Gorgo (1961) (Blu-ray Review)
Director: Eugene Lourie
Starring: Bill Travers, William Sylvester, Vincent Winter
Rated: UR/Region: A/1X78/1080p/Number of disc: 1
Available from VCI Entertainment
A volcanic eruption in the North Atlantic brings to the surface a 65-foot prehistoric monster. Two treasure divers capture the creature and take him to London where he is put on display in a circus. A scientist is thoughtful enough to point out that the sailors’ bonanza is only an infant, and that a full-grown specimen would be over 200 feet in height. Sure enough, Gorgo’s mama comes thundering ashore, reclaims her offspring and heads back to sea – but not before she trashes a generous portion of London. The special effects in GORGO, provided by Tom Howard – two-time Academy Award winner, are truly admirable. The monster is quite ferocious – except when he wiggles his ears. Released by MGM in 1961.
Here we have another attempt to cash in on the success of Godzilla. This one comes to us in the form of, Gorgo, a MGM release from way back in 1961. This movie is presented here in Technicolor and has been remastered . On the surface this is a bit of a slow mover as we keep watching just waiting for this big giant monster to hurry up and start wrecking things. When that starts the enjoyment level goes way up, but you can get a bit restless waiting to get to that point of the film. You won’t really care about any of the characters, you’ll just be interested in the monster and that is how it should be anyway, right?
And as for our giant wrecking ball of a monster, Gorgo sure isn’t Godzilla. But he is done well enough that you won’t mind the generic vibe he presents overall. The monster himself looks really good and even has wiggling ears. I don’t know about you, but my enjoyment level goes up when a giant monster can smash stuff and still take the time to wiggle his ears. When it all comes down to it, it just all ads to the cheese and fun factor of this film. It isn’t anything that will win any awards with you, but it can be fun to watch and when you are dealing with a giant monster that is all that really matters. Gorgo isn’t ever going to blow your mind in HD, but this isn’t a bad look for the film at all. And this is of course the best it has ever looked to date.
– “Ninth Wonder Of The World: The Making Of Gorgo” a new documentary by Daniel Griffith
– Gorgo – Video Comic Book and Comic Book Cover Gallery
– Extensive Lobby Card & Poster Gallery
– Photo Gallery
– Gorgo Toys & Collectibles Gallery
– Production Notes
– Original Theatrical Trailer
– Pressbook Gallery
– Star Ciné Cosmos – French-language “fumetto” (comic book)
– Restoration Video – Before & After
