The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (Dir: Eugène Lourié, 1953). 

This sci-fi classic from the heyday of the monster movies marked the cinematic pairing of fantasy titans and lifelong friends, author Ray Bradbury and stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen. 

Based upon Bradbury's short story The Fog Horn, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms tells of the mighty Rhedosaurus, a 200 foot, disease-ridden, carnivorous dinosaur frozen in suspended animation for millions of years and unwittingly thawed by an experimental Arctic atomic explosion, Awakened from his frosty slumber, old Rhed proceeds south to North America's east coast and the warmer waters of the Atlantic. En route to New York he overturns a fishing boat and destroys an innocent lighthouse, before rocking up in the Big Apple to wreck havoc in the city, culminating in an awesome Coney Island showdown between monster and military.

Five minutes into the movie you would be forgiven for mistaking it for a serious minded and somewhat dry science documentary. Yet this somber tone sets the mood for what is to follow. Unlike many 1950s creature features, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms is no schlock horror. Of course the science is hokum but the movie takes its self seriously and thanks to superior storytelling and subtle performances from its cast, the audience does too.

For modern viewers the cast is a little less than star-studded, but effective nonetheless. Leading man Paul Christian (sometimes billed as Paul Hubschmid), is believable as the witness whose claims are dismissed by all but a pretty paleontologist, the appealing Paula Raymond. Together they exhibit a natural chemistry and make a likeable screen couple. Genre regular Kenneth Tobey crops up in a supporting role as an initially skeptical colonel. However, the real star of the show is the magnificent Rhedosaurus brought to life via some terrific stop-motion animation courtesy of special effects legend Ray Harryhausen. Harryhausen fills the movie with seemingly endless iconic moments; dino fans will be in reptile rapture as the monster raises its head above the New York docks and rampages down Wall Street, munching on a cop for breakfast! Best of all is the sight of the full length beast tearing down a lighthouse, as the keepers attempt to exit the crumbling structure via spiral staircase. Such is the personality present in the animation that monster fans like me may find their sympathies lie with the beast. After all the poor fella didn't ask to be defrosted.

The Beast of 20,000 Fathoms' superior spectacle makes for a visual experience bettered by little else of its era. Credit also to director Eugène Lourié who keeps the tension mounting in the atmospheric non-action sequences. Surprisingly, the movie takes less of a critical view of nuclear energy than many of its contemporaries, notably atomic ant fest Them! (Gordon Douglas, 1954). While the action in some respects revisits King Kong (Merian C Cooper & Ernest B Schoedsack, 1933), it does so without the moral concerns of the ape exploitation tale. In essence, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms is pulp cinema in its purist form; exquisitely made and enormously entertaining. Subsequent monster movies from Godzilla (Ishiro Honda, 1954) to Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg, 1993) to Cloverfield (Matt Reeves, 2008) and beyond all owe a debt to this original masterpiece.

For pedantic pre-hisorians in the audience, no the Rhedosaurus is not a real dinosaur; but surely no one is here for a lesson in paleohistory, just sit back enjoy the carnage!