The Giant Claw Movie Review
A giant bird, initially mistaken for a UFO, terrorizes mankind. This is a 1957 sci-fi/giant monster movie that most will likely not think of when they consider the greats from this era, and for good reason--we'll come back to that. Electronics whiz Jeff Morrow (This Island Earth) tries to warn the Pentagon, but by the time they take him seriously, the winged monster is in full attack. Morrow actually does a decent job in this film, but the rest of the acting is as dull as you would suspect. The story plods about, and the dialogue is filled with questionable science. As is the case with most creature features, it's the monster we really watch these for, and my goodness, is this ever some beast!
Wonderful!
Naturally, this film is best known for the monster, so here are a couple stories about it. The original plan was to have the bird created using stop-motion, but producer Sam Katzman deemed that too expensive. Instead, he paid a company in Mexico $50 to create the monster, and the result was the marionette we see in the film. Morrow had not seen the bird before going to the premiere of the film, and when it appeared on the screen, the entire audience laughed. Morrow was so embarrassed he sneaked out of the theatre before he could be recognized. I personally place our feathered friend in the "so bad it's good" category and could watch it destroy model trains all day.
"Aww, you're too kind"
A large portion of this movie is filled with stock footage, something that was not uncommon at the time. What makes it hilarious here is how mismatched some of it is, including using footage of two very different airplanes to depict the same plane in the movie. We also see a plane fly past San Francisco just moments before attacking the bird...in New York City. It kind of goes without saying that anything happening on screen when the winged one is not present is uninteresting and not memorable in the least, but if you are into cheap looking monsters, you will find enjoyment with this film. No, The Giant Claw will never have the universal appeal of, say, Godzilla movies, but those precious moments when our fifty dollar phenomenon graces us with its presence make this one worth watching.
On A Scale Of One To Ten: 6
The Giant Claw Movie Trailer
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