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Whistle Stopper - Deadly Mantis (1957)
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List Price: $9.98
Our Price: $49.99
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Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Starring: Craig Stevens, William Hopper, Alix Talton, Donald Randolph, Pat Conway
Directed By: Nathan Juran
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786302763911
Format: Black & White
ISBN: 6302763916
Label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Universal Studios
Release Date: 1994-05-26
Running Time: 79
Studio: Universal Studios
Theatrical Release Date: 1957-05
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Who's doing the praying now, Mr. Man?
Comment: For my money, The Deadly Mantis is one of the better American monster movies of the 1950s. I really don't know why it is overshadowed even by the clearly inferior likes of Attack of the Giant Leeches, The Killer Shrews, and Giant Gila Monster (B&W). The Deadly Mantis follows the standard script, but it held off from showing the monster for over half an hour, allowing the military brains and scientists ample time to come up with a theory as to just what they were facing. Perhaps more importantly, the giant praying mantis looks pretty impressive - I'm not saying that people left the theatre believing that a giant mantis might pop up at any minute, but he's about one hundred times more realistic than the likes of the giant grasshoppers from Beginning of the End (Special Edition), even when he's climbing a national monument.
I'm not sure how the science of this works, but a volcanic eruption in the South Pacific somehow triggers a warming "reaction" in a section of the Arctic Ocean, which in turns serves to thaw out this monstrous creature that no one ever knew existed. I'm not sure what a praying mantis was ever doing up in the Arctic Circle, which was never all that tropical in any ancient era, but I certainly wasn't surprised to see him head south soon after awakening. Not only is it colder than a witch's - well, you know - there's also pretty slim pickings in the old food department up there. Fortunately for our monster, the American military has supplied a few tasty snacks in easily-destroyed radar installations along his way. Now you would think a humongous praying mantis that makes a military transport plane look like a child's toy would be easy to find, be it on the ground or in the air, but the military has so much trouble tracking the thing that they actually call upon civilians to help them zero in on it.
The acting in this one isn't bad at all. William Hopper sort of has a little Peter Graves thing going, Craig Stevens certainly looks the part of a hero, and Donald Randolph makes things a little more interesting by sounding like Vincent Price every so often. Alix Talton nails her big scream scene, but I must admit I really couldn't get into watching a bunch of soldier boys (some of whom were young enough to be her son) go gaga over her.
One of the few drawbacks of the film is the fact that you only see a limited amount of destruction and fighting. Wiping out an Eskimo village just doesn't compare to Godzilla stomping Tokyo flat for the umpteenth time (and, actually, the scene with all the villagers grabbing boats and paddling for their lives is taken from the film S.O.S. Eisberg), but I have a feeling the giant mantis would not have been very impressive in any serious action scenes. I was also disappointed by the romantic element of the plot - not because it was totally irrelevant (which it was) but because it got slipped in there at the end, just when I thought I had finally found an old American monster movie free of any needless love story.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Foe Every Action, There is an Equal and Opposite Reaction!!
Comment: After monster glacier erruptions occurs in both the South Pole and the North Pole, the dreaded horrible truth is revealed.
A giant mantis which has been held captive and frozen in its deep ice prison for a million years as mutated and is set free due to atomic bomb testing!! Immediately after it thaws out, it is hungry for food and goes on a killer rampage!!
Meanwhile, a giant spur has been found at a plane wreckage, and a palenthologist (William Hopper) and his assistant are asked by officials to try to unravel the mysterious disappearances of several people who have vanished without a trace, as well as to try to find out just exactly how the spur got aboard the war plane!!
Further analysis reveals that the spur is from something that's alive - a living creature, something that's incredibly unbelievably huge!!
What they eventually find out is an unspeakable horror that it far beyond comprehention!! A monster of truly epic proportions has decended on mankind. One that can walk, leap and fly! It then flies all up and down the Eastern Seaboard with military planes in hot pursuit, the creature picking and eating its victims at random, tipping over a bus and causing a train wreck as well as getting aboard a ship at sea, stopping by for a few more choice morsals.
And the strange part is that there are no bodies left behind to identify
wherever this creature is making stops to snack!! All they hear most of the time is a low droaning sound similar to a squadron of planes flying in formation! The mantis attacks an Air Forse base and the soldiers there get their first look at how massive and horrible this monster really is!!
It flies down to Washington, DC, then back up the coast to the Big Apple where it goes into the Holland Tunnel. The battle then boils down to that familiar scene that pits man against beast.
~Daquan13.
Customer Rating:
Summary: IT'S THE ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT CHICKEN WING!
Comment: The 50's was a time when no bug was safe from becoming the next giant menace to society. 'The Deadly Mantis' is a fairly good entry in this series but, not the best. The mantis itself is a little stiff in most scenes but, that isn't really the problem. It's just been done better in 'Them' and 'Tarantula'. There is some unintentional laughter to be had when the giant Mantis roars, you will recognize the sound as it was later used on "The Munsters" for their fire breathing pet Dragon who lived under the staircase! ....Here Spot! Here Boy.....LOL! If you are like me and can't resist these old B Sci-Fi flicks than you will be pleased to know this is available on Ultimate Sci-Fi classic collection volume 2. The DVD transfer is very good and there are a total of 5 films in the set.
Customer Rating:
Summary: No No No
Comment: Although I've seen many movies worse than this one, there is no way I can possibly call the Deadly Mantis good in any way.
The movie starts off on the wrong foot with a boring series of random documentary footage that makes you think the factory put the wrong tape in the box.
Once the audience is bored to tears from watching the construction of a radar base in an arctic area, the movie finally begins. A weird object is found near the base and the U.S. government can't figure out what it is. Some old guy says they should take it to a paleontologist. The paleontologist jokes around a lot when we first see him, and even throws a briefcase at some lady (I think it's his secretary). When he finally starts being less of a jerk, he discovers this weird object is a broken foreleg spur from a mantis that must be GIGANTIC!!
So he and his secretary team up with the government to find this threatning beast. The lady gets flirted with by all the guys at the military base (one very disgusting guy in particular) and the movie is ruined.
The mantis wrecks a few buildings and knocks over a bus while the government goes crazy. Plenty of jet stock footage is shown to us, and the movie tells us these jets are going after the mantis. The mantis is hit hard just over the Washington D.C. area and hides out in a tunnel. Special forces manage to finish it off in the tunnel and take a few pictures in the meantime.
The worst thing about the movie is you don't know who the characters are or care about them. The budget is decent but the story is bland. If Eegah's buget was 20 times higher, it would be better than this movie.
In summary, the Deadly Mantis is a great movie to make fun of, but it really is awful.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Better Than Average Giant Bug Flick from Universal Pictures
Comment: From the golden age of Universal Pictures, "The Deadly Mantis" (1957) is an above-average giant insect film directed by Nathan Juran in glorious black and white. The film stars William Hopper (no pun intended), who may be remembered from the classic Perry Mason television series, as well as Craig Stevens and Alix Talton (the two love interests). A giant prehistoric mantis thaws out in the arctic, aggravating air force personnel and eating civilians along its way as it buzzes through the skies to New York. Considering the believability quotient of the aforementioned subject matter, Juran, who also directed 1957's "20 Million Miles to Earth," somehow manages to lend credibility to this tale with his ability to convey a sense of earnestness and realism throughout, while good acting and special effects help highlight the film as well. The movie bears some resemblance to "Tarantula" (1955), another classic Universal giant insect film, especially when heroine Talton sees the huge creature's eyes staring in at her through the windows. Unlike "Tarantula," however, part of the appeal of "The Deadly Mantis" is that it doesn't confine itself to the stuffiness of a small town, and as a result, may generate more excitement for some viewers. Also, it is noteworthy to mention that the creature animation effects in TDM are technically superior to the (at times) superimposed effects seen in "Tarantula." Although not nearly as superior as 1954's "Them," starring James Whitmore and mutated ants, "The Deadly Mantis" is still a worthy film that is certain to be appreciated by fans of the genre.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Beware of global warming! After an arctic glacier undergoes a sudden mysterious thaw, the world faces the wrath of a not-so-jolly green giant in this moderately diverting big bug movie. Although the handsomely produced film follows the standard '50s monster movie playbook--plentiful stock footage, tired characterizations, a lengthy intro documenting the wonderfulness of a newfangled gizmo named radar, etc.--a little too closely to be truly memorable, it nonetheless remains a more than acceptable time-waster, with above-average special effects and a nicely atmospheric conclusion inside the Manhattan Tunnel. Writer-producer William Alland, in addition to being affiliated with some of the period's greatest achievements in the horror/sci fi genres (including the classic Creature from the Black Lagoon), is notable for his longtime association with another gigantic force--namely, Orson Welles. --Andrew Wright
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