Rating: 14/20
Plot: Rocks invade earth.
Of course, they're not just rocks. They're aliens. And they're not even aliens. They're black people, and when black people start popping up or moving into a predominantly white neighborhood, white people need to do something. Of course, all it takes to get rid of black people [SPOILER ALERT!] is some salt water. Everybody knows that black people can't swim!
You just have to love a movie where the threat--the titular monsters--is giant rocks that grow, topple, and freeze anybody who touches them. It's the least amount of personality that I've ever seen in a movie monster, but it's such a unique premise that it doesn't matter. Don't get me wrong. I liked the rocks. The growing effects were kind of cool, and I really liked how the rocks stand out with the black and white photography. Other great special effects involve people standing completely skill or showing a room or area, showing other things, and then showing the place again after somebody's thrown black rocks all over it. This is a really wordy science fiction movie. It's really closer to a science fiction/mystery hybrid than a science fiction/thriller or science fiction/horror movie like you might expect after looking at the poster there. Of course, there's this constant music that tries its best to make you think that the whole thing is thrilling. At times, the tense dramatic music is inappropriate, like when it picks up during a scene where a guy drinks some water or again when a little girl picks up one of the rocks while on a field trip to the desert where the children are instructed not to touch anything they don't recognize. Oh, speaking of her, she's Linda Scheley in her only film role, and although I probably shouldn't criticize six-year-old actresses in old movies like this, she's really awful. Luckily, her character goes into shock pretty early in the movie. Shrinking Man Grant Williams stars and has slightly more charisma than the rocks. This movie will be enjoyable to people who like to watch smart people try to figure out something that seems impossible even if the ultimate answer is a little disappointing.
This fun little 50's entry in the "big things threatening humanity" sci-fi sub-genre was recommended by Barry. He wrote about the thing on imdb.com back in 2000. Some cat named Oscar beat him to the punch.
Barry and I would both like to apologize to any black people who read this. And there probably isn't a racist subtext in The Monolith Monsters.
3 comments:
I wanted to watch this again before I commented on it here. I had not seen it in about a decade, and watching it again I fell in love with it all over again. I love the ominous music whenever anyone picks up a rock or the rocks come anywhere near any water. I also quite enjoy the special effects in this, with the titular monsters growing and falling on their way to absolute destruction of all we hold dear. Les Treymane, who played the General in charge of bombing the martians in War of the Worlds, is way over the top in this one as a crotchety newspaperman with nothing to write about. I never did figure out how the "Jenny" kid could hold onto a rock for hours, washes it in gallons of water, and she still survives, while her parents and poor old Ben the geologists are turned to stone just by being near it. Ah well, I guess they couldnt just outright kill a kid in a 1950's sci fi movie. Anyway, its a fun, interesting movie......It may not be to everyones tastes, but if you enjoy odd, mid century paranoid movies, this one is a great one. As a movie its a 16 for me. As a personal love its a 20.
Solid recommendation, and you're right about the over-the-top newspaper guy. He was fun.
I was also wondering how the kid survived. Her acting made that a disappointment.
I enjoyed this previously unheard of film, especially since I'm already a big fan of 40's sci-fi. A 15.
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