Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

ultramatt2000-1 I have seen clips of this movie when I was a kid. I've seen commercials and cartoons where there are clips of this movie. GORGO is one of those movies that is blatantly cashing in on the success of GODZILLA. This British film is interesting and wonderful. Twenty years ago I had to wake up as early as six in the morning to see it on American Movie Classics (or AMC for short). This is back when this channel really showed classics before it jumped the shark. with all these other shows that made you forget you are watching AMC. The plot is Kong-influenced and it is directed by Eugene Lourie. While his previous two dinosaur films, THE BEAST FROM 20'000 FATHOMS (1953) and THE GIANT BEHEMOTH (1959) had stop-motion animated dinosaurs, this one was a man in a suit as demonstrated in a non-dinosaur film a COLOSSUS IN NEW YORK (1954) which had a robot made by Charles Gemora. I saw the movie on TV at AMC and when the movie was over, my brother was woken up by the ending. This was Eugene Lourie's last monster movie. He went back to being an art director and in 1974, according to stop-motion animator Rob Maine who was fresh from FLESH GORDON was contacted by producer Phillip Yordan to do a remake of KING KONG with Rob on special effects and Eugene on the director's chair. Sadly studio executive said no to it because they decided to use a man in a suit for Kong so audiences can get empathy through the eye-holes. As a result, the project was scrapped. Tom Howard, who had his special effects team behind this movie was called by Hammer to do a remake of KING KONG with David Prowse in the title role. Unfortunately, they can't afford to buy the rights.so they ended up with ONE MILLION B.C. (1966). It is a pity that it never got a sequel or a remake. Great movie, great special effects, thrilling, chilling, downright wonderful. It even got the MST3K (short for MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000) treatment. Give it a watch (whether you enjoy DUCKTALES or not) and if you enjoyed that movie, then you will enjoy KONGA (read my review). Not rated, but a G will do. Not suitable for children under the age of seven.

poe-48833 When I was a kid, one of my few prized possessions was a copy of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND with a Basil Gogos painting of GORGO on the cover (I'd ordered the back issue from the publisher, many years after the fact, but one's love of all things Monster never diminishes: I still fondly remember that cover). For some reason, I'd never come across the movie itself before; then I happened to find it listed on Netflix. The DVD I rented boasts a treasure trove of Extras, including a page-by-page look at the Charlton Comics adaptation by SPIDER-MAN co-creator Steve Ditko, as well as an informative making-of feature. The movie itself did not disappoint: the special effects were surprisingly well done, and the performances all around solid. The "twist" was fantastic, and the closing moments of the movie are sweet enough to bring a tear to the eye.

bkoganbing I do so remember seeing Gorgo in the theater when I was only 13. That's the place it should be seen on a full theater screen. Then you get the full impact of the terror he's spreading around London.A tramp freighter captained by Bill Travers puts in to a small port on the island of Nara off the Irish coast. As that name sounds Japanese it should have given someone a hint. Volcanic activity at the bottom of the Atlantic has torn the ocean bottom open and this prehistoric monster emerges. The Irish government claims it for research, but after Travers captures it he sells it to Martin Benson's circus in London at Battersea Park.British scientists say that this guy is just a baby and that must mean some adults are around. Sure enough a 200 foot high version of Godzilla's Atlantic cousin starts looking for her youngster and there ain't nothing stopping her from getting her child. This was as good as I remember it and Gorgo has a nice moral to it about letting sleeping dogs and monsters lie and that man isn't all powerful. I was impressed by the performance of Vincent Winter who plays a young Irish orphan kid who attachs himself to Travers. Winters comes across as a real kid and his performance was quite touching.I'll bet even with the advances in mankind's weaponry we'd still have big problems with Mama Gorgo today if she was on that same mission, looking for her child.

FilmExpertWannabe Gorgo was the first and probably the best known British giant monster movie. With the success of early giant monster movies in the 1950s such as The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and Godzilla, many other companies were trying to put out giant monsters of their own. One of the first and better known of these was 1961's Gorgo.Gorgo is the story involving the discovery of a prehistoric mythical creature Gorgo, another name for Gorgon. The 60 foot giant occasionally attacks boats at sea but is flushed onto the mainland by some villagers. Eventually he is subdued and brought to England for study, only to be placed at a circus as a cash cow (not to self: do not exploit monsters you can barely control, if King Kong and Gorgo are any indication). It is revealed thereafter that Gorgo is a baby, practically in its infancy. The nearly 200 foot tall mother raids England in search of her offspring, gathers it, and the two depart for the sea once again.This monster movie has a lighter, more pleasing ending for the audience than most monster movies. Generally the misunderstood beast has to be killed, but not here. That was done on purpose as the director's daughter was upset by the ending of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. Gorgo is a pretty short movie, only running 76 minutes long. As a result, the film is fast paced and never has dull moments. Monster movie fans will also be pleased to see plenty of monster action in the movie, as Gorgo appears often and within the first 10 or 15 minutes.Speaking of Gorgo, he looks pretty good. His glowing eyes and a few other touches give away the fact that it's fake, but for its time the suit looks great. Also great is his iconic roar. It's rather ironic that Gorgo is an obvious imitation of Toho's Godzilla, yet Toho produced a monster rather similar to Gorgo almost 15 years later. Titanosaurus starred in the last Godzilla film of the Showa series and has the fins at the back of the head like Gorgo and is a general bipedal aquatic dinosaur. While Toho maybe didn't directly rip off Gorgo, it's still interesting to see the similarities from Godzill to Gorgo to Titanosaurus come full circle.Outside of Gorgo, the special effects were above par for the time. The acting is acceptable too. We have no outstanding performances, but no one annoys you or gives a bad performance here. The plot itself works well too. It's nothing that original, but the story of a misunderstood creature on the basis of its size is effective here. The boy who is nearly enchanted by the monster and its mother is a nice touch, showing how children sometimes have a better concept of what we should be doing instead of what we adults sometimes are thinking of (money!).All in all, Gorgo is a pleasing movie to watch and its quick pace/short time makes it a movie you can watch often if you want. A lack of graphic scenes or strong language also make this a movie that is something of a family please. It's not campy and childish so as to put dad off, yet his son can appreciate the movie as well. Gorgo has stood the test of time, having come out some 50 years ago and still having a pretty loyal following. He received his own magazines and toys, etc. Pretty impressive for a monster that starred in only one movie. I rate this movie a 6/10. That may not seem very high, but it's a solid movie worth seeing if you're a giant monster movie fan. If you aren't, then this movie won't appeal to you in the way a movie like Cloverfield or Monsters will. Fine by a monster movie fan like me, it's just that it doesn't have as widespread appeal. But again, if you like monster movies, this is a classic!