"What sin can a man commit in a single lifetime to bring this upon himself?"
Just as Lon Chaney's Wolfman was cursed simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Col. Glenn Manning is burned over 95% of his body while trying to save the pilot of a small plane that crashes into the test area where a plutonium bomb is to be detonated. He survives the blast, only to grow at the rate of ten feet a day. Eventually, he suffers a mental breakdown and wreaks as much havoc as the budget of this movie will allow. Still, it's one of the best cheapie flicks to come out of an era of giant spiders, black scorpions, and a certain mutated dinosaur from Tokyo.
THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN certainly has a bargain-basement feel to it-even the score by Albert Glasser fits well here. As far as the performances, Glen Langen is the only one who really stands out-and not just because of his size, either. Like Chaney's Wolfman, he evokes sympathy because of the affliction that causes him to lose his humanity and become a freak of nature, an outcast, and a menace to society.
A cheapie flick, but a classic one just the same.
Rating: **** out of *****
Just as Lon Chaney's Wolfman was cursed simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Col. Glenn Manning is burned over 95% of his body while trying to save the pilot of a small plane that crashes into the test area where a plutonium bomb is to be detonated. He survives the blast, only to grow at the rate of ten feet a day. Eventually, he suffers a mental breakdown and wreaks as much havoc as the budget of this movie will allow. Still, it's one of the best cheapie flicks to come out of an era of giant spiders, black scorpions, and a certain mutated dinosaur from Tokyo.
THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN certainly has a bargain-basement feel to it-even the score by Albert Glasser fits well here. As far as the performances, Glen Langen is the only one who really stands out-and not just because of his size, either. Like Chaney's Wolfman, he evokes sympathy because of the affliction that causes him to lose his humanity and become a freak of nature, an outcast, and a menace to society.
A cheapie flick, but a classic one just the same.
Rating: **** out of *****