First Men in the Moon (1964)

It pleases me when filmmakers use a feature's opening titles as a first port of call to the ensuing drama and not just as another bland detailing of relevant names. FMitM has the former, and what follows is pretty good too, but then there's a dramatic tonal shift into comedic territory, like a British comedy movie of the era (at times even bordering on becoming Carry On Scientist). It's fair to say that it's not what one might expect from screenwriter Nigel Kneale. The pseudo-science is forgivable but I feel the diving suits were a mistake.
Incidentally, the same H.G. Well's story that was the basis for the adaptation is believed to have been a direct influence on Georges Méliès' famous Le Voyage dans la Lune (1902). Not everyone enjoys silent films from 100+ years ago, but Méliès' film has an enchanting nature that FMitM lacks.

2 liberated geese out of 5

The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960)

Based on Jonathan Swift's famous Gulliver's Travels (1726) novel, the three worlds of the title refer to Gulliver's (Kerwin Mathews) own and just two others, Lilliput and Brobdingnag. If you've read the book, you'll know that it had more worlds thereafter, but the two chosen do at least keep the opposites theme that Swift's adventure relied heavily upon; likewise in their defining traits, with the Lilliputians being complicated and the Brobdingnagians naïve and simplistic. The themes of the novel are lessened but not excised and those that remain are integrated well enough, with Gulliver's observations criticising societal attitudes more often than they do specific individuals.
The things that might not be suitable for children have been altered, as has the ending, opting instead for an ambiguity that I wasn't particularly fond of.

2½ wrong rights out of 5

It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955)

We're told that the US Navy submarine on which leading man Kenneth Tobey operates is "man's greatest weapon of the seas", so naturally in the depths there exists something more destructive: a hungry cephalopod, giant size.
The scientist phase of the story is paired with the romance sub-plot, but the real treasure is the 'It' of the title. It's not until near fifty minutes have passed that we get a first real glimpse of the creature. When it returns later to lay waste to a famous landmark — because the law of giant monsters states that non-famous ones aren't worth bothering about — it steals the show! Or rather, its animator Ray Harryhausen does. To be frank, the non-creature parts of the film are okay, but the many-tentacled terror is the high-point. It's by far the best stop-motion animated octopus that I've personally ever seen.

3 closed beaches out of 5

Tulips Shall Grow (1942)

Although uncredited at the time, Tulips is Ray Harryhausen's first commercial work as chief animator. It’s set in what appears to be Holland. In a beautiful village with idyllic windmills, a pair of lovers, Jan and Janette, fear for their lives when an invading military force known as The Screwballs move in.
The aggressors resemblance to Nazi soldiers is certainly no coincidence, given that Dir. George Pal had previously lived in Holland and, furthermore, left his home (in Prague) to escape their rise to power.
The simple animation gets more adventurous and complicated as the danger level increases, but thanks to Harryhausen it's always astonishing.

4 high kicks out of 5

Mighty Joe Young (1949)

In Africa a young girl trades for a small baby gorilla that grows to an impressive height. Over a decade later she falls foul to an exploitative NY nightclub owner who wants the protective beast as his star attraction.
Hoping to capture the imagination (and the wallets) of movie-goers who were wowed by King Kong (1933), Mighty Joe is another giant ape story with FX overseen by Willis O'Brien (Kong's animator); but it was reportedly Ray Harryhausen who did most of the hands-on work. The result is stop-motion set-pieces that are nothing short of spectacular. But more than that, Joe's mannerisms and doleful eyes really make us care about him.

3 van removals out of 5

The Valley of Gwangi (1969)

A fantasy western that plays out like a cross between The Lost World (1912) novel and the King Kong (1933) film. Set in Mexico at the turn of the 20th Century it has a travelling Rodeo Show with a unique attraction, a semi-reprehensible leading man (James Franciscus) with an agenda, and a palaeontologist who's hungry for prestige. But best of all it has a 'forbidden valley' that has creatures not seen anywhere else for 50 million years.
I'm not automatically attracted to all things dinosaur, except when they're animated by Ray Harryhausen, like they are in Gwangi. He even succeeds in having us sympathise with the great beasts more than once.
It has some dodgy ADR in places, and characters in need of more depth, but visually it's a fun, fantastical adventure that speaks to the inner-child.

3 horse toes out of 5

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

The 20,000 Fathoms part of the title isn’t very relevant, but the Beast part certainly is. Stirred from slumber by scientists testing atomics somewhere in the Arctic, the creature causes havoc as it makes its way purposefully south. I don’t appreciate being rudely woken up, either, so I can kind of relate.
The script, 'suggested' by a short in Ray Bradbury's The Golden Apples of the Sun (1953) collection, toys with the psychology of witnessing the impossible, while exploring a more elaborate scientific reasoning with regards what's actually seen. But the best part of this particular creature-feature is the effects work by Ray Harryhausen. That's two Rays for the price of one.

3 differences of opinion out of 5

Earth vs the Flying Saucers (1956)

Newlyweds Russell (Hugh Marlowe) and Carol Marvin (Joan Taylor) work together putting artificial satellites into space for scientific reasons, but each time communication with the rocket is lost. It's gotta be aliens! The US military typically shoot first and ask questions later, putting the entire world in peril.
It has its fair share of corny 1950s dialogue, clichés, pseudoscience, and stock footage, but I'm a big fan of the film, nevertheless. I adore the classic design of the flying saucers and how they're brought to life by Ray Harryhausen.
The only thing that I'm not keen on is the suited alien design, which lacks the childlike wow factor that the better aspects of the FX have.

3½ clay pigeons out of 5

One Million Years B.C. (1966)

Instead of simply dipping a toe in the cave-girl genre, Hammer dipped an entire lady, Raquel Welch, and created something iconic in the process.
It's a story of early humans (after they'd learned sewing and modesty) with very little dialogue, most of which is Prehistoric language. Despite that, it does manage to be entertaining, least of all in its good girl falls for bad boy scenario; i.e. Loana (Welsh) for the savage Tumak (John Richardson).
Lovers of 'fur' bikinis should enjoy the scenery, while kids and fans of stop-motion can appreciate the wonderful Ray Harryhausen creature effects. Beyond that, there's character growth, some righting of wrongs, and enough tragedy to enable anyone who's seeking an actual story to leave satisfied.

3 skulls on sticks out of 5

Clash of the Titans (1981)

A heroic fantasy based upon the legend of Perseus and his beloved Andromeda. It's an impressive collection of Greek mythology set pieces stitched into a standard quest structure, directed by Desmond Davis but perhaps remembered most as the swansong of FX man Ray Harryhausen.
The opening is horrifying in its implication. It leads to Perseus (Harry Hamlin) being controlled like some kind of living action figure by the Gods, favoured by Zeus (Laurence Olivier) due to his being an extra-marital offspring of the wild-oats sowing beardy, but jealously despised by some of the others.
In essence, coming out as it did early in the decade, the film also feels as if it's being pushed and pulled from opposing sides: not as alluring as an actual 70s work but not yet full 80s in tone, it's personified best in Perseus' character. For me, Burgess Meredith and the stop-motion FX are the highlight.

3½ head-snakes out of 5

Mysterious Island (1961)

To date, at least ten filmed versions exist of Jules Verne's 1874 sequel to his famous Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) novel; this one is from Columbia Pictures, and like the others is only partially faithful to its source.
Set during the 1865 American Civil War, a small group of Union soldiers escape a Confederate prison via a hot air balloon that's conveniently moored near their cell. Once in the air their luck runs out and fierce winds blow them miles out to sea, crashing them upon the titular mysterious island, a place where strange creatures roam (when they aren't waiting quietly until needed).
The last third of the film is the most interesting provided you're familiar with the aforementioned Twenty Thousand Leagues story, otherwise you'll have to take even more on faith than the rest of us do.

3 lead shoes out of 5

20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)

A successful but straightforward blend of 50s sci-fi movie and creature feature that's almost as familiar as it is fun. Film-lovers versed in the language of such things will even be able to predict the timing of zooms and cutaways. What helps distinguish it from a hundred others is that it's set in a small fishing village in Southern Sicily, not in America, and, best of all, the creature FX are amazing! Also to its credit it takes cues from the more sophisticated entries in the genres, which means we're given an opportunity to develop a sympathetic bond with the creature, one that ties in with the obligatory philosophically poignant line of closing dialogue. If the script hadn't been cookie cutter elsewhere the film could've been great for more than just visual reasons.
A colourised version exists if you're allergic to B+W; I've not watched it.

3 frightened sheep out of 5

Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

I see Clash of the Titans (1981) frequently cited as being Ray Harryhausen's masterpiece. Titans is a good film, for sure, but for me there's no contest, Argonauts tops it. If I was able to plot on a graph how my love for stop-motion was established then the highest peak would represent Argonauts.

Don Chaffey's film has a lasting appeal that's almost on par with the fabulous Greek myths that make up its plot. Some of those myths got rewritten, but it's okay because the highly versatile quest structure remains ageless and easily relatable. We're with Jason every step of the way, no matter how ill-advised or dangerous his reactions seem at the time. (Seriously, Jason, WTF?)
He's allowed free will but is nevertheless a pawn of the gods, aided by Hera (Honor Blackman) and hindered by Zeus (Niall MacGinnis). The power of prophecy to initiate action and of belief to sustain it is ever-present.

5 divine strategies out of 5

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)

Columbia's third and final Sinbad movie with Ray Harryhausen as visual effects artist had the highest budget of the trio but is the least enjoyable overall.
The lead role was once again recast, with the softly-spoken Patrick Wayne now taking the helm. Wayne looked the part but was too passive to be believable as a legendary seafaring swordsman. It's perhaps for the best that the lazy script give him very little to do. Jane Seymour has great hair, but her princess role-play is less impressive. In fact, the entire cast give the impression that they're part of an elaborate and badly acted play.
The saving grace is that there's a lot of stop-motion, although the mythical creatures were lessened, replaced mostly with some less exotic prehistoric animals. It's perhaps one for Harryhausen fans only.

2½ cheers for Trog out of 5

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)

Sinbad’s love of shiny trinkets and curvy women land him in hot (sea) water once more. There’s also an evil magician to contend with (Tom Baker).
Despite having a new actor in the role of Sinbad (John Phillip Law), a new director (Gordon Hessler), and a new composer (Miklós Rózsa) the second adventure is unmistakably Sinbad-ish. The colourful Arabian imagery, the theatrics, the derring-do of the characters and the amazing stop-motion creatures of Ray Harryhausen mean it’s faithful to the previous film in every way. You don’t need to have watched the previous film (The 7th Voyage (1958)) prior to Golden Voyage, because they’re both standalone stories.

3½ middle eastern flavours out of 5

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)

Don’t waste time looking for the previous 6 voyages, because 7th was the first in what became a trilogy of Sinbad adventures made by Columbia Pictures.
It’s unrealistically theatrical and exotic, the fight scenes are laughable and the plot is thinner than the puffs of green smoke that seem to be everywhere, but it’s Ray Harryhausen’s animated creatures that we all want to see and in that he doesn't disappoint.
Bernard Herrmann adds his talents, too. His romance themes are as you'd expect, but the rousing adventure music is perfectly suited.
Despite being the dashing hero, it’s hard not to see Sinbad as the invader given that he goes uninvited and takes something that isn't his.

3½ anchors dropped out of 5

Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan (2011)

Some people grew up watching Disney on the TV. Some grew up watching Muppets. I grew up watching Harryhausen. He wasn't the first to use stop motion animation in cinema, but he was certainly the most influential and a large part of the reason it remains so well-loved. The film takes the viewer chronologically through every feature he made, showing dailies and screen tests with commentary from the man himself. The bulk of it is an interview with Ray; his memories are an invaluable treasure trove of information.
Modern filmmakers, people like Spielberg (respectful), Del Toro (the one that embodies the creative spirit most) and Cameron (talks out of his ass, as usual), tell their own stories of how they were inspired by him. If you're a Harryhausen fan, Special Effects Titan is essential viewing.

4 creature armatures out of 5