Béhémot, le monstre des mers

I first saw this movie when I was 9 years old and it was the scariest movie I'd ever seen. I vividly recall the scenes of terrified people running from the monster and being melted by the radiation waves emitted by the beast! I watched the movie again last year and still found it compelling, albeit in a low budget way. I remember the sub-head, or perhaps the trailer to be "It came from the sea." Or, perhaps I was hiding under the sheets and didn't hear it correctly.

This film was made before the days of cgi and therefore must seem painfully dated to younger viewers but to us who grew up in the atomic monster age it is both scary and charming. We do not look with judgment on the film but rather on the times in which it was produced. Fond memories of drive-in theaters and Saturday night scarfests with friends. Carefree times of youth and adolescence. That said "Behemoth" is ultimately more entertaining with it's challenging fx than many of our modern day films which completely lack any charm. Simply filling a film with eye catching Cgi does not a movie make. Willis O'Brian's painstaking stop-motion effects and Eugene Lourie's talent with a minuscule budget unite to make a scary premise very entertaining and certainly fondly remembered.

Interesting in an historical sense because of Willis O'Brien and Eugene Lourie, both contributors to the "monster on the loose" genre that is with us to this day. That said, both of those artist best work can be found elsewhere. This low budget restraint is not worthy of their talent but they did complete it and did the best they could with the limited time and resources. The movie is quite professional looking and really is a lot better because of those involved in spite of its restrictions. The formula for the genre is by the numbers but executed with some suspense and realism. It has an effectively ominous musical score and when TGB arrives it has a nasty look and disposition. The ending of the atomic anomaly (or is it an anomaly?) is rather rushed and anti-climatic, but so is the life of the aforementioned format that would come to a halt in the following year with Gorgo (1960) also directed by Lourie.

This is a bit talkie but overall it fulfills the Cold War fear of radiation and its implications. The monster here seems determined to destroy. Animals, generally have two things on their minds, food and reproduction. This big lizard apparently has a third thing: it enjoys rampaging. Why it feels the need to crush cars and chase people down the street seems to imply motivations that are more punitive. It also seems to have the ability to disperse radiation when it wants to, frying people who confront it. The film is strongest in the action leading to the discovery of the creature. The science is valid and interesting. Some say it's a rip off of "The Best from 20,000 Fathoms." I guess in many ways it is, but it has a good story to tell and leaves us guessing at the end.

There were many "giant-monster" films from the 50's . Some were terrible. Most were good, including this one. Yeah, if one were picky they could say the stop-motion effects (from King Kong effects man Willis O'Brien) are not as well done as Ray Harryhausen's or the pacing is a bit slow at times. For the most part, the actors do a credible job although Gene Evans (Dr. Karnes) overplays his part a bit. There is enough action to sustain interest and the story is pretty good (if not original). This monster just isn't in a talking mood! It's not only radioactive but has an electric charge that sends out the radiation. There is some decent stock footage as well. If you're a fan of 1950's sci-fi films, give this one a try.