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The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 9/10

BFathom
9/10: Here's an interesting film from the 50's: The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.

It's the first ever of its genre which spawned Godzilla-like pictures. Also, it's the first that's based on Ray Bradbury's stories. The title is amusing because one fathom is six feet. Therefore, 20,000 fathoms makes it 120,000 feet which is approximately twenty-two miles deep when the deepest known depth is about seven miles.

There are incredible scenes. One of them is the real-life fight between a shark and an octopus. Another is when the rhedosaurus rampaged throughout New York City and also the roller coaster park at Coney Island which was a model. Third is the beast crushing a lighthouse. Hence, the special effects surrounding the prehistoric freak must have been extraordinary back then.

However, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms can be boring at times but is by no means outdated. I like the story although it's redundant, having been beaten to death like a dead horse. It's comical seeing the rhedosaurus to be finally taken down by a couple of guys in their KKK getups. I feel sorry for the poor rhedosaurus because he used to rule Earth 100 million years ago. After waking up from his hibernation, the animal has a technical right to be mad and go, "What are you doing on my land? Get the fuck oooooffff! I crush YOU! *RAAAWWWRRR*"

All in all, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, which cost $200,000 to make, is a must-see purely for film appreciation.