The Giant Behemoth

Our credits roll across screen as if rocked by the ocean.  If I were prone to sea sickness...whoa!  Everything exploded.  The a-bomb fills the screen and a scientist tells us all about it.  This is typical movie stuffs.  A-bomb bad.  Mutation.  Nature good.  Our movie shifts its focus to an old fisherman and his daughter.  Eventually he is attacked and his dying word is, 'Behemoth!'.  Not quite as dramatic as the little girl in Them!  Later, the beach is filled with dead fish.  Meanwhile, the scientist from the opening learns of the mysterious goings on and heads to Cornwall.

 They begin to investigate but come up with nothing.  Most of this stuff is just exposition...and science!  See the fish dissection!  Thrill to the radioactive water tests!  Finally, the scientists are satisfied radioactivity exists in Cornwall.  Maybe now something  interesting will happen.  On the ocean they finally spot something; the snakelike back of a sea monster.  This brief moment of excitement is followed by meetings, discussion, and more exposition.

Later, a barking dog leads a father and son to the beach where the behemoth gives them a big lethal dose of radiation.  After destroying a helicopter the monster finally shows itself.  It rises and threatens a ferry.  The monster manages to sink the ferry, killing all on-board.  The military and scientists discuss how best to destroy the beast.  The behemoth rises from the Thames and begins its rampage of London.

This is actually a nicely done sequence with people freeing in terror and some closeups of the monster.  Soldiers attack with machine gun, rifle and pistol fire but this does nothing and they are melted by radiation.  The behemoth destroying the power lines reminds me of a similar scene in the first Godzilla film.

Our lead scientists completes work on a special radium torpedo and hops in a mini-sub.  It doesn't take long for the behemoth to find the sub.  He fires into the monster's mouth and it explodes.  The Thames begins to boil and bubble like a witches cauldron.  As the two scientists dive away a radio report says that the east coast of America is full of dead fish.  The End?

The star of our film, the Behemoth, was animated by Willis O'Brien, who was responsible for the groundbreaking special effects in the original King Kong.  When the monster attacks London it is a long sequence and makes up for the long science and exposition scenes.  Ultimately, if you enjoy films like Godzilla or perhaps Gorgo, the The Giant Behemoth is something you'd enjoy.