The Creature Walks Among Us (1956)

One of the best films i have seen

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

The sight of the Creature From the Black Lagoon wearing a large man's shirt here brought on chuckles from me here because he reminded me so much of Boris Karloff as the monster in "The Bride of Frankenstein". The third of the Black Lagoon series is entertaining but unmemorable, a basically unnecessary third installment to a trio of films where the first is a classic, the second is quite good in spite of being a retread, and the third becomes a reminder as to why some of the old movie monster series went on far too long. It all starts with a determined young socialite (Leigh Snowden) speeding across the bridge from the Florida Keys and storming up the gang plank of a docked yacht. Snowden basically takes over the conversation from husband Jeff Morrow and scientist Rex Reason over the search for the mysterious creature which they want to experiment on to turn into a land walking creature. They don't count on the strength of this creature, at one point literally pushing their boat up with all of them on it, just with one hand. Arrows in the monster don't seem to hurt it, and neither does being doused with flames. But somehow, they get the unconscious monster to a hospital where he is put in a hospital gown and turns the facility into his own playground, basically tearing it and other locations where Snowden, Morrow and Reason hang out, to shreds.There's also a smarmy guide (Gregg Palmer) who makes a play for the monster who somehow becomes enraged at this and goes once again on another rampage. Short on story but long on rampages, this is your run of the mill science fiction/horror programmer where the plot line is overwhelmed by some pretty neat set locations (a Florida swamp is pretty impressive) and a few decent effects, nothing new, but nothing laughable either. The performances are adequate and the film is short enough to not overstay its welcome, but isn't one I'd be recommending to fans of the sci-fi/horror genre to watch in a marathon with the other two.

A monster movie with a difference: in this one, the monster attacks only when provoked - even seeing an act of violence stirs up its own violent instincts. The monster makeup and rubber suit are good, as are the destruction effects at the end, and there are some long & impressive underwater sequences. The only cast member who deserves equal billing with the creature is Leigh Snowden as a shapely, adventurous but oppressed 1950s wife; her most memorable scene has her suddenly shooting at sharks! The men are interchangeable. **1/2 out of 4.

I enjoy watching this third and final film in the series but I will say it's the least of my favorite among the trilogy. The creature is recaptured and turned into an air-breather by science in order to study him more.I feel they spent too much time on the relationship between Dr. Barton and his wife Marcia. I would rather that screen time were spent studying the creature on a deeper level than that of jealously from a man (Dr. Barton) and his wife. This is a creature feature and would have loved the film had it's focus a little bit more that way.I like the idea that Dr. Morgan wants the creature treated better, that he responds to the way he is treated.Again, my heart is for the creature that simply wanted to be left alone in the Amazon where he is from - now he is a land creature. In the end, he is on the loose and now must further adapt, being a creature of the land now. Poor thing.7/10

While it gets off to an incredibly slow start (nothing happens for a good 45 minutes), THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US is actually one of the better monster movies of the 1950s. Rex Reason, one of the half-dozen scientists looking to capture and surgically ALTER The Gill Man (making him an air-breather, for no better reason than that they CAN), muses: "... we all stand between the jungle and the stars at a crossroads. We better discover what brings out the best in humankind and what brings out the worst, because it's the stars or the jungle." Considering what happens to the docile Creature (he almost drowns when the surgical change has been effected, and is blamed for a murder he didn't commit), Dr. Johnson, another of the scientists, concludes (rightly), "We're not so far from the jungle, after all." The Creature makeup in this entry is interesting and the second half of the film can hold its own against ANY of its contemporaries (and, indeed, many movies in this genre). Even the ambiguous ending, with the Creature walking toward the ocean (where we know he will drown, because he can no longer breathe water) is outstanding (and reminds me of the end of I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE). If not for the first 45 minutes or so, I'd rate this one a ten.