The Deadly Mantis

1957

Action / Family / Horror / Sci-Fi / Thriller

Plot summary


Uploaded by: FREEMAN

Director

Top cast

Craig Stevens Photo
Craig Stevens as Col. Joe Parkman
Marvin Miller Photo
Marvin Miller as Narrator
William Hopper Photo
William Hopper as Dr. Nedrick Jackson
Michael Forest Photo
Michael Forest as Photographer
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
652.8 MB
1280*682
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 19 min
P/S 0 / 1
1.24 GB
1920*1024
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 19 min
P/S 1 / 2

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Woodyanders8 / 10

Nifty 50's giant monster outing

A huge prehistoric praying mantis gets unleashed from an iceberg in the Artic and embarks on the expected destructive spree. Shrewd and helpful paleontologist Dr. Nedrick "Ned" Jackson (a lively and engaging performance by William Hopper) joins forces with the military to find a way to stop the pesky critter. Director Nathan Juran, working from a tight and straightforward script by Martin Berkeley, relates the entertaining story at a steady pace, does a nice job of creating a spooky and mysterious atmosphere in the opening third, maintains a serious tone throughout, and stages the monster attack scenes with real aplomb. This film further benefits from solid acting by an able cast, with especially praiseworthy work by Alix Tilton as perky journalist Marge Blaine, Craig Stevens as the stalwart Col. Joe Parkman, Florenz Ames as the wise Prof. Anton Gunther, and Donald Randolph as the no-nonsense General Mark Ford. The big bug looks pretty gnarly and the climax with the wounded over-sized insect trapped in the Holland Tunnel is both tense and exciting. Ellis W. Carter's sharp cinematography makes neat occasional use of artful fades and dissolves. The robust score by Irving Getz and William Lava does the rousing trick. Best of all, this movie has an earnest quality to it that's impossible to either dislike or resist. A very enjoyable creature feature.

Reviewed by michaelRokeefe4 / 10

Jeepers! A giant mutant mantis.

A giant praying mantis is awakened from its sleep in the artic region and heads south causing havoc. Boats, planes and trains meet their match with the flying creature. Before unleashing its full wrath on NYC, the mantis meets its doom at the hands of the armed forces in a New York tunnel. The special effects are of course crude by todays standards, but for a ten year old boy in 1957 this was very memorable.

Starring are William Hopper, Craig Stevens, Alix Talton and Pat Conway.

Reviewed by claudio_carvalho6 / 10

The Starving Praying Mantis

When a military outpost and an airplane in Artic are destroyed, the investigation finds a mysterious object near the crashed airplane. The scientists advise that the famous paleontologist Dr. Nedrick Jackson (William Hopper) should give his opinion and he identifies as part of a spur of the leg of a giant insect. Soon Dr. Jackson and the military discover that a mantis is the responsible for the attacks and is heading to Washington.

"The Deadly Mantis" is an entertaining and funny movie released by Universal with a giant praying mantis that awakes with hunger and frightens the population. The special effects may be lame in 2018, but they were top-notch in 1957. The good guys are military, still a reflex of the WWII and the romantic conclusion was sort of standard in those years. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Fúria de uma Região Perdida" ("Rage of a Lost Region")

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