Le Monstre des temps perdus

La Bête des 20 000 Fathoms est un film de monstre grandiose et mortellement sérieux. Cependant, en termes de divertissement, il a ses défauts. L'effort d'approche semi-documentaire va de pair avec la distance par rapport aux personnages, ce qui ne dérange pas, car le véritable héros ici n'est pas un scientifique, un détective ou un journaliste, mais cette créature préhistorique. Paradoxalement, il y a trop peu de scènes où l'on peut en profiter, en plus avec des effets visuels de qualité. Dans les années 50, j'aurais certainement apprécié le film, mais de nos jours, il est une tentative bavarde et ennuyeuse de blockbuster hollywoodien par rapport à Jurassic Park. Les scènes banales de la créature se promenant dans les rues de New York ne sont plus le sommet du divertissement qu'elles étaient à l'époque. Et la finale dans le parc d'attractions aurait pu être plus inventive et développée. (20/11/2002)

In King Kong vs. Godzilla the Japanese brought Godzilla back to life after a submarine crashes into an iceberg, here the Americans let a certain "Rhedosaurus" come back to life as a result of a nuclear test somewhere near the North Pole. The introduction from the Arctic is suspenseful, believably presented, the cold does get under your skin. Then comes the classic monster movie formula and the typical characters: an know-it-all professor, his beautiful assistant, preferably with a doctorate, a handsome protagonist who saves the world, and an army that doesn't know how to deal with the monster and basically serves as scrub. And most importantly, the Rhedosaurus, who, as expected, takes it out on New York (poor New Yorkers, they always have to take the hit). The model of the monster is a classic Harryhausen, who didn’t change his signature at all since his debut to Clash of the Titans. As far as visual effects go, it's safe to say that for fans Harryhausen, this is a must-see, though the quality of the effects is very inconsistent. The mini-submarine diving to the bottom of the ocean where the monster temporarily resides is quite funny. The combination of models with documentary footage of a fight between a shark and a sepia looks really weird. The sinking of the fishing boat is crap, even for its time. The monster's rampage through New York alternates between brilliant moments and those in which the rear projection is very noticeable and the models are blatant. And you don't get to enjoy the monster much before the weird, quick ending. There’s no build-up and no fear from the protagonist. It’s a shame. (18/04/2004)

Unfortunately, it’s rather boring. It’s interesting at first thanks to the opening atmospheric Arctic minutes, and then only thanks to Ray Harryhausen's fantastic special effects. The lizard attack on the city obviously inspired Emmerich's Godzilla and is the best scene from the whole film. By comparison, the ending in the theme park is meant so seriously and is so unimaginatively shot that it is ridiculous. I was amused by Lee Van Cleef's role, who hit the giant film monster with a radioactive grenade two years earlier than his future spaghetti western colleague Clint Eastwood sent a giant tarantula to hell in a jet. (28/09/2017)

It gets off to a promising start, and the film's conversational first half sets up the expected destruction of New York City, but poor directorial invention and a build-up that is duller than a fight at a Kaufland checkout counter drag it into the mire of mediocrity during the monster's promenade through Times Square. But the execution of most of the scenes with the giant monster is certainly praiseworthy; they do not look ridiculous even today, and it’s all the more disappointing that they did not receive a more skilful director, as, for example, Jurassic Park would do forty years later. (03/12/2017)

"The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" is a film quite appropriate for its time period and at first glance, it might seem like it doesn't stand out in any way. The story is indeed quite clichéd, as are many other elements - the army, scientists, a strange sci-fi/scientific plot, the destruction of a large city - but for me, any film animated by Ray Harryhausen is exceptional. This applies to this one as well, where it is evident that it gains something extra through the animation. The interaction between the people and the puppet, and especially the environment, is sometimes unbelievable, although it is true that Ray has more elaborate works in his filmography. Here, a slight lack of funds and perhaps time can be seen. (05/01/2014)