A series of mysterious disappearances in the arctic leads the military to call in paleontologist Ned Jackson (William Hopper). His keen use of a magnifying glass allows him to work out that the culprit is a giant praying mantis, recently released from the ice. Ned teams up with Colonel Joe Parkman (Craig Stevens) and hot magazine editor Marge Blaine (Alix Talton) to stop the giant creature.
Once again, the film follows the â50s giant monster template. The secluded area where the monster first appears has moved north (or returned north as thatâs where things start in The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms). Our triad is a soldier, the girl he romances, and a scientist, with the change that our scientist is neither old nor short. Plot-wise, weâve seen it all before.
Where The Deadly Mantis stands out is in how literal it makes its metaphor. This is a cold war film and the mantis is a stand in for the Russians. The film begins with an explanation of the US radar systemârequested by the actual US government to be added to the picture to calm average citizens and assure them that we are always on the lookout for the commie attack. And it isnât a brief comment. Buckle up for a full-on lecture with all the maps and stock footage you could ever desire. But donât worry, there will be even more stock footage later.
The military is all over the filmâwith stock footage jet fighters taking off every five minutesâand is competent and caring (though individual soldiers are a bit girl-crazy). Civil defense is often mentioned and thereâs very much a feeling of âweâre all in this together against those sneaky commie mantises.â The in-film government even requests the help of the civilian Ground Observer Corps, a real organization of normal folks who watched for enemy aircraftâit was shut down in 1959. Strangely, this never gets too heavy or feels like weâre joining Joseph McCarthy. Partly thatâs due to the characters being likable and partly due to the focus being on everyone working together by choice rather than giving up rights for safety or questioning our neighbors.
The acting wasnât going to win any awards, but is passable. The cinematography gets by with the help of some genuinely spooky fog-filled scenes. And, grading on a curve, the effects are good. The mantis is one of the best non-stop-motion creatures. The before-mentioned fog helps. We get to see plenty of the monster, but often in situations that hide the weakness of the model.
OK, so it doesnât make sense or follow any kind of science. Bugs donât work this way. Air force pilots donât lead army soldiers in ground-based attacks. But then that kind of silliness is a given going in. While worse in almost every way than Tarantula, its pace and silliness makes it more fun.