film summary
Okay, this movie isn't that bad on its own, but when it's compared to the great classic "Creature From the Black Lagoon" it looks about as low as it gets. While the creature still looks cool, all of the terror is gone. Still, it's better than "The Creature Walks Among Us". And hey, this was the premier movie of MST3K's Sci-fi channel run!

The "Gill Man" is captured and transported to Marineland, Florida, in this very unusual sequel to THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. Like its predecessor, this was originally shot in 3D, so once in captivity the gill man gets poked with lots of long poles as scientists Clete (handsome John Agar) and Helen (lovely Lori Nelson) try to teach him the rudiments of language. Of course the creature falls in love with Helen, and develops a serious resentment against Clete. Scenes with dolphins, dogs, and monkeys help illustrate the question of animal intelligence that this film poses in its less action-packed moments. The creature, chained to the bottom of an aquarium pool for all to gawk at, is pretty tragic, and it's a great relief when he finally gets loose for a good old-fashioned rampage.

Science fiction director Jack Arnold keeps the film moving quickly. He fills it with touches that make this a worthy addition to the 1950s monster canon. Clint Eastwood has a hilarious cameo as one of the professor's lab assistants near the beginning of the film. The gill man returns to touch and terrorize audiences one more time in THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US.