War of the Colossal Beast

The sequel to The Amazing Colossal Man continues with the further adventures of the unfortunate Colonel Glen Manning now having lost an eye and most of the flesh around the right side of his jaw. He finds his way to Mexico after obviously surviving his plunge off Hoover Dam and raids trucks for food. It's along the same level as the original and even though it's cheesy it's still fun to watch.

Plot- an army officer is accidentally exposed to radiation causing him to grow to 6o-foot proportions with a deformed half-face. When the army transports him from Mexico to LA for treatment, he breaks loose causing panic. At same time his sister tries to rescue the giant from the tragedy that has befallen him. So what will happen.

The sci-fi cheapo's definitely a cut above the usual '50's monster flicks. It''s well-crafted (note how well scenes are staffed and directed); also, special effects with the giant are expertly matted onto conventional background giving fairly realistic effect; then there's good nuanced acting, especially Fraser; along with an ending that's not predictable since the giant is somewhat sympathetic. Most of all is the unusual plot where there's a '50's monster not predictably evil, despite the panicked crowds. In a general sense, the flick can be taken as having a deeper layer that puzzles the audience as to what they think their reaction should be to a monster that's not really one. After all, does the giant kill anyone or does the screenplay purposely maintain his basic innocence beneath the grotesque form. Anyway, see what you think.

All in all, I was somewhat surprised by the drive-in flick's unexpected dashes of quality. Meanwhile, Maltin's unreliable Classic Movie Guide only rates the cheapo a 1.5 out of 4. I'd definitely give it a 2.5 or maybe better. So, don't let the teen-age title fool you. It's much better than the usual drive-in fare, along with a number of surprising qualities.

This is the story of how "War of the Colossal Beast" made an imprint on my life. I saw it when I was almost 2. I remember my parents lying in bed, dead asleep to the world and their bedroom tv was on. I remember being in my crib (I remember the bars!) and being thirsty so I picked up my bottle but there wasn't any water in it. I remember looking at their tv and I remember seeing this giant with one eyeball and big teeth... growling!!! It had my attention. After that, the Star Spangled Banner played and the tv went to the snowy picture. My parents, by the way, never budged. To be honest, my mom was snoring. I was scared out of my skin. I cried and threw my bottle at their bed. I think I hit my dad because my dad stirred, sleepily leaned over and turned the tv off. I sat in the dark! I was afraid that the giant with the one eyeball and big teeth that was growling was going to come through the window and get me and my parents didn't care because they stayed asleep!!! As I grew older, I could not be in the room alone if the Star Spangled Banner on tv played and the station was signing off. I used to scream like crazy. The older I got though, I controlled the screaming but I grew anxious, broke out in a cold sweat and demanded to change channels. Now that digital and satellite cable has arrived, I can look at the Amazing Colossal Beast and laugh at the cheap special effects because I know the tv wont play the Star Spangles Banner and trun to snow. The moral of the story is: no matter how cheesy and bad you think a sci-fi movie from the 50's is, don't leave your infants or toddlers in front of them. Lord knows what they will remember and Lord knows how it will effect their psyche!!!

"War of the Colossal Beast," the sequel to the cult-classic "The Amazing Colossal Man," isn't as bad as some critics would have you believe. It's loaded with unintentional laughs ("Get the picture?"), lots of cultural stereotypes, and a make-up design that is superior to most of its sci-fi contemporaries. The Colossal Beast's first appearance in the film can still shock the unsuspecting viewer, and the end sequence at Griffith Park -- along with the reinserted color pay-off -- make this film a must for any '50s B-movie enthusiast.

War of the Colossal Beast is a sequel to Gordon's earlier The Amazing Colossal Man (1957), and it picks up where that one left off. However, the film features a different cast. It was distributed theatrically by American International Pictures as the top half of a double feature with Attack of the Puppet People.

This sequel has competent acting performances, fair direction and ordinary special effects. It is also an obvious attempt at milking dry an already successful formula.

Unlike the first film, the character of Manning virtually has no dialogue which makes it far more difficult to feel empathy for the character.

The special effects are pretty ordinary by any standards with great reliance made on double exposure shots. However, quite a good job was made with Manning's facial make-up and the audio of his character's grunts and groans which effectively contribute to the "horror" aspect of the film.

The film is short enough as it is but unfortunately much of it consists of flashback footage from the first film which merely serves to pad the movie.

Despite the film's title, the Colossal Beast does not really engage in much of a "war" with anyone. For much of the time we see Manning being captured, him lying on his back and some military vehicles being maneuvered into position.

The War of the Colossal Beast does serve to highlight one theme that threads itself through many aspects of life in any era. Namely, how we choose to deal with big and seemingly intractable problems which are often of our own making.