Session: Monsters International -- Big! Hairy! Scaly! Scary!, Week 2
Movie: Gorgo (1961)
Directed by Eugene Lourie
As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL.
Plot:
Treasure hunters sell a giant reptile as a carnival attraction. Turns out it's just a baby -- and mom is pissed Horror ensues.
Reaction and Other Folderol:
I went into this expecting Gorgo, which was a British production, to be a copy of the Japanese monster movies. And I was right. In many ways this had the look and feel of those movies -- which, as I mentioned last week, I don't really care for. The big difference, though, is that this was done much better. Visually, it was more impressive.
When Gorgo stepped on buildings, the destruction looked more real than what we got in the typical Japanese-made monster movies. I actually loved watching the scenes where the rubble was falling on people (including some well-placed visual jokes). Those reminded me of Earthquake, the 1974 blockbuster* which was (as best I recall), the first horror movie I ever saw. And the scenes in the subway were also really interesting. I kept expecting to see characters get pushed onto the tracks and then get hit by a train. I realized that wasn't gonna happen when the tunnels started collapsing. That was some great stuff.
What I found most interesting is the fact that this horrible horrible monster was, in fact, the sympathetic figure. All she wanted was to get her kid back -- after the kid was taken by the horrible, horrible humans. And then, when she got the kid back, she was content to just go back out to sea. No need for extra gratuitous vengeance.
If the Japanese horror movie industry had headed more in this direction, I may have even become a fan.
Ratings
Me: 9
Bob: 9.8
Christina: 9.2
Dave: 9.9
Joe: 9.9
Joe: 9.9
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*Blockbuster! Earthquake! Get it! Hah!
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