It always amazes me how so many can be so critical of a SCI FI film from the fifty's that really only meant to offer an hour or two of entertainment and escapism not to throw a world of facts at you and so what the dialog may be long and the effects corny IT'S THE FIFTYS!!! I love the DEADLY MANTIS ,growing up myself in the fifty's this film used to scare me now it's just fills me with fond memories of a simpler time. DON'T try to read too much into this film just enjoy it for what it is, a simple 50's SCI FI film with decent acting and a fun monster. It's no CASABLANCA but it never meant to be. Enjoy and escape back in time to a simpler period!!!ZD

Giant movie monsters, usually (though not necessarily) spawn or awakened by atomic experiments, that subsequently went rampaging through unsuspecting cities could be divided into two categories in the Fifties, the decade in which they were most prevalent. The first and most famous category was reptilian in nature, and hearkened back to Willis O'Brien's Brontosaurus crushing London in 1925's The Lost World, eventually giving rise to the famous ultimate atomic nightmare Gojira (1954) (though certainly not stopping there). The second category consists of the various types of creepy crawlies that together can be sided under the general moniker of 'bugs'. As notable creatures in this regard the giant ants of Them! (1954), the gargantuan 'sixtopus' of Ray Harryhausen's It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955) and the oversized spider in Tarantula (1955) deserve honorable mention. Less well known is the tremendously large praying mantis from The Deadly Mantis, which is not surprising since it offers little that has not been seen in other bug movies, save a different monstrous creature threatening mankind. Nevertheless, it's a fairly entertaining atomic age flick.Surprisingly, the origin of the titular beastie is not actually atomic. In this case, a volcanic eruption is responsible for freeing a 200-ft long prehistoric mantis – since everybody knows that in prehistoric times every animal was stupendously big after all – from its Arctic tomb. The effect is all the same though. The creature travels southwards, wreaking havoc and killing many people in its path. The United States military soon responds to the loss of its polar outposts and sends a team to investigate, which includes a paleontologist, a handsome army officer and a beautiful woman. Of course, the latter pair predictably gets more involved with each other than with the big bug running rampant, as is all too typical for movies from this era. But when the mantis finally attacks Washington D.C. decisive military action is called for and the team searches for a way to annihilate their hideous opponent. But naturally not before it has had a decent opportunity to terrorize a few national landmarks, also an ever delightful genre staple.Nathan Juran, who would continue making similar pictures like The Brain from Planet Arous (1957) and the original cult classic Attack of the 50 ft Woman (1958), serves as a capable director for crafting an enjoyable monster movie out of a by this time already worn-out premise, which betrays his qualities that would later cause him to become a valuable collaborator on several excellent Harryhausen movies, namely the rather similar 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) in which a reptilian/humanoid Venusian threatens Rome, First Men in the Moon (1964) and of course, the wonderful 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958). The obvious mantis mock-up doesn't look as phony as it could have looked under the instructions of a lesser director (though a far cry from realistic), while the cast plays their parts convincingly enough for this type of B-movie. While The Deadly Mantis proves less than a stellar entry into the 'creature' subgenre of the 1950s, it remains somewhat of a cult favorite among fans of the science fiction pictures of the era. However, it's also exemplary of the tail end of the decade, that witnessed the notion of big beasties trampling both civilization and audiences' interest to death in rapid succession in ever cheaper and worse movies, despite the decent start offered by all too similar pictures in the first few years of the First Wave of science fiction films. Don't blame the mantis for that though.

With a film like this you know what to expect - a large bag of pop corn and your brain being left in neutral gear . Science doesn't have to be brought up in a film called THE DEADLY MANTIS but there's still the need for a suspension of disbelief in the storytelling . I don't believe in life on other planets because there's no evidence that there is . That doesn't stop me from being compelled by a television drama from someone like Nigel Kneale because his almost superhuman storytelling technique of spinning an idea out is so intelligent and well done it's impossible not to be caught up in one of his plots . An unexploded bomb being found in London and revealed to be a Martian spaceship is pure fantasy but done so well and with a dramatic realism it's like watching a fly on the wall documentary take place . THE DEADLY MANTIS is an anti-thesis to this From the opening scene the film shoots itself in the foot . A voice over informs us that Northern Canada and the Artic Circle is protected by a ring of radar stations . The Cold War was in full swing and the film has an almost rabidly reactionary edge watching it today , almost as if it's screaming for these damn communists to start something . It also screws up the internal continuity and logic to the movie where the eponymous monster attacks bases and planes and yet it doesn't show up on radar until the story requires it The narrative structure itself is a problem . A base is attacked and a plane brought down but no one except the audience know what's going on . This means the audience are one step ahead of the characters in the movie and are left to twiddle their thumbs until the characters join up the dots . When someone says " Gentlemen we're going nowhere fast " you can't help but nod your head in agreement The classic giant bug film THEM may have also suffered from the same slight problem but that was such an atmospheric film containing moody scenes like the policemen finding the wrecked diner that there was more than enough to hold the audience's attention . Here it isn't and it's not until 33 minutes in to the movie we get to see the giant mantis . As I said continuity is often ignored . For example while attacking a plane earlier in the movie the mantis managed to knock of a chunk of itself but later when it's attacked by rockets and shells it's impervious to them . Let me see a giant mantis can injure itself attacking a plane but something travelling faster than the speed of sound with a warhead of something explosive won't damage it in the slightest ? I know suspension of disbelief is needed but couldn't the screenwriters have thought things through a little more ? Next thing you know they'll be writing a screenplay where a country can protect itself from a zombie attack by building a very high wall There is a market for this type of giant bug sci-fi / horror B movie and I sometimes have affection for these type of films . However to be effective there still needs to be a modicum of intelligence . There's very little in THE DEADLY MANTIS which has a very lazy narrative technique and starting a film by referencing the butterfly effect and Newton's third law doesn't make a dumb film any smarter . There's also a rather militaristic aspect to it but if the American military can't find a giant insect with all their technology how could ever defeat a pre-emptive strike by the Soviets ?

A huge prehistoric praying mantis gets unleashed from an iceberg in the Artic and embarks on the expected destructive spree. Shrewd and helpful paleontologist Dr. Nedrick "Ned" Jackson (a lively and engaging performance by William Hopper) joins forces with the military to find a way to stop the pesky critter. Director Nathan Juran, working from a tight and straightforward script by Martin Berkeley, relates the entertaining story at a steady pace, does a nice job of creating a spooky and mysterious atmosphere in the opening third, maintains a serious tone throughout, and stages the monster attack scenes with real aplomb. This film further benefits from solid acting by an able cast, with especially praiseworthy work by Alix Tilton as perky journalist Marge Blaine, Craig Stevens as the stalwart Col. Joe Parkman, Florenz Ames as the wise Prof. Anton Gunther, and Donald Randolph as the no-nonsense General Mark Ford. The big bug looks pretty gnarly and the climax with the wounded over-sized insect trapped in the Holland Tunnel is both tense and exciting. Ellis W. Carter's sharp cinematography makes neat occasional use of artful fades and dissolves. The robust score by Irving Getz and William Lava does the rousing trick. Best of all, this movie has an earnest quality to it that's impossible to either dislike or resist. A very enjoyable creature feature.