11/28/16 - The Giant Claw (1957)

The Giant Claw is pretty much perfect as far as super cheesy 50s monster flicks go. It's corny, kind of stupid, and overly earnest but still really fun. It moves briskly and has a goofy looking monster that you see cause a decent amount of destruction. Good times all around.

My Synopsis: Radar Engineer Mitch MacAfee (Jeff Morrow of This Island Earth) is a regular old civilian helping the army with some sort of Arctic experiment (I think) by flying planes around. One day, while flying around, Mitch notices a huge blob of a UFO and calls it in. But it doesn't show up on radar, and his military supervisors think his claims are ridiculous (and also wasted valuable Army Resources). They send him home, along with scientist and convenient romantic interest Sally Caldwell (Mara Corday of The Black Scorpion - The Giant Claw has all sorts of MST3K pedigree). But while they are flying home this UFO shows up again and again, and planes are starting to disappear. And it turns out an invincible giant alien buzzard is to blame! Can Mitch and Sally help the government take this creature out?

Elaborate Genre: Cheesy Monster

Overall: Just a lot of fun. If you are inclined to enjoy the corny monster flicks of this era, this is totally worth checking out.

One of my favorite things about The Giant Claw is it's innocence - it's a throwback to a clearly different time, played without an ounce of irony. (On a side note, I'm pretty sure the America portrayed in The Giant Claw is what Trump voters have in mind when they think about Making it Great Again - an idyllic one that has never actually existed.) It's just funny that audiences would embrace the fact that in this story some random guy would be allowed the highest access to the government in the matter of a national emergency, to the point where he's sitting in on meetings, helping make weapons, and maybe - just maybe - can save the day! Which (SPOILER), he does. Although just typing that, it sounds like Independence Day. So maybe we haven't come that far after all.

The acting here is just over the top. Morrow (as Mitch) in particular is playing a manly man without any irony whatsoever. There's a real "Leave it to Beaver"/ high pants vibe he's giving off here. And the script paints an interesting portrait of courtship in the 1950s. Pro-tip from Mitch: if you are interested in a woman, just wait until she goes to sleep. Then start kissing her. Works every time!

But the kicker of The Giant Claw is the monster - a giant, doofy looking buzzard thing. Much like the SyFy monsters of today, his size seems to vary based on the props he's interacting with. Regardless, he's (theoretically) big enough to pick up an entire train with his giant claw! Although his claw is not really the focal point of his attack, so I'm not sure why it's the title of the film... but whatever. The best parts are when he munches parachuters out of mid-air! The overall look of the creature manages to be really stupid and kind of cool at the same time. I've read a couple of reviews ripping on the special effects in The Giant Claw, but I thought they were pretty solid (especially considering when it was made). No overly obvious strings, and his eyes even move independently! I won't spoil the look, but here's a google image search if you're interested.

Honestly, I was grinning like an idiot throughout The Giant Claw. It's a hoot! And if you like old movies that can best be described as "a hoot:"

I would   recommend   this film.