Plot
A test flight to calibrate a
new radar system goes wrong when a pair of planes spot what they believe to
be a UFO. One of the planes is lost and no one will believe the other pilot
when he is formally reprimanded. However other planes go missing until
finally the culprit
Review
One of the greatest "bad" movies ever made, The Giant
Claw has staked it's claim to fame for one reason only - the monster.
Everything else about it plays out perfectly well and in line with the rest
of it's 1950s brothers. The film begins with a mysterious threat starting to
cause havoc in America. Some random people get drawn into the situation and
find themselves uncovering something bigger and more deadly than they ever
could comprehend. There's some straight-talking military guys who talk
though and want to find out what is going on. There's scientists who spout
techno babble to try and lend the film some scientific credibility. The
music is booming and sinister. There's even a serious voiceover guy who
continually hammers home how terrible the situation is getting. All going
accordingly to plan? Well that is until about twenty seven minutes into the
film and you see the monster for the first time.
Apparently the producers wanted Ray Harryhausen to do the
special effects but when he was unable to do it they just took the cheapest
route possible and bought the WORLD'S WORST BIRD PUPPET. I mean this thing
is just ridiculous. Forget whatever you may have seen on the screen before,
the giant bird here is the sorriest-looking excuse for a monster the world
over. It's got huge bulging eyes, a ridiculous Mohawk-style hairstyle, a
rubbery neck which seems to have no control over it's head movements and
wings that move occasionally and clearly defy gravity. And it's not just any
giant bird, it's a giant antimatter space bird which has an antimatter force
field protecting itself from man's puny projectile weapons. The problem
isn't just that the puppet is the worst thing ever made but it's that the
puppeteer clearly has little control over where it's head is moving and you
can see strings desperately trying to keep it all together before it falls
off the set. Everyone in this film keeps referring to the
monster as being "as big as a battleship" as if that has suddenly become the
new measurement of anything huge. It sounds silly to start with but everyone
in the film refers to it as a battleship. Maybe a flying battleship would
have been a better idea! If the budget didn't stretch to find a decent
puppet, it certainly doesn't stretch to the rest of the film either. The
same cockpit is used time and time again for different planes. Stock footage
is used from numerous other films in an attempt to make the bird looking
like it's terrorising the planet (in reality it's just stock footage from
Earth Vs The Flying Saucers). And there's some really bad rear
projection of the bird swooping in to attack various cars, trains and even
men tangled up in parachutes.
The real travesty is that the film plays itself
out so seriously. It runs like the other 50s flicks and if the monster had
been decent, then would this have been looked at in the same light as the
likes of Them! or The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms? It was crying
out for a decent monster because the rest of the film did what it had to do.
Or alternatively, if everyone had goofed it up a little bit, the script
threw in a few more one-liners and a few more comedic situations for the
characters to be in then it would have worked with the monster we get. But
it's not like cinema today where spoofs and send-ups are popular and common
place. I don't think they even knew what a spoof was back in the day. If
this was made today, it would only work if it were done tongue-in-cheek. But
the actors clearly thought that the special effects would be awesome so they
all bust their asses trying to convey the threat of the giant bird. Fred F.
Sears helmed the classic Earth Vs The Flying Saucers so the cast clearly
thought they'd be onto a winner here. As the acting side of the film is
wrapped up before post production hits and the special effects are wheeled
in, it's clear that none of the cast would seen the finished article until
the premiere so I would have hated to be any of them at that prestigious
opening night! To think that over in Japan, Rodan had been made a
year prior to this. Whilst the effects aren't that great either, there's no
question which is the superior flying monster film.
Verdict
The Giant Claw is a giant turkey of a film.
It's not that the rest of the film is bad because it's about as standard as
you can get for a 50s monster movie. It's just for the sight of the giant
antimatter space bird, THE worst monster ever to grace the silver screen. I
dare you not to laugh.
