It Came From Beneath the Sea

3 Ratings: 3.0

A movie directed by Robert Gordon

An atomic submarine cruising the Pacific discovers a gargantuan octopus concealed in the ocean depths. By the time they figure out that the monster is the nasty by-product of a hydrogen bomb experiment gone awry, the creature is already well on its way … see full wiki

Tags: Movies, Science Fiction Movies, Fantasy, Ray Harryhausen, Fantasy Movies

Cast: Eddie Fisher

Director: Robert Gordon

Release Date: 1955

MPAA Rating: Unrated

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It Came From Beneath the Sea 1955

Aug 18, 2002

by SusiDee34
posted in Movie Hype

Rating:

Pros: n/a

Cons: n/a

The Bottom Line: n/a

I lovingly dedicate this to fellow writer Gungian because it deals with the first nuclear powered submarine to chase after sci-fi creatures. Surely this is what they spend their hard-earned study hours for.

This is a ridiculously silly 50s sci-fi feature with the poorly designed creatures and the dramatic love story thrown in for good measure. Early animatronics were designed by Harryhausen, involving the octopus that for some reason only sports 6 tentacles.

We are first shown the interior of the submarine which, by movie standards of that time era, seems actually quite good. The sudden appearance of an unidentified bleep on the radar puts everyone on edge. When they are attacked, they decide to surface to find out the problem. Finding a piece of something mired in the rotors of the engine, they head back to port to solve the problem.

This is when we meet up with the darling Dr. Lesley Joyce (Faith Domergue), who is the highly touted marine biologist that specializes in deep sea creatures. Through her diligence, we discover what we have here folks is a great big octopus. She gets her feathers ruffled and defends her intelligence and honor when she is confronted by Pete Matthews (Keith Tobey) who insists the little lady shouldnt be subjected to the life and rigors of submarine life. In addition, certainly she shouldnt have to come in contact with such unwholesome creatures as they are investigating in this movie.

Dr. Joyce gets all in a huff. Naturally you know a romance is going to develop. That is a given.

Next thing you know the lovely Dr. Joyce and Mr. Matthews are snuggling on the beach and he is taking liberties with her when OH NO a big damn tentacle appears over the sea cliffs, soon followed by the rest of the big damn octi. First thing the brave and darling Dr. Joyce does is scream and fall into a faint. Now this ticked me off Ill tell you. So much for womens lib in the 50s smile.

Naturally, as things went in the old movies, proper minds joined together to work against the creature and correct the ecological balance in the ocean . Or did they?

Falling into the category of Them!, The Blob, 50 Woman, Tarantula and other movies of that ilk, It Came From Beneath the Sea was no Oscar winning movie. It followed the same general idea of all movies from that era, we as a people were destroying the planet by our use of radioactive devices. Releasing these movies so shortly after the end of the big war and the use of the atomic bomb, with the threat of missiles from Russia, these movies did little to relieve the anxiety brought forth by our own destructive powers.

However, they offered some ray of hope in that, at least in the movies, right always conquered wrong.

Acting certainly wasnt of any great caliber and writing was pretty elementary. These movies were designed for shock factor alone, with a little gushy love thrown in just so the head guy could look like a shining hero in someones eyes.

Take them for what they are, cheap entertainment.

After watching Cast Away recently, particularly viewing the extras on the DVD, I was intrigued with how things were made in the movies. It would be interesting to see the same information on these older movies because, face it, there were no computers to make these little monsters look so fluid. Where it all seems so simple now (although I know it is highly complicated), imagine the problems facing these people back in the 50s trying to make these productions even a little believable.

This was directed by Robert Gordon, written by Hal Smith and George Worthing Yates. It carries no stated rating, but I would probably give it a PG-13. There is no nudity or adult language involved, no gore, actually a pretty harmless little movie but the big octi might scare young ones. It is filmed in black & white, run time about 1-1/2 hours.

Thanks,
Susi

Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older

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