Very well made, enjoyable big bug film, quite logically worked out. A huge tarantula makes a different antagonist (or is it really the protagonist) and it was created for a decent reason - Leo G Carroll is developing technology to help feed the world’s population – as he says, in the year 2005, there may be as many as over three billion people on the planet. Only it makes tarantulas expand to a massive size.
It’s good to see John Agar as the hero, although he is a little smug at times, making a sexist joke about giving women the vote and asking the journalist not to say anything about the tarantula attacks at all until they know what’s going on. Isn’t it better they risk a little panic to people being gobbled up by a large spider? But at least Agar is a professional actor, unlike say Rex Reason, and he is well supported by Mara Corday and especially Carroll.
I loved the scientist’s assistant who keeps interrupting a scene between Agar and a scientist – “good night”, “that’s the last of the stuff you wanted”. There’s also a great climax where Agar arranges for the air force to napalm the crap out of the tarantula (Clint Eastwood is one of the pilots). In some creature movies you feel sympathy for the creature, but not for the nasty tarantula.
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