First of all, the monster bird in this movie is NOT scary. It never was, not even to the people in ‘57 who saw it for the first time. It reportedly brought on laughter every time it came on screen due to the movie company’s low budget hiring of a Mexican model-making company to build the bird. They wanted stop motion animation, but Ray Harryhausen was too expensive, so what they got was a marionette. That’s right, an alien marionette! And it’s hilarious.
There are so many things wrong with this movie that it’s actually awesome to watch. It’s the kind of movie you can watch with really young kids and enjoy. The science is off the wall crazy and though they determine the bird is from outer space, the movie poster says it’s from a prehistoric Ice Age. Just so many things to laugh at. I seriously suggest you watch this with young kids and just enjoy listening to them pick it apart! Just have lots of popcorn and enjoy the show.
Hard to believe the Government has been after Big Birds since the 50s! What wouldn’t have been funny to the people of the time is the fact that none of the military’s firepower can bring the bird down. Technology can’t kill it. And seven years after the start of the Korean War, the military looking vulnerable was a frightening thought. There are some great lines, like: “It doesn’t make sense. It’s just a bird. A Big BIRD!” and “It’s hard to come up with answers when you don’t even know what the question is.” Well, the $64 question haunting everyone of that time was “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the communist party of the United States?”
"Attack of the Mexican Marionette Bird" should have been the title. But the best line has to be a news reporter describing the bird's havoc as
“a fantastic orgy of destruction like never before seen.”
Classic.
“a fantastic orgy of destruction like never before seen.”
Classic.
There’s a voiceover narration that adds little other than exposition to the film. The acting is pretty good, so it’s an easy film to watch. Just be prepared to smirk every time the freakin’ bird comes on screen. You think I’m kidding! I mean JUST LOOK AT THIS THING!
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