A group of scientists travel up the Amazon to a lagoon, searching for fossils of a fish-man. Instead, they find a living creature, whose main interest is the expedition’s female member, Kay. Romantic and philosophical rivalries tear at the group, increasing the danger as the try to capture the Gill Man, and he attempts to capture the girl.
Creature From the Black Lagoon is included as a “classic” because the Gill Man was the last of the great Universal Pictures monsters (following Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, and The Wolf Man). But otherwise, this film has more to do with ’50s filmmaking then with those others. The early Universal monster films were very stylized, in high contrast with distinct shadows. Dialog was sharp and witty, with pauses to emphasize each line. There was little of reality in Dracula’s discussion with Van Helsing or Doctor Frankenstein’s soliloquies, but you remember the words. Creature From the Black Lagoon feels like the alien invasion movies of its time. Above water photography pretends to show the real world, lit with real sunlight (even though the false background early in the film kills the illusion). That makes this not a bland member of that earlier group, but the very best of a different kind of film.
The underwater photography was cutting edge for its time, and many of the best scenes are underwater, particularly Kay’s water ballet with the monster watching from below. Many films have copied it, including Jaws, which would probably be forgotten today without the stolen scene. I’ve seen Creature From the Black Lagoon many times, including in its intended 3D. A few rocks, fish, and bubbles appeared to come out of the screen, having very little impact on the audience. If you can only watch the non-3D DVD, you’re doing fine.
Creature From the Black Lagoon is King Kong in the water. The monster is sympathetic, though his motivation is nonsensical. What exactly is he going to do with Kay in his cave? But then, what was King Kong going to do with Ann? Greed is again a motivating factor and leads to the tragedy. Even with the stereotypical characters, uninspired dialog, and uneven acting, this is still a good version of the monster-wants-girl story. The screaming girl (that’s what she’s there for) and the captain are good characters and the Gill Man is one of the finest movie monsters. I don’t watch this with the same reverence that I hold for Frankenstein and Dracula, but I do watch it.
It was followed by the inferior Revenge of the Creature and The Creature Walks Among Us.