Main Cast: Robert Hoy, John Agar, Lori Nelson, John Bromfield, Robert B. Williams, Nestor Paiva
Release Year: 1955
Country: US
Run Time: 82 minutes
Plot
Revenge of the Creature is, of course, the sequel to Universal's fabulously successful The Creature from the Black Lagoon--and like its predecessor, the film was lensed in 3-D (though released "flat" in most theatres). Though the audience had seen the Gill-Man shot full of holes in the first picture, he still resides in the Black Lagoon in the sequel, apparently none the worse for wear. Two oceanographers (John Bromfield and Robert B. Williams) capture the creature and put him on display at Florida's Ocean Harbor Park (actually Marineland of the Atlantic). Here the hapless Gill-Man is taught a few words of English by compassionate icthyologists John Agar and Lori Nelson. Eventually, however, the creature reverts to type, kills one of his captors and goes on a rampage. And once again, he manages to briefly abduct the heroine and carry her off. Not nearly as good as the first Creature, this followup is saved by the underwater photography of Charles S. Welbourne--and by the effective performance by Ricou Browning as the Gill-Man. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Fifties monster and sci-fi movies hold an abiding fascination for certain film fans. Shot on low budgets, cast usually with B-level actors (or A-level actors at the beginnings or ends of their careers), and shot from scripts the imagination and clever ideas of which are frequently done in by clichéd characterizations and stilted dialogue, they nonetheless can be a lot of fun. And sometimes their creators -- usually the director -- imaginatively twist the limitations under which they work to make interesting and personal films. Revenge of the Creature is a minor effort, and much less valuable than its predecessor, but aficionados will want to make sure they catch it. The change in venue -- from the Amazon to a marine park -- gives Revenge a different flavor, and audiences may feel more sympathy for the Creature in this one, as they see him chained up, starved and otherwise mistreated. There's also a rare (for the period) attempt to humanize the female lead (described in a news break as a "pretty little scientist!") by having her feel uncertain as to whether she should be a career woman or a wife. And fans of his later work will be thrilled to see a very young Clint Eastwood in a small comic part. Overall, though, there's not much that's original or engaging here, and while Jack Arnold's direction is solid, it's atypically uninspired. Perhaps sensing that this was not his finest work, Arnold would leave the final film in the Creature trilogy to other hands. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Revenge of the Creature is the first sequel to Creature from the Black Lagoon. The film is notable as being the only sequel to a 3-D film shot in 3-D as well. It is also the first screen role for Clint Eastwood, who appeared as an uncredited lab technician early in the film. He is shown having a discussion with the professor, accusing a test subject cat of eating a lab rat. However his character had in fact accidentally put the lab rat in his lab coat pocket. The movie was released May 11, 1955, in the United States. In 1997, it was aired as an episode of the comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000, which mocked the film.
Having survived being riddled with bullets at the end of the first film, the Gill-man is captured and sent by the Ocean Harbor Oceanarium in Florida, where he is studied by animal psychologistProfessor Clete Ferguson and ichthyology student Helen Dobson. Helen and Clete quickly begin to fall in love, much to the chagrin of Joe Hayes, the Gill-man's keeper. The Gill-man takes an instant liking to Helen (as he did to Kay in the first film), which severely hampers Professor Ferguson's efforts to communicate with him. Ultimately, the Gill-man escapes from his tank, killing Joe in the process, and flees to the open ocean. Unable to stop thinking about Helen, he soon begins to stalk her and Ferguson, ultimately abducting her from a seaside restaurant where the two are at a party. Clete tries to give chase, but the Gill-man escapes to the water with his captive. Clete and the local law enforcement must now try to track down Helen and her amphibious abductor.
Lou Gibson was the publicist for Ocean Harbor Oceanarium in Florida. A fairly thickheaded sort, Gibson foolishly advertised the addition of the Gill Man to the aquarium's menagerie before Joe Hayes and George Johnson had succeeded in capturing it, nearly ruining Ocean Harbor.
A poster of this movie is seen in Back to the Future Part III, right after Doc Brown asks Marty who Clint Eastwood is. Marty replies "That's right; you haven't heard of him yet." This is an ironic coincidence, as Revenge of the Creature is Clint Eastwood's first feature film role; he appears, uncredited, as a lab technician.
