The dialogue is generally blunt to the point of emptiness, almost altogether senseless, sometimes contradictory, and nearly always deeply unconvincing. The stunts and effects are okay but may be dubiously employed, such as when a major landslide that the party narrowly dodges apparently just keeps sliding and leaves no trace of itself in the surrounding landscape. The pacing is meek and sluggish, testing one's patience; Ishiro Honda's direction often comes across as restrained, or possibly downright sedate, and maybe a little confused at times. Other elements are pretty good, I guess - sets, filming locations, costume design, acting. But these alone can't carry a film, or keep audiences invested. Frankly, 'Half human' is a club-footed, lumbering chore, stopping just shy of being soporific. It was only my generous sense of commitment that made me continue to watch, not any meaningful enjoyment. This isn't very good.
There are myriad distinct flaws and weaknesses, including halfhearted writing that commonly makes it impossible to really care about any of the characters or the course of events. Some aspects are more appreciable than others, however; there are some good ideas in the scene writing, for example, and some of the art direction is more plainly admirable. The story leans heavily on 'King Kong' in no small part, but I suppose there's nothing inherently wrong about that. Yet the picture mostly just saunters along, the writing is frail, the direction is unsteady, and - well, I know I said the acting was "fine," but if I'm being honest that's only true some of the time; too many moments are underwhelming, or more likely overdone. This is maybe even sort of unfocused, with too many ideas that arguably each receive insufficient treatment and almost certainly dilute the whole, and in turn ninety-five minutes feel extra, extra long.
There have been a lot of terrific monster flicks to come out of Japan, and Honda has directed some of them. This is not one of those. There are scattered bits and pieces that are commendable and that could have been latched onto as anchors for a better movie, but they are all too few. Construction that is meager and frequently outright questionable severely reduces the impact that the most dramatic or action-laden scenes should bear, and whatever it is one hopes to get out of 'Half human,' it can be found in many, many other places in higher quality and greater abundance. Why, I'd suggest simply rewatching 1933's 'King Kong' rather than sit through the tedium this predominantly represents. The value that this 1955 feature might claim is substantially outweighed by its shortcomings, and even if you're a major fan of someone involved I have a hard time thinking that I'd ever recommend it. Watch if you want, but I think your time is much better spent elsewhere.
