hyped garbage

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Arnold Laven directed this reasonably effective monster film that stars Tim Holt as Lt. Commander John Twillinger, a Naval officer who is forced to confront giant prehistoric mollusks that have been revived because of underwater earthquakes in the Salton Sea. After killing some navy parachutists and a scientist, they invade the canals of California and threaten to cause havoc. Meanwhile, an mollusk egg has been brought to a laboratory run by Dr. Rogers(played by Hans Conried) for study in a tank, but hatches because of a mistake made by a little girl, daughter of the base secretary(played by Audrey Dalton) that then tries to kill them... Not bad of its type, with good F/X and performances, even if the plot is quite familiar.

The Monster That Challenged the World is set in California i a small inland named Salton Sea where a naval base have been conducting radioactive experiments, a large Earth tremor has recently stuck the area & during a routine pick-up of a parachutist contact is lost with the pick-up boat. Lt. Commander John Twillinger (Tim Holt) leads the search party & finds the boat with a dead man aboard & another dead, shrivelled up man in the water who seems to have had all his bodily fluid sucked out. The investigation to the cause of the death's is underway as naval scientist Dr. Jess Rogers (Hans Conried) leads the enquiry. When a local girl & a soldier from the base mysterious disappear near a lake divers are sent in to have a look at the bottom & are horrified to discover a huge sea mollusk with a taste for human blood, even worse is that it has laid eggs & there's a very real prospect of these giant monsters breeding in their thousands across the world & wiping out humanity...Directed by Arnold Laven this 50's monster film is quite good for it's type & while it has dated it's still a pretty good time waster in a nostalgic sort of way, there are better giant monster films out there but there are far worse too. While it does take itself quite seriously at times the script isn't that bad, a few of the minor character's have slightly more depth than one might expect with a strange store clerk getting a fair bit of dialogue & screen time. As you would expect the science on show here in The Monster that Challenged the World is dubious at best & ludicrous at worst with a lecture on mollusk's complete with footage of Snail's that basically contradicts everything I know about them! Since when were Snail's meat eater's & since when did they live mainly in water? The script also throw's in the standard 50's theme about the danger's of radiation & atomic testing just like all good 50's giant monster films do although after raising the issue it completely drops it by the end. One thing that surprised me a bit was the length of The Monster that Challenged the World, most of these monster films from the 50's only last for about 70 odd minutes but this lasts almost 90 & while the pace isn't great just about enough happens to sustain one's interest. Unfolding in fairly predictable fashion The Monster that Challenged the World has enough going for it to be worth watching if your a fan of these types of films & I can't recall another monster film that features giant sea Snail's either so at least the makers tried something a little different.The Monster that Challenged the World could have been a minor classic had a bit more time & care been put into it's set-pieces which are alright but a little lacklustre. The initial dive to the underwater & the discovery of the monsters could have been milked for more suspense, the divers destroy the remaining creatures & egg's far too easily at the end & even the climax in the lab seems a little half hearted with the monster just sort of rooted to the spot & not trying to do anything other than make it as easy for Twillinger to kill it as possible. The giant sea Snail's look pretty good actually, it's a shame there's not a little bit more movement but at least it's not just some guy in a rubber suit & it's pincers & stubby arms move to try & give it some semblance of life even if it is a little stiff at times. A couple of dead bodies are seen including one all shrivelled up.With a supposed budget of about $254,000 the production values are decent if unremarkable, the special effects are good for the time it was made. The acting isn't anything special, I can't say that I recognised anyone from the cast.The Monster that Challenged the World is a fun 50's black and white giant monster film with a good & fairly original monster but it lacks a certain something, it's definitely worth watching especially if your a giant monster film fan & I enjoyed it for what it is but I can't say much more than that.

I remember seeing this film years and years ago on TV, and remember thinking it lacking. However, seeing it recently, on a DVD from MGM with a gorgeous print and sound, I must say it's one of the best Sci-Fi monster flicks from the fifties. Director Laven runs a taught ship, and there are some great scares worthy of Lewton and Hitchcock. Also impressed with Ted Haworth and Augie Lohman's monster creation (which actually evoked some sympathy in me!) and the impressive music score by Heinz Roemheld. The actors do a very commendable job (even former Cowboy actor Holt), and pros like Dalton, Conried, Selby, and Adams do their best. Well-written script, with just the right amount of humor and science.

This is one of the many movies that were made in the '50s featuring "giant" prehistoric creature. Out of the bunch, this is quality made, and is a good movie to watch even today.The acting is good in this movie, and it's not about men standing around and philosophizing over what to do as many of the movies of this type are. There's real story, and monsters appear when you want to see them. Suspense and intrigue is palpable, and just when you think the story is coming to an end, there's the second cliff hanger.This movie was popular back in the '60s as reruns on TV. It was a good watch back then, and it still holds its quality over the years. A very rare case for '50s B sci-fi movie.