I think the worst thing about "The Monster That Challenged the World" has to be its title. Granted, "A Monster That Causes Some Alarm to Locals in the Immediate Area of the Salton Sea of Southern California" would have been too long for most marquees, but as it stands, most folks would assume this title is trying to is make up for some serious deficiencies. They'd be wrong.
A cut above many schlocky '50s sci-fi flicks, this one plays it quite straight, and punches all the usual buttons: the hero, the attractive love interest in a tight sweater, the egghead scientist who figures out what's actually going on, the kid (not too annoying for once), and of course, the monster.
This time out, it's actually a whole family of monsters, giant prehistoric flesh-eating mollusks awakened from their long sleep by the formation of the Salton Sea (it was a dry low valley like Death Valley until a 1905 flood) and released from ther subterranean prison in 1957 by an opening-scene earthquake. There's actually some scientific basis for this: after the valley flooded, scientists were surprised to find the new sea suddenly populated by brine shrimp that had laid in suspended animation for millions of years. (Of course there's also some throw-away mention of radiation, but what '50s sci-fi DOESN'T involve radiation?)
Still, what could have been same-old same-old is elevated by a bit more careful production: the story isn't bad, the settings and scenes are simple but believable, the background musical score is good, and the acting is better than usual (it's a pleasure to see Hans Conreid as Dr. Rogers, the indispensible scientist.) I can't go without mentioning Milton Parsons: although in a small role, he stole his scenes as oddball Lewis Clark Dobbs, the curator of the local museum who helps out by finding a vital old map, but who is mainly preoccupied with trying (again) to pass Proposition 14A.
But you can't have a monster movie without a monster, and the mollusk monsters here are much better than your average B-movie creature. Yes, it's still just a guy in a rubber suit, but the little details --translucent eyes, excellent detailing on the skin, working mouth parts-- make this one almost believable. OK, not really, but at least it's not so UNbelievable that you are distracted from enjoying the film.
Sure, there are a few of the usual "why the heck did he do that?" moments (why attack a monster with a fire extinguisher instead of the fire AXE that was hanging right over it?) but this is one of the better B-movie monster flicks. Don't let the overwrought title scare you off.
A cut above many schlocky '50s sci-fi flicks, this one plays it quite straight, and punches all the usual buttons: the hero, the attractive love interest in a tight sweater, the egghead scientist who figures out what's actually going on, the kid (not too annoying for once), and of course, the monster.
This time out, it's actually a whole family of monsters, giant prehistoric flesh-eating mollusks awakened from their long sleep by the formation of the Salton Sea (it was a dry low valley like Death Valley until a 1905 flood) and released from ther subterranean prison in 1957 by an opening-scene earthquake. There's actually some scientific basis for this: after the valley flooded, scientists were surprised to find the new sea suddenly populated by brine shrimp that had laid in suspended animation for millions of years. (Of course there's also some throw-away mention of radiation, but what '50s sci-fi DOESN'T involve radiation?)
Still, what could have been same-old same-old is elevated by a bit more careful production: the story isn't bad, the settings and scenes are simple but believable, the background musical score is good, and the acting is better than usual (it's a pleasure to see Hans Conreid as Dr. Rogers, the indispensible scientist.) I can't go without mentioning Milton Parsons: although in a small role, he stole his scenes as oddball Lewis Clark Dobbs, the curator of the local museum who helps out by finding a vital old map, but who is mainly preoccupied with trying (again) to pass Proposition 14A.
But you can't have a monster movie without a monster, and the mollusk monsters here are much better than your average B-movie creature. Yes, it's still just a guy in a rubber suit, but the little details --translucent eyes, excellent detailing on the skin, working mouth parts-- make this one almost believable. OK, not really, but at least it's not so UNbelievable that you are distracted from enjoying the film.
Sure, there are a few of the usual "why the heck did he do that?" moments (why attack a monster with a fire extinguisher instead of the fire AXE that was hanging right over it?) but this is one of the better B-movie monster flicks. Don't let the overwrought title scare you off.