Revenge of the Creature

Jack Arnold
1955

Familiar tug boat captain, Lucas, takes another expedition to the black lagoon with a group intent on bringing the ancient gill-man back to civilization. More specifically a marine theme park, where hotdog munching brats and their parents can poke on the glass of the relic's aquarium. Needless to say, a pissed of Creature ends up springing his confines and has a ball tearing up the Florida coastline.

"Revenge of the Creature" is a mediocre sequel at best. Everything great about the original "Creature From the Black Lagoon" seems either weak, watered-down, or tackily overdone. The physical changes made to the creature's makeup design go a long way to make him less frightening and more cartoonish. The underwater photography, a triumph in the original, is boring and uninspired. Most annoying perhaps is the resurrection of the Creature's theme music, a blaring three notes that becomes more grating and comical with each repetition.

This is perhaps one of few Universal horrors where the human interest is more exciting than the monster. Dashing Prof Ferguson (John Agar), blonde-babe student ichthyologist Helen Dobson (Lori Nelson), and intrepid meathead, Joe Hayes (John Bromfield) provide a love triangle cheesy and engaging enough for an Elvis movie.

Let's not forget a young Clint Eastwood's amazingly surreal bit part involving a rat in a labcoat pocket, and three more rodents interned with a docile feline.

Review by Brett Scieszka