That was an excellent one.

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Excellent but underrated film

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

BF20KF (How's that for a shorten-er!?) has Ray Harryhausen's splendid effects to thank for its continued longevity; the patience he must have had, and the devotion and love of his craft he possessed, show through in every frame of the Rhedosaur's screen time. It is, of course, an entirely fictional dinosaur, and the first two letters of its name uncannily match those of a certain animator....:) Our titanic friend is thawed out from the Arctic ice during an A-Bomb test in an impressive (apart from the obvious stock footage used) opening sequence. And like all self respecting prehistoric Dinos do, heads for New York, Tokyo presumably being a bit too far away."Sometimes I feel as if we were writing the first chapter of New Genesis.""Let's hope we're not writing the last chapter of the old." This exchange early in the film between two scientists places us firmly in the Nuclear Age paranoia of the 50s. And let's face it, that dilemma is still with us. Is all progress good? This sort of thing was done in countless sci-fi movies of the era, of course. But the succinct dialogue here really makes the point. Surprising to find such good writing in a B-movie monster flick. At least it is if you have seen as many of them as I have!Along the way we meet up with Cecil Kellaway's Paeloentologist (always welcome) his assistant, who is one of the few female leads in this type of movie that doesn't succumb to hysterics at some point, and a brilliant scene where the monster demolishes a remote lighthouse in Maine, thereby probably inspiring Stephen King. This is loosely taken from Ray Bradbury's short story The Fog Horn, and is tremendously effective.When the Rhedy gets to New York he goes the King Kong route to introducing himself to the Big Apple's citizens, though he avoids The Empire State Building and lands up at Coney Island instead. A young Lee Van Cleef plays the sharpshooter who shoots him down with radioactive isotope.Overall this is a watchable and very well done monster movie, produced, I believe, on a budget of only $150,000. Kong cost about four times that twenty years earlier. One of Harryhausen's great innovations was to get the cost of shooting stop motion to manageable proportions. His creations have real feeling behind them. Does today's CGI?

I bought this movie not too long ago along with THEM! I think that this movie is better though, and one of the best American giant monster movies of the 50's. The plot is the same as most monster movies where the monster goes on a rampage through a city just because it feels like it, but the special effects done by Ray Harryhausen make it worth seeing. While it isn't his best work, it's still pretty impressive and makes the movie more enjoyable. The acting is fairly decent for this genre and don't stretch on too long to a point where it's boring. Lastly, it has a very memorable climax, I won't spoil it or anything but it'll leave you satisfied.

"The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" is an atomic age monster movie that includes early special effects work by the legendary Ray Harryhausen. It is usually credited with kick-starting the wave of sci-fi/horror 'creature features' that flourished in the 1950's.The story is loosely based on famed science fiction author Ray Bradbury's story "The Fog Horn". Building on the basic premise of a prehistoric creature awakened from a prolonged slumber, the screenwriters instilled the story with paranoia surrounding the A-bomb.To be honest, the script surprised me with its attention to detail. If the science isn't necessarily completely accurate it's nevertheless convincingly plausible. There are also nuances in the characterization that make this more than just a shallow effects showcase.The cast is far from star-studded but they get the job done. Paul Christian & Cecil Kellaway are particular standouts. Like the script, Eugène Lourié's direction is surprisingly well done. Visually, though, the chief attraction is the special effects work of Ray Harryhausen.Unfortunately, the movie is not without a few flaws, which is hardly surprising given its budget constraints. For one thing, not all of the special effects are up to the same standard (though most are). Also, the movie's end, while satisfying in terms of spectacle, seems almost indifferent in terms of plot. Ultimately, though, "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" strikes me as an underrated effects showcase that provides a well-rounded sci-fi/horror viewing experience.

Nuclear testing at the North Pole thaws out a live dinosaur they're calling a Rhedosaurus. "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" turns out to be an excellent swimmer, and heads for home. Unfortunately for the population of a major American city, millions of years ago "The Beast" lived in the area we now call New York City. The homecoming turns out to be a disaster for both the monster and frightened citizens... Here, another monster follows in the "King Kong" (1933) footsteps. This is far from the best of the 1950s invasion pictures, but Ray Harryhausen's monster effects make it fun to watch.***** The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (6/13/53) Eugene Lourie ~ Paul Hubschmid, Paula Raymond, Cecil Kellaway, Kenneth Tobey