The Deadly Mantis Movie Download

8 / 10

Nifty 50’s giant monster outing
A huge prehistoric praying mantis gets unleashed from an iceberg in the Artic and embarks on the expected destructive spree. Shrewd and helpful paleontologist Dr. Nedrick “Ned” Jackson (a lively and engaging performance by William Hopper) joins forces with the military to find a way to stop the pesky critter. Director Nathan Juran, working from a tight and straightforward script by Martin Berkeley, relates the entertaining story at a steady pace, does a nice job of creating a spooky and mysterious atmosphere in the opening third, maintains a serious tone throughout, and stages the monster attack scenes with real aplomb. This film further benefits from solid acting by an able cast, with especially praiseworthy work by Alix Tilton as perky journalist Marge Blaine, Craig Stevens as the stalwart Col. Joe Parkman, Florenz Ames as the wise Prof. Anton Gunther, and Donald Randolph as the no-nonsense General Mark Ford. The big bug looks pretty gnarly and the climax with the wounded over-sized insect trapped in the Holland Tunnel is both tense and exciting. Ellis W. Carter’s sharp cinematography makes neat occasional use of artful fades and dissolves. The robust score by Irving Getz and William Lava does the rousing trick. Best of all, this movie has an earnest quality to it that’s impossible to either dislike or resist. A very enjoyable creature feature.Read More