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| Title: THE DEADLY MANTIS Year: 1956 Rating: **** |
Various military compounds are attacked by an unseen yet formidable menace — an impenetrable force of some kind, and, in that, only the title reveals the deck — the first half playing out like a mystery rather than a creature-feature, and these are the most effective scenes — TV's PERRY MASON towering gumshoe William Hopper is the only Scientist that may be able to learn the source of what's leftover from a wrecked plane: a piece of whatever had obviously caused it...
The interior shots are effective in sparse B&W, making terrific use of scientific knowledge spouted from Hopper with confident-until-she's-terrified ingenue Alix Talton at his side — how the mysterious cause of destruction is... through pages of exposition, narrowed down into an insect feels like a rare science class that won't put you to sleep...
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| William Hopper in THE DEADLY MANTIS |
Usually a relaxed, likable actor, Hopper fits the part, not too brainy to be annoying or too manly to be unrealistic... And yet the film, being what it is with built-in audience expectation from the title alone is — no matter how aptly the investigation's written – still extremely important when the creature reveals its gloriously bogus buggy form...
That is, with an exception of a KING KONG homage as a real mantis climbs a model of the Washington Tower: Basked in shadow, it's more eerie and creepy than a shortcut for special effects, which occur mostly as the creature's in flight, legs folded up and resembling a cricket-shaped airliner...
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| From THE DEADLY MANTIS |
Making those few glorious moments during the shift from dialogue to action, befitting military lead Craig Stevens, when our monster looks immensely phony and fantastic, really matter...
And the quick if rushed finale is both a pro and con: the latter since it ends too quick, and the first because, with the most intriguing scenes behind, this particular cinematic beast knows not to wear out its welcome.
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William Hopper and Alix Talton in THE DEADLY MANTIS with Craig Stevens
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| Pat Conway in THE DEADLY MANTIS |
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Alix Talton in THE DEADLY MANTIS
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William Hopper and Alix Talton in THE DEADLY MANTIS
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| Craig Stevens and William Hopper in THE DEADLY MANTIS |
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| William Hopper and Alix Talton in THE DEADLY MANTIS with Craig Stevens |
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| Alix Talton in THE DEADLY MANTIS with Craig Stevens |
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| Craig Stevens in THE DEADLY MANTIS |
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| Helen Jay in THE DEADLY MANTIS |
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| Helen Jay in THE DEADLY MANTIS |
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From THE DEADLY MANTIS
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