Reptilicus
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Movie Reviews of Reptilicus
Movie Review: IF YOU LOVE CAMPY DINOSAUR MEETS MAJOR EUROPEAN CITY MOVIES YOU WILL LOVE THIS -- BUT.....
Summary: 3 Stars
Well, why not? In 1951, Manhattan and Coney Island in NYC met "THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS", Tokyo met "GODZILLA" in 1955, "THE GIANT BEHEMOTH" and "GORGO" visited London in 1959 and 1961, so why can't Copenhagen and "REPTILICUS" celebrate Tivoli Nights in 1962?
ANSWER: They can and did, but no one seems to want this pairing on their dance card.
Sidney Pink, direct from his astronomical epic adventure hits of the previous 5 years ("The Angry Red Planet" and "The Seventh Planet"), was poised for a meteoric launch into movie-making and the right atmosphere was provided by Denmark, particularly within the city of Copenhagen. It was even filmed in Pathe Color, following Pink's oddball effect of having everything in red for the Martian scenes of "The Angry Red Planet", but something was a bit off.
OK, everything was a bit off. The American General running the show was Danish actor Carl Ottosen who for some reason angrily barked every line he had without any apparent reason. The whole production looked dubbed-in -- because it was. Reptilicus was found in an arctic mountain copper prospecting rig in the lapland, yet the lush vegetation and the prospectors' lack of the usual arctic attire said otherwise.
There was too much of such unbelievable stuff and mindless dialogue, including distracting, over-the-top physical comedy by a maintenance man [Peterson]. Peterson [film name & real name] was in the film while Reptilicus was in an "embryonic incubating state" for the purpose of warning the police when Reptilicus made his inevitable dramatic escape. This midnight escape occurs during a thunderstorm which, according to the scientists, may have "electrically charged the air" leading to an acceleration from Reptilicus's "embryonic incubating state" into his Godzilla state. With all the commotion and build-up, what we finally saw was a Reptilicus that looked like a child's rubber bathtub toy --not a rubber ducky, but a rubber Reptilicus with funny little water wings. It was kind of cute, actually. Until this point, however, we the viewers could forgive the weak plot, dubbed-in actors, and renditions of Tivoli Nights which played like a rejected "I LOVE COPENHAGEN" commercial. But a dinosaur monster movie needs a believable dinosaur to help the viewer suspend his/her disbelief. When I saw the "Rubber Water-Winged Reptilicus", I knew that was not to be.
What followed was actually what one would expect. They chased the dinosaur around until American General Grayson [Carl Ottosen] scared Reptilicus back into the sea by donning a hand- held flamethrower after artillery and tanks had failed. Then we waited while they went to Tivoli for some very boring entertainment and renditions of "Tivoli Nights".
Again, this Godzilla wanna-be did have some new and improved dino-monster tricks. He regenerated himself after he was hurt so you could not just whistle up a squadron of R.A.F. bombers and turn him into a Tivoli Fish-Fry because you would have lots of Giant Rubber Water-Winged Reptilicuses in just two weeks. Also, he had an "acid-slime" which he vomited at people who were shooting at him. Then they were simply covered with animated slime and run out of the picture.
It was after his second return and regeneration that I noticed our "Rubber Reptilicus" had yet to be in a frame with any people. The animation and puppet-scale monster really made this effect quite difficult and certainly would have looked ridiculous. Still, it really hurts the movie when the monster and the people are not in the same shots.
Once again, they have some useful ideas like destroying the monster by first putting him to sleep and then worrying about destroying him in one piece later. Ottosen again helped out, this time toting a bazooka with the sleepy-time stuff inside the warhead. We even watched the General make it himself! A shot in the mouth is what this overtired lizard needed, for apparently that is the only place the bazooka would penetrate Reptilicus. I guess they saw "THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS" but it was a wound in the neck made by a Bazooka in that monster flick that did the trick, paving the way for a rifle grenade loaded with radium. Probably if the Danes had the neat subtitle- or language-option feature that their DVD now has they might have gotten that one right.
Anyway, you'll have to see this epic to see how it all ends and whether there are ever any scenes where Reptilicus and people are in the same shot.
ABOUT THE DVD: The cover is pinkish so that you won't lose it and you won't forget Sid Pink who directed, produced and wrote the story and screenplay. The transfer is actually excellent and they give you the usual "Scene Selector" feature and a decent "Reptilicus" Trailer. The disk plays in English or French and you can add French or Spanish subtitles. This is a Region 1 DVD [made for U.S. machines] with a Dual Layer transfer and it does look and sound very sharp.
I have watched this movie since it came out in 1962 probably fifty times, although I can't recall having seen it in the theatre. It is for me, a die-hard monster movie fan, a must-have rather than a must-see. The other dino-monster movies I mentioned earlier are all much better than this one in almost every way, but if you have not seen this one it won't hurt and it will only take 82 minutes. There is no profanity or gore. Simply put, if you like the old creature features, then this is a great DVD transfer of a sub-average film of this rather petite genre.
Movie Review: Gesundheit!
Summary: 3 Stars
This is actually a very, very bad movie, but it's great, great fun. You've seen clips from it on so many different T.V. shows, you probably already know the title monster, even though you never knew where he came from.Sid Pink produced this little B-movie gem, the same man who brought you The Angry Red Planet and other similarly cheap space-operas, and he produced it in Denmark - with a Danish cast - and released it through American International Pictures, which should tell you absolutely everything you need to know about it.
But if it doesn't: Denmark drills up a bit of raw flesh during a probe for oil, which turns out to be from the title dinosaur beastie. They eventually pull up a whole tail, and freeze-dry it for later study - or a midnight snack, I'm not sure which. Needless to say, the spectacularly unfunny janitor forgets to turn the freezer unit back on after a power outage (how unfunny is he? his major bit of comic business is sticking his hand in the electric eel tank), and Reptilicus spoils by morning.
No, we couldn't be so lucky. Reptilicus re-grows from his severed tail, and of course gets up and goes for a walk across the Danish countryside after a while, hawking up acid phleghm and disintegrating lots of idle gawkers. The military, needless to say, just has to get in on the fun - here's all this great carnage and destruction, and they weren't even invited! - and blasts bits and pieces of Reptilicus all over the place, so we can have a sequel (which, probably thankfully, we didn't) after one of the lizard-bits regenerates to become Reptilicus II.
What makes this one such a kick in the pants is the Danish production - which is too silly to describe, really - and the title monster - which is even sillier. Reptilicus is an obvious marionette dragon, that moves very unconvincingly across the countryside like a stop-and-start inchworm, head bobbing up and down and making a throaty "caw" like some kind of demonic buzzard. And I'm not kidding about the acid phleghm. You really gotta see that.
This is a Mystery Science Theater event, waiting to happen. Don't let them beat you to the punch. Take Reptilicus home with you, and enjoy countless man-hours (that could be spent doing anything more productive, like, I dunno, counting smashed spiders on the ceiling) snarking at the cheesy beastie, while you snarf down your favorite bag of chips.
Movie Review: Target: Copenhagen
Summary: 3 Stars
Copper prospectors in the Arctic Circle find part of a giant reptile frozen in the ice. The fragment is taken to the aquarium in Copenhagen where it accidently thaws. But instead of being ruined, the fragment survives and grows. You can see where this is going.Eventually the creature finishes growing in one quick spurt and breaks out to terrorize the city and countryside. It is up to a Brigadier General assigned by the UN and some local scientists to find a way to stop the creature.
In this film you will see:
The monster eat a cartoon farmer
Lots of green cartoon spit
Nearly the entire population of Copenhagen
Blouses so pointy they can put out an eye
A monster that has clanking bells as part of its roar
Predatory females
What is crawling around your sandwich
The special effects are almost nonexistent although there are excellent Copenhagen city miniatures for the monster puppet to crawl through. The creature itself is almost an Eastern dragon. It is long, snake-like, has two stubby wings and feet on almost-nonexistent legs that always seem to be off of the ground.
Still, this is a fun effort at the non-Japanese giant monster film. There is even some strong acting in a few scenes. A we can't forget the handyman who brings comic relief (he does a good Joe E. Brown imitation).
Movie Review: Actually not a bad movie!
Summary: 3 Stars
If your a fan of the legendary godzilla films or giant monster films I reccommend this to you. When Danish mining engineers discover the tail of a huge prehistoric monster deep in the arctic ice, they ship it to Copenhagen for research. There, Professor Martens keeps the tail frozen in a large refrigerated room. But someone leaves the door open, and the tail starts to thaw... and grow! In time, it spawns an entire monster, kills a lab assistant and escapes. Reptilicus soon terrorizes Copenhagen in a grisly rampage. General Grayson and the army hunt down only to discover that their explosives will creat hundreds of new creatures! Terror and suspense build to a spine-tingling climax in this vintage sci-fi classic...one of the most exciting horror films of all time. Those were not my word but the description given from the movie itself. Maybe not the greatest , not even close , but a fun to watch!Movie Review: I saw it on the big screen when I was 10 . . .
Summary: 3 Stars
The 3 stars is for sentimental reasons. It scared the daylights out of me when I was a kid. Yes, it was in the day when you could ride your bicycle on a 10 mile ride as a 10 year old with your mother not knowing about it, end up at the State theater in the middle of the city and see a matinee for four bits. When done with the 10 cent Dots, 25 cent soda and popcorn, you and your buds could speculate about the mysterious and terifying ending for hours on end. Even though it is a horrible movie by today's standards, it was on the big screen and as I recall the theater was full. It was a great way to spend a summer afternoon in air conditioned splender. Sure this would be a good candidate for Mystery Science Theater 3000, but it still is one of those Movies that reminds one about a purer and simpler time and famous freinds no longer seen. "EEEEH! REPTILICUS!"