Gorgo: Eugène Lourié

So here's a film that examines something I would never have dreamed of: a giant, Godzilla-esque monster destroying London. I guess that giant monsters have been so thoroughly engrained in my subconscious as a Japanese phenomenon that the thought of them popping up anywhere else in the world seemed ludicrous. But Eugène Lourié proved the folly of that assumption when he directed Gorgo. Not only is Gorgo a decent entry in the pantheon of giant monsters, it features some surprisingly excellent special effects. The plot, however, is mind-numbingly cliche even by giant monster movie standards: a giant monster is found, captured, taken to a zoo, and displayed for the public's amusement. And, surprise surprise, it is discovered that the captured monster is only a baby! And right on cue the mother shows up, annihilates London, rescues her baby, and both escape into the sea. But what of the scenes where the mother wreaks havoc, you might ask. I can honestly say that the destruction sequence, the keynote of any giant monster film, is one of the finest that I have ever witnessed. Although, to be fair, there are a number of shots where it is very obvious that falling debris was superimposed over pre-existing footage instead of using fake debris during production. But that is merely a nitpick. I would still recommend Gorgo for any fan of giant monster movies.

6/10