dougdoepke Better than average 50's sci-fi, thanks mainly to producer Alland, who put together such drive-in gems as Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) and This Island Earth (1953), to name a couple. This creature feature doesn't reach that level but is very well mounted and acted. The use of arctic scenes combined with well-constructed sets gives the setting more believability than usual. Plus, we get not just one leading man, but two. Both of which went on to successful TV careers—Hopper and Stevens.The plot is pretty standard. A thawed out giant mantis decides to wreck what it can of human civilization and dine on those responsible. Needless to say, the Air Force and its citizen allies take a dim view of such anti-social antics, but the flying insect is tough to incinerate, especially when our pilots look like they need more target practice. Anyway, you can guess the outcome, especially when the comely, but slightly stiff Alix Talton, serves as a prize.Unfortunately the monster element suffers from two drawbacks. First, it's ugly as heck but not especially fearsome. The script should have shown it doing something really bad to an unfortunate human, then we could really loathe not just its looks but also what it does. The script depends too much on ugly close-ups to really instill fear. Nonetheless, the special effects are really quite well done.All in all, it's a drive-in feature I would have actually paid to see instead of using a buddy's car trunk. And, oh yes, to those folks finding fault with the technical details--- who is it, anyway, that goes to movies to be educated. Hollywood has never let fact stand in the way of story, good or bad.

bob-790-196018 Half the movie is stock military footage of jets being scrambled, anti-aircraft guns being fired, and so forth. There's even a little lecture, with graphic, about the air-defense radar and jet base installations guarding us from enemy attack.The bug is sort of goofy. In flying shots, it seems immobile except for blurred wings. It does rock forward and back slightly as it flies. You can almost imagine it mumbling contentedly to itself, "Doop-de-doop-de-doop," as it moves through the air without any exertion.The acting, direction, writing--what can you say? With creature features you're not talking Citizen Kane, but even so this movie is pretty bad.As in so many creature features, our hero follows the big bug every step of the way, from discovery to combat to alerting the public to leading the final attack in the "Manhattan Tunnel." He sure gets around! Also, by being in so many places in such a short time and being multi-skilled to boot, it eliminates need to pay more actors.Unlike the grand-daddy of all big bug movies, Them, this movie does not build a story about the bug acting the way a bug should, only bigger. The mantis roars like a maddened lion, for example. In Them, the writing very cleverly includes real details about ant behavior and then shows it taking place, much to everyone's horror.The best scene is in the tunnel at the end of the movie, as the big bug gasps in its death throes. Suddenly you feel sorry for the guy. Possibly it's the only real drama in the picture.

Wizard-8 I'm usually a sucker for "giant creature threatening mankind" movies, even if they are dumb in nature and have special effects that look primitive by today's standards. The special effects here are indeed amusing. And unlike many other giant creature movies, the script here tries to be pretty serious and more intellectual. (The sequence where the scientists gather the clues and concludes what they are facing is pretty engaging.) Unfortunately, "The Deadly Mantis" makes of the greatest sins a movie makes - most of it is deadly dull. The opening doesn't spark audience interest, and as the movie progresses, you soon realize that the story is barely moving along. Speaking of speed, it's never explained why the mantis barely moves in some scenes, while in other scenes it moves really quickly. There are other goofs like flipping around stock footage of jet aircraft (you can see the jets' aircraft serial numbers are backwards), and extremely fake snow. And the mantis monster is neither amusing nor scary to behold. I know most people seem to like this movie, but it just didn't work for me.

MartinHafer This film is a guilty pleasure. After all, "smart people" don't watch movies about giant bugs that terrorize the Earth! But, despite the high cheese factor of this movie, you can't help but enjoy it on a camp level. Frankly, where there are many shortcomings to this film, it is solidly entertaining and fun.The film's plot isn't all that important. It's a giant bug versus the Earth sorta thing. However, the giant bug looks awfully good for 1957 and aside from an over-extensive use of stock footage (something most people can easily spot and is easy to hate), the film is technically well made. It has most of the usual clichés of this sort of movie--such as the sexy lady and the obligatory triumph at the end. But, because Universal Studios played it so straight, it works.My advice is NOT to watch this in front of people you want to impress--they will no doubt think you are an idiot for watching such a film. But, by all means watch it--you'll have a good time.