Reptilicus was
Denmark’s foray into the giant monster movie genre. The thing is; it actually works up to a
point. The build-up to the monster’s
first appearance is quite absorbing and the scenes of the scientists working in
the lab are a lot of fun. Once the
monster shows up, all bets are off as Reptilicus is one of the all-time worst
monsters ever shown on any screen.
Seriously, Puff the Magic Dragon would’ve been a more convincing
villain.
Scientists discover
the fossilized remains of a tail hidden inside the Earth. They take it back to the lab where they keep
it on ice and study small samples of its tissues. When one of the scientists forgets to close
the fridge, it thaws out and regenerates, turning into a giant dragon
monster. While Reptilicus attacks
downtown Copenhagen, the army tries to figure out a way to stop it.
Reptilicus (the
movie) looks great. A lot of care was
put into the laboratory scenes and the sequences where the citizens run for
their lives are really well done (particularly the part where dozens of people
fall off a drawbridge). It’s just a
shame that Reptilicus (the monster) is so shoddy looking. Whenever he shows up, you just have to
laugh. It looks like a goddamn bath toy
and the strings that work his jaw are visible.
There’s such a disproportionate look to the monster and the rest of the
film that it’s liable to give you whiplash.
The rest of the
effects are even more piss-poor. The
shots of the monster puking up slime are awful, as is the scene where he eats a
person. It looks like someone cut out a
picture of a human and put it in the jaws of the monster!
The effects alone are
worth a look as they will probably make any jaded monster movie fan’s jaw drop
in disbelief. However, you might be surprised
by just how good the rest of the flick is.
If the monster scenes were credible in the least, Reptilicus might’ve
been a classic. As it is, it remains a
fun piece of schlock filmmaking.
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