones of a legendary fish-man, only to glean a living one instead. The Creature develops an interest in the woman even as it wages war with the intruders in its Dismal Lagoon, leading to several deaths before the final confrontation.

In Revenge of the Creature, the Creature is captured and brought to a marine amusement park, where it is chained up, studied and displayed for the masses. (In both this movie and the third one, there is a lot of confusion between salt-water and unusual water life, with the Creature forced to alternate between the two.) A la King Kong, eventually, he breaks free and goes on a rampage. While this film is most famous for the cover debut of Clint Eastwood, this is actually only of minor significance: Eastwood is in the movie for only a runt, playing a very atypical role as an inept lab assistant.

In the third movie – The Creature Walks Among Us – the Creature is captured again but seriously burned in the process. The process to do him forces him to be a land creature, and this once powerful creature of the Amazon is forced to live in the San Francisco Bay spot, unable to be master of the water anymore.

The 1950s were not spacious years in science fiction/horror film making, but the Creature movies, despite their flaws, are some of the best of the era, with a decent costume for the monster and reasonably well-behaved effects. Objective as it was influenced by King Kong, you can stare the certain influence these movies had on others, in particular, Jaws. For Universal, this would be the last of their iconic monsters, and unlike the others, it has not been subject to any remakes. With decent commentaries and other features, this is a fun location, a solid four star collection that will please fans of classic monster movies.

Bowtrol