War of the Colossal Beast (1958)

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

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

War of the Colossal Beast (1958) ** (out of 4)AIP waiting no time in getting this sequel to THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN off the ground and into drive-ins. Joyce Manning (Sally Fraser) believes that her brother didn't die at the end of the previous film and after hearing a strange news story from Mexico she heads down there. Sure enough the giant Glenn Manning (Duncan 'Dean' Parkin) is living in the desert and soon the military tries to capture him to see if they can help.WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST is slightly better than the original, although it shares most of the same weaknesses as that film. The biggest problem is that there are way too many scenes that just get dragged out with boring dialogue and this is especially true with the various scenes where we hear the doctors talk about what they can or can't do with the giant. I'd say the film would have been much better off with less talk and more action and especially since the action itself is pretty good.The highlight is without question the monster. This time out they've given him a mutated face, which looks terrific and especially the lack of an eye and the way part of his teeth are showing. The look of the giant is quite effective and it makes you forget that some of the "giant" special effects aren't all that believable. Another thing this sequel has going for it is the fact that the action scenes are quite good. The stuff early on with the giant living in the desert was quite good and there's no question that the finale is full of excitement and especially a twist that happens at the very end.The performances really aren't anything to write home about but director Bert I. Gordon at least manages to make the film run a lot more smoothly and I'd argue that it has a very pace and feel to it. Still, there's no question that it's the look of the monster that makes WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST so much fun and slightly better than the original.

Sequel to "The Amazing Colossal Man" finds former Lt. Col. Glenn Manning(the colossal man) amazingly still alive, having somehow survived his fall from the Hoover dam, though he is now disfigured and insane, and discovered in Mexico, where the army goes to capture him, then brings him back to America for study. His(previously unmentioned) sister Joyce is also there, but can do little. Glenn eventually escapes and goes on another rampage before the "electrifying" finale(a brief color sequence). Inept and crass film is utterly pointless and absurd, with a recast actor playing poor Glenn Manning, who should have stayed dead after the first film.

The sequel to The Amazing Colossal Man, which has never been on DVD due to rights issues. I saw that one on TNT's Monster Vision years ago. I think I may have seen this one, too. If not on TNT, I may have seen it on MST3K. I may have also seen Earth vs. the Spider and Village of the Giants on MST3K, too - they loved Bert I. Gordon. It's funny that all three of these films have such low ratings (none are above 3.0), because, while they aren't good films, they are nowhere near that bad. They're pretty typical B movies. War of the Colossal Beast actually has a pretty emotional core, and the film's final moments are quite touching. It also has a fantastic opening sequence (Gordon really seems to know how to open his movies - all three of these start off beautifully). We don't see the Colossal Beast, just a truck driver driving full speed, frequently looking behind him and screaming. Dean Parkin is quite good as the title character, who has become a near-mindless monster, half his face torn off, after being nearly killed and falling off Hoover Damn in the first film. Like most B movies, the plot is pretty lean, and there are long stretches when nothing's really happening. There's also a nearly ten minute stretch which I think is just footage from the previous film.

Crazed and disfigured giant Colonel Glenn Manning (brawny behemoth Dean Parkin sporting pretty grotesque make-up) terrorizes as a small town. Manning gets captured by the army, but manages to escape and embark on a rampage in Los Angeles. Director Bert I. Gordon, working from a compact script by George Worthing Yates, relates the engrossing story at a brisk pace, creates and sustains a pleasingly spooky and mysterious atmosphere for the opening third of the picture, maintains a serious tone throughout, and gives the movie an earnest quality that's both appealing and enjoyable in equal measure. The solid acting from a capable cast helps a lot, with especially stand-out contributions by Sally Fraser as Manning's concerned sister Joyce, Roger Page as the stalwart Major Mark Baird, Russ Bender as the dedicated Dr. Carmichael, and George Becwar as the hot-tempered John Swanson. The special effects ain't so hot, but they do nonetheless possess a certain endearingly hokey charm. The scenes with Manning running amok and wreaking havoc are quite lively and exciting. Moreover, the tormented Manning makes for a genuinely pitiable monster; the unavoidable sad and tragic ending is truly poignant and memorable. A fun flick.