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16 out of 16 people found the following review useful: Insect Aside, 7 December 2003 Author: ronnie from United States
This is an above-par gigantic monster thriller from the golden age, well-presented. A thawed, flesh-eating prehistoric preying mantis from the Arctic circle makes way for New York. Director Nathan Juran handles scenes well, including nostalgic map graphics detailing radar sites in the introduction, and using eerie nighttime photography covered in fog-shrouded atmosphere. Musical score is forceful and suspenseful, Clifford Stine special effects are fine for its era. Stock footage abounds but is not uninteresting, leads Craig Stevens and William Hopper are stalwart and wooden, but Alix Talton, a husky voiced former Miss Georgia and resembling Jane Wyman, is fun and natural. Last sequence still thrills, when we start to feel a little sympathy for this wounded animal, roaring and wailing as he meets inevitable doom.
14 out of 14 people found the following review useful: A fine example of 50's Sci-fi movies., 7 February 1999 Author: Pike-6 from Springfield
The Deadly Mantis is a fine example of the best of the 1950's vintage science fiction movies. A good story line with enjoyable character interaction. The movies use of documentary footage to introduce scientific or geographic fact into the setting of the fiction was classic 50's. I actual learned something about the multi-million dollar "DEW" Line. Today's modern viewer may complain about the special effects, but remember that the movie was made in 1957 not 1997. With that in mind, rent the movie, pretend you're at the drive-in, and have an enjoyable evening.
11 out of 11 people found the following review useful: I Like This Movie!, 18 May 2002 Author: Sample (sampleman411@earthlink.net) from Hollywood
Say you like this movie if you thought it wasn't a complete waste of your time. Seriously, folks, movies are largely just an assemblage of lies (including documentaries and biographies) strung together by some type of formulaic narrative strategy. As Giant Monster Movies usually go, I've only two personal favorites: Japan's "War of the Gargantuas" and this one served up in the late '50s by America's Universal Studios.This lie (In real life, even prehistoric dragonflies didn't get half as large as this cinematic 'creation') is told effectively enough; for its time, it must have seemed infinitely impressive.So if you felt you had to say anything about DM, say enough good things about it as well...Serviceable special effects, especially when we get close-ups of the titular Praying Mantis, peeping in windows and a roar to match its size and density. The monster has a special aversion to planes, trains and automobiles (all the miniature vehicles and sets met with my own personal 'satisfaction' standards).The overall production is marred slightly by the film's initial 'public service message,' warning us that atomic energy is bad (Duh!), and its piddling knowledge about North American ground control (yadda, yadda, so what!), the story's most interesting moments are repeatedly slowed down by long stretches of non-activity (through the use of time filling dialog and scenes that take you 'nowhere' in particular).In short, this would have made a fascinating half-hour production, with non-stop original thrills (Case in Point: the filmmakers in this one resisted showing a hyper-destructive opportunity when, as the flying monster alights on the Washington Monument, it doesn't destroy it; my guess is, it needed to rest its wings). I must point out one error in DM: Although Mantis is supposed to be migrating due south, why is he heading north, from Washington, D.C. to New York City?I found the ending satisfactory (Watch for the modest, yet interesting false alarm!).
10 out of 10 people found the following review useful: Very entertaining movie!, 26 December 2005 Author: lrb-leeds from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I don't know why everyone thinks they're a great movie critic. If you get a kick out of old sci-fi flicks, this one was a lot of fun. Where else can you find a giant bug making war on the American military! My favorite scene is when the mantis is hiding in a ditch and cocks it's head to watch it's enemy fly overhead. And I didn't think a mantis was a strategist. I wish they would have forgotten the romance part, because the leading man really sucked. Through the whole movie, I was waiting for his demise, which unfortunately did not come! And then he ended up in bed with the girl. (not really, but you get the idea). I thought it was a very watchable movie if you've got an imagination.
10 out of 11 people found the following review useful: my favourite giant killer bug movie, 8 February 2001 Author: hathead from USA
I'd gladly watch this one without the benefit of MST3K, as it wasn't half bad, considering the genre and era in which it was made. But then I'm a sucker for movies which open with giant maps, and story lines that offer military responses to life's problems.To those of you who think this movie sucked, I suggest you view "Beginning of the End," another '50s era bug spectacular, this one featuring Peter Graves vs. a giant mutant grasshopper. I think after that you'd agree that the Mantis wasn't so bad.
10 out of 12 people found the following review useful: Jeepers! A giant mutant mantis., 18 August 2001 Author: Michael O'Keefe from Muskogee OK
A giant praying mantis is awakened from its sleep in the artic region and heads south causing havoc. Boats, planes and trains meet their match with the flying creature. Before unleashing its full wrath on NYC, the mantis meets its doom at the hands of the armed forces in a New York tunnel. The special effects are of course crude by todays standards, but for a ten year old boy in 1957 this was very memorable.Starring are William Hopper, Craig Stevens, Alix Talton and Pat Conway.
10 out of 13 people found the following review useful: Prepare to deploy giant tissue and smoosh the enemy, 23 April 2004 Author: Rosabel from Ottawa, Canada
I saw this on MST3K, and it's one of my great favourites. The endless map sequence at the beginning is quite hilarious, but my weakness for this movie stems from the fact that almost the first third of it takes place in Canada's arctic, and my dad actually worked on the DEW Line while I was a kid. The stock footage of the building of the radar lines up in the Arctic was fun (stirring music and all), but I think that someone connected with making the movie must have either been on the DEW Line, or knew someone who had. There were so many odd little details I've never seen in another movie, even though 'The Deadly Mantis' is not original in its use of the military to fight off a giant invader. The giant "Check Your Antifreeze" sign prominently displayed at headquarters was one - who would think of a detail like that, unless they'd actually seen it somewhere? And the most bizarre thing was the guys dancing together at the little party on the base; when you think about it, it makes sense - no women up there, so if you want to dance, you'd have to have men dancing together, but it's just not something a writer would just dream up while writing a movie. Alas, my dad died before I saw this movie, so I couldn't ask him how authentic it was in its portrayal of life on the DEW Line, but I think of him every time I watch it, and I'm sure he would have laughed uproariously.
7 out of 8 people found the following review useful: A good giant bug movie from Universal, 25 June 2002 Author: Chris Gaskin from Derby, England
The Deadly Mantis was made towards the end of Universal's 1950's cycle of monster/sci-fi movies. This one is one of the best.A giant prehistoric mantis is awoken from a long sleep by atomic bomb testing in the North Pole. After going on the rampage in the frozen wastes and killing several people in the process, it heads first for Washington and then New York, where it is eventually gassed in Manhattan Tunnel. The giant mantis in this movie looks quite impressive despite the low budget. The movie's cast is led by William Hopper (20 Million Miles to Earth). He and the others play good parts.I found this movie quite enjoyable and is worth watching if you get the chance.Rating: 4 stars out of 5.
8 out of 10 people found the following review useful: Pray Tell, Not Bad!, 17 January 2000 Author: BaronBl00d (baronbl00d@aol.com) from NC
Although the intricacies of the plot are forever unbelievable, this film works very well both as a suspense film and also as a creditable "Giant Bug" film, so typical during the 50's Golden Age of Science Fiction. A giant Praying Mantis is preserved in the ice of the Artic Ocean, only to be dislodged by man's environmental meddling. The bug flies over various places in the Artic eating human beings as it makes its way toward the Equator. The task of destroying the giant insect befalls to three protagonists: Craig Stevens the military man(and romancer), William Hopper as the dedicated paleontologist, and Alix Talton as the hungry reporter/photographer/necessary female character so that main character can fall in love. The three manage to find the mantis and well....let's just say the poor creature didn't say his prayers TOO often. The film is tight, has lots of action, and is a great entertaining diversion.
6 out of 7 people found the following review useful: Too cheesy not to love, 19 October 2001 Author: Chris Schulman from Austin, Texas
***** SPOILER WARNING *****I have a special fondness for this film because (a) it and I are of the same vintage, and (b) it's still as scary and silly as it was when I first saw it at about age 10. Marvel at the motherlode of movie cliches! Thrill to the pseudo-newsreel coverage of brave new radars! See Eskimos madly paddling their canoes! See macho stock footage of the brave U.S. Air Force! See the beautiful woman turn "grown" men into drooling fools! See the beautiful women shriek their pretty heads off! See bewildered brass battle the bodacious bug! See styrofoam insect body parts! Hear the scary music and the scary insect drone! Watch the big bug defy the silly humans and their futile weapons! Watch the obligatory shallow romance materialize out of nowhere! Watch the flat acting that, yes, you *could* have done better!Despite its pervasive cheesiness, previous reviewers are right: The Deadly Mantis is really too good for MST3K. Uninvite Joel and the bots when you watch this one. The story holds together, and shows 1950s American fears and bravado as well as most productions of the day. The mantis is big enough -- and yes, deadly enough -- to scare ya real good. (They scare me plenty when they're normal size.) But in the end, when it's trapped and dying, you can still muster some pity for a creature that, after all, was only trying to survive.This is no classic. It *is* a piece of cheese. But by God, it's lovable cheese.
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