Lively, entertaining reviews of, and essays on, old and newer films and everything relating to them, written by professional author William Schoell.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

REVENGE OF THE CREATURE

REVENGE OF THE CREATURE (1955). Director: Jack Arnold.

In this sequel to Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Gill Man is captured at his lagoon in the Amazon and brought to an Oceanarium in Florida where he becomes a star attraction. Professor Clete Ferguson (John Agar) is a scientist who takes a leave of absence from his school just so he can study the creature, while Joe Hayes, (John Bromfield) is one of the men who captured the monster. Helen Dobson (Lori Nelson) is a pretty student who's along for the ride, and gets more than she bargained for when the creature runs off with her. Frankly, Revenge is not nearly as good as the original, although it holds the attention. Nestor Paiva, Neil the adorable chimp, and a young Clint Eastwood all make brief appearances. Taken out of his native habitat, the creature is truly a fish out of water, although the latter half of the film has him undewater for a couple of sequences. The acting is okay for the most part but Lori Nelson seems devoid of any genuine talent. Bromfield also appeared in Three Bad Sisters.

Verdict: Not quite a revenge on the audience. **.

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