(USA, 1955) - this is a sequel to the "Creature of the Black Lagoon", with too many cons and flaws. The only remarkable thing about the film is an uncredited part of a young Clint Eastwood in what is considered to be his first big screen appearance - you can see a snapshot of the scene on the right. Apart from this, the movie is dull and uninteresting. This time the so-called fish man is captured by scientists and transported to an aquarium in south Florida. Naturally, he's attracted to the lovely female, in a clear reference to the King Kong movie (well, instinct is a powerful drive, one would say...). Anyway, it is funny if seen as a classic of the sci-fy/horror movies of the 50's. I particularly like it because of Clint's bit. Bt the way, the creature is found in the Amazon, which reinforces the idea of Brazil being an exotic place in which monsters could be found easily. The film is chock full of dry, now-hilarious moments of drama and bizarre plot details that make little or no sense. Even amongst all the goofiness, a modicum of suspense makes its way into the movie. Again, the monster gets some surprising mobility and speed underwater and is pretty threatening. This film draws from past classics ("King Kong"), yet inspired future movies as well ("Jaws 3-D", "Orca".) Far from a true classic, it entertains in spite of itself. I remember Monteiro saying that he liked the first movie a lot.
