Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Here's another great title from Roger Corman, but it's a shame about the movie itself which has a lot of potential but doesn't really take that anywhere. The silly script and bizarre storyline seems to have been made up on the spot (knowing Corman's track record, maybe it was) and is a far cry from the acclaimed Poe adaptations he would be creating a few years later. Instead what we have is a campy, no-budget B-movie in which giant, poorly-designed crabs go around and kill a few people with their rubber claws. Oh, and they're indestructible and can communicate telepathically with people, okay? Still, it's not the worst film ever made and will pass the time moderately well for bad movie lovers, and the best thing is that it's admirably short.The strange storyline and ridiculous plot elements (the island on which our cast are stranded is shrinking all the while) make for one weird film which plays like a bad nightmare. To make matters even more bizarre, a scene halfway through the film which shows a man falling down a rope into a pit is actually tacked on to the beginning of the movie, so you start off in the thick of the action and wonder what the hell is going on! There is no explanation for this error and it just added to the experience for me.The cast will be an unfamiliar one to people who don't watch a lot of these type of films, although Mel Welles appears in a small supporting role as a scientist. Richard Garland is the boringly straight hero while Pamela Duncan makes for a voluptuous heroine who looks great in a swimsuit. The movie is surprisingly gory in places for the time in which it was made, with the standout being the discovery of a headless corpse. However, the crabs fail to be the least bit threatening - or even plausible - with one risible moment showing a crab apparently "snoring". That's a new one on me! It's a shame that the budget and technical proficiency behind this film was so low, as the spirit was indeed willing as you might say. This is a film which will only appeal to those devoted to Corman's career or crappy B-movies of the '50s in general.

Exactly what you'd expect from a Roger Corman cheapie circa 1957. Lousy special effects, awkward dialog, stiff acting and yet still plenty of entertainment. A group of military and science types descend upon an island in the south Pacific to try and determine why a prior party of investigators went missing. What they encounter turn out to be the title characters...not so convincing crabs who've grown to massive sizes thanks to some radiation fallout. At 62 minutes it's impossible for the film to be dull for even a second and there are plenty of cheap thrills (and laughs) as Corman's cast is picked off one by one. Richard Garland, Russell Johnson and sexy Pamela Duncan are the leads. Corman regular Mel Welles plays a French botanist(!) and producer/screenwriter Charles B. Griffith has a role as a navy seaman. Floyd Crobsy, who shot everything from HIGH NOON to HOW TO STUFF A WILD BIKINI was the cinematographer.

When I gave into this movie... I wasn't really sure what the hell I was thinking. Oh wait, I was. Talking crabs that have some weird super-intellectual brain! Sounds hilarious, doesn't it? Well, it is! Made of paper maché and aluminum, the crabs really look completely retarded! I bet they couldn't even hold themselves from laughter! That's what makes this movie such a lot of fun. Well... almost. The huge and unavoidable flaw of this movie is the acting. It's so bland and emotionless that it's entirely impossible NOT to get annoyed of it! Seriously, I know it's a low budget film, but "The Hideous Sun Demon" was low budget too and they had at least a great lead actor! Now, in THIS movie, there's not a single good actor. Well, that will say, if you out- count the voice actor for the crabs, 'cause he was awesome! Not a movie I recommend at all, just see it for the crabs, skip the "acting"-parts.

Directed by the King of Schlock, Roger Corman, "Attack of the Crab Monsters" is about a group of soldiers and scientists who journey to a distant "uncharted" atoll to try to determine what happened to a group of US Marines who disappeared on the island some time before. The island is beset with "earthquakes" which they soon discover are caused by giant, atomic-mutated crabs. These nasty crustaceans have a taste for human brains, from which they acquire the knowledge of their victims.This movie is funny on multiple levels. First, their transportation to this distant, uncharted atoll is in a 14 foot fishing boat powered by a 6 hp outboard engine - hardly something you'd take to the sea in for a long journey. We have the ever-present busty, tight-sweater-wearing love interest of the lead scientist. It has Russell Johnson, better known as the Professor on "Gilligan's Island" some 12 years later, and we have some preposterous monsters, in this case talking giant crabs. Still I found it mildly entertaining... I give it 4 stars.