Reptilicus

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You'd have to be pretty desperate to enjoy this cheesy Danish monster flick, imported by American International Pictures in 1962 to capitalize on Japan's barely-better Godzilla movies. The titular beastie begins as the frozen tail of a prehistoric reptile, discovered when a scientific drill hits a bloody mass of monster flesh buried deep in the Lapland tundra. The tail is accidentally thawed (echoes of The Thing) and regenerates into a massive demon-lizard that spits fluorescent green ooze and terrorizes Copenhagen! Padded with archival military footage and stampedes of panicking Danes, the movie's too earnest to be campy (save for some funny hamming by the science lab's handyman) and too cheap to qualify as a guilty pleasure, with special effects that make rubber-suit romps like Godzilla look masterful by comparison. By the time an unwitting army general says, "It's a good thing there are no more like him," you may find yourself wishing he was right. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

5 stars-for laffs!.......2007-03-20

even as a kid, I thought this movie sucked.
Ive seen pics from the Dane DVD, in which the monster flies around Copenhagen at night-actually looks fairly good, atmospheric and spooky-except this beast has full fledged wings, and the monster on the ground has little 6-inch winglets, that couldnt even generate a breeze.
AIP cut this out because they thought it looked silly.
If that head been a yardstick for criterion, then there would have been little movie left.
The movie turns into "Welcome tho Copenhagen" booster ad.
The Danish version has some sex n' nudity-and lots of slutty dressed Danish girls.
Well at least for 1962.

IF YOU LOVE CAMPY DINOSAUR MEETS MAJOR EUROPEAN CITY MOVIES YOU WILL LOVE THIS -- BUT............2005-09-27

Well, why not? In 1951, Manhattan and Coney Island in NYC met "THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS", Tokyo met "GODZILLA" in 1955, "THE GIANT BEHEMOTH" and "GORGO" visited London in 1959 and 1961, so why can't Copenhagen and "REPTILICUS" celebrate Tivoli Nights in 1962?

ANSWER: They can and did, but no one seems to want this pairing on their dance card.

Sidney Pink, direct from his astronomical epic adventure hits of the previous 5 years ("The Angry Red Planet" and "The Seventh Planet"), was poised for a meteoric launch into movie-making and the right atmosphere was provided by Denmark, particularly within the city of Copenhagen. It was even filmed in Pathe Color, following Pink's oddball effect of having everything in red for the Martian scenes of "The Angry Red Planet", but something was a bit off.

OK, everything was a bit off. The American General running the show was Danish actor Carl Ottosen who for some reason angrily barked every line he had without any apparent reason. The whole production looked dubbed-in -- because it was. Reptilicus was found in an arctic mountain copper prospecting rig in the lapland, yet the lush vegetation and the prospectors' lack of the usual arctic attire said otherwise.

There was too much of such unbelievable stuff and mindless dialogue, including distracting, over-the-top physical comedy by a maintenance man [Peterson]. Peterson [film name & real name] was in the film while Reptilicus was in an "embryonic incubating state" for the purpose of warning the police when Reptilicus made his inevitable dramatic escape. This midnight escape occurs during a thunderstorm which, according to the scientists, may have "electrically charged the air" leading to an acceleration from Reptilicus's "embryonic incubating state" into his Godzilla state. With all the commotion and build-up, what we finally saw was a Reptilicus that looked like a child's rubber bathtub toy --not a rubber ducky, but a rubber Reptilicus with funny little water wings. It was kind of cute, actually. Until this point, however, we the viewers could forgive the weak plot, dubbed-in actors, and renditions of Tivoli Nights which played like a rejected "I LOVE COPENHAGEN" commercial. But a dinosaur monster movie needs a believable dinosaur to help the viewer suspend his/her disbelief. When I saw the "Rubber Water-Winged Reptilicus", I knew that was not to be.

What followed was actually what one would expect. They chased the dinosaur around until American General Grayson [Carl Ottosen] scared Reptilicus back into the sea by donning a hand- held flamethrower after artillery and tanks had failed. Then we waited while they went to Tivoli for some very boring entertainment and renditions of "Tivoli Nights".

Again, this Godzilla wanna-be did have some new and improved dino-monster tricks. He regenerated himself after he was hurt so you could not just whistle up a squadron of R.A.F. bombers and turn him into a Tivoli Fish-Fry because you would have lots of Giant Rubber Water-Winged Reptilicuses in just two weeks. Also, he had an "acid-slime" which he vomited at people who were shooting at him. Then they were simply covered with animated slime and run out of the picture.

It was after his second return and regeneration that I noticed our "Rubber Reptilicus" had yet to be in a frame with any people. The animation and puppet-scale monster really made this effect quite difficult and certainly would have looked ridiculous. Still, it really hurts the movie when the monster and the people are not in the same shots.

Once again, they have some useful ideas like destroying the monster by first putting him to sleep and then worrying about destroying him in one piece later. Ottosen again helped out, this time toting a bazooka with the sleepy-time stuff inside the warhead. We even watched the General make it himself! A shot in the mouth is what this overtired lizard needed, for apparently that is the only place the bazooka would penetrate Reptilicus. I guess they saw "THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS" but it was a wound in the neck made by a Bazooka in that monster flick that did the trick, paving the way for a rifle grenade loaded with radium. Probably if the Danes had the neat subtitle- or language-option feature that their DVD now has they might have gotten that one right.

Anyway, you'll have to see this epic to see how it all ends and whether there are ever any scenes where Reptilicus and people are in the same shot.

ABOUT THE DVD: The cover is pinkish so that you won't lose it and you won't forget Sid Pink who directed, produced and wrote the story and screenplay. The transfer is actually excellent and they give you the usual "Scene Selector" feature and a decent "Reptilicus" Trailer. The disk plays in English or French and you can add French or Spanish subtitles. This is a Region 1 DVD [made for U.S. machines] with a Dual Layer transfer and it does look and sound very sharp.

I have watched this movie since it came out in 1962 probably fifty times, although I can't recall having seen it in the theatre. It is for me, a die-hard monster movie fan, a must-have rather than a must-see. The other dino-monster movies I mentioned earlier are all much better than this one in almost every way, but if you have not seen this one it won't hurt and it will only take 82 minutes. There is no profanity or gore. Simply put, if you like the old creature features, then this is a great DVD transfer of a sub-average film of this rather petite genre.

Ghoulardi would blow this up!.......2005-07-14

I grew up with Cleveland's Ghoulardi regarding 'B'Horror movie aesthetics...and despite this skewered credential (I've seen ALOT of B Horror/sci-fi/fantasy), this movie, THIS movie, eeeerrrrrr drives me nuts!

If there was one thing I could say for it? When I saw this in 1962 at the age of 10 I thought it was pretty cool. During those pre-teen years to come I was mystified with THE ANGRY RED PLANET; thought IT, THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE; TERROR IN THE HAUNTED HOUSE; 13 GHOSTS; THE TINGLER and THE DAY MARS INVADED EARTH to be some of the more frightening movies ever made for a youngster of those times (I'm talkin 'B'movies here which do not include ANY Harryhausen stuff, which is in a class by itself). All of the aforementioned I can still enjoy in a disconnected kinda way.

However with REPTILICUS...I will forever leave that childhood experience buried, though I tried once or twice more to no avail in later years.

I guess you really can't go home again.

Thank you for your negative vote!

"Yumpin' Yiminy! It's Reptilicoos!".......2005-06-18

REPTILICUS is a classic of '50s horror schlock, being Denmark's unfortunately memorable contribution to the "Radiation is Coming to Get Us" giant monster movie genre. Lest we forget.

Produced in 1962 (as with 1961's GORGO, the fad for rubber man-eating reptiles crossed the Pond a bit late), REPTILICUS represents the literal and figurative tail end of this category of movie.

In terms of storyline, script, casting, acting, special effects, and production values, REPTILICUS is an embarrassment primarily because it's so obviously supposed to be a serious entry into the monster movie canon. The Danes no doubt wanted to make their own version of THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS. Sadly, what they got was REPTILICUS, courtesy of American International Pictures.

There's nothing worse than an unintentionally campy movie. To be honest there are few movies worse than REPTILICUS. Still, I recommend it if you just love this sort of thing. REPTILICUS has always been a "C" movie cult favorite, and was the usual television fare at the Clampetts' and the Monkees'.

REPTILICUS suffers right from the outset from its improbable premise. Copenhagen, after all, doesn't strike anybody as the type of place a monster would want to attack. Maybe if this movie had been set on the south side of Chicago it would have had a fighting chance.

A group of prospecting Danish oilmen recover the frozen tail of a mysterious creature from beneath the ice. Taken back to Copenhagen (nobody is sure why) the tail is allowed to defrost and begins regenerating into the monster. Reptilicus manages to escape, and goes on a happy rampage through Denmark's quaint capital city.

The gravest danger to Copenhagen is that the Danes may all laugh themselves to death at the sight of this silly-looking creature, a swaying rubber snake's head with little angel wings on a broomstick, usually seen in the distance. (Reptilicus' grandson appeared in Andy Sidaris' HARD TICKET TO HAWAII without the wings.) Unforgivably poor animation of the beast spitting green acidic slime is mated with atrocious sound quality and none-too special effects. The monster's roar is reminiscent of banging tin cans. Reptilicus proves he's one bad dude by eating a farmer, or at least a badly-drawn transparent cartoon of a farmer, somewhere along the way. Reptilicus' mouth never moves during the process.

Copenhagen's population is comprised of a horde of blonde girls just waiting for macho American men to rescue them from the monster and the local males who are all, well...so, so blond in this movie.

The casting is the high point of REPTILICUS. Nobody anybody knows is in this movie. Let us give thanks it stayed that way. Voluptuous Danish actresses make this film well worth watching if your taste runs to the Nordic. Thank heaven for their nifty accents and bustlines.

Thank heaven as well for the corny, mostly dubbed, thickly accented dialogue that is just so much fun to pick apart. None of the all-Danish cast could speak English. Since REPTILICUS was slated for an American audience, the actors learned their lines phonetically. As a result, the cadence, pronounciation, and emphasis of the dialogue was utterly incomprehensible. AIP, belatedly realizing they'd made a mistake, hired English speakers to voice-over the cast. The result is the worst dubbing in film history, hands down. The dubbed voices just could not be synchronized with the overwrought facial contortions of people trying to speak unnaturally, and so the cast looks as if they all suffer from uncontrollable tics. (The Director sued AIP for this, claiming they'd ruined his movie.)

The acting is downright terrible. I haven't seen so many stiffs outside of a morgue. The American general (played by a dubbed Dane) suffers from a behavioral impulse disorder and is manic depressive. He practically strangles a Danish scientist who disagrees with his "Blow It To Hell" strategy for dealing with Reptilicus. None of the men on camera seem to be able to figure out what to do, either with Reptilicus or with the script.

Director Sid Pink interrupts the action at this point to edit a full-length official government "Come To Denmark" travelogue filmstrip into the picture, just in case you've suddenly decided that you can't wait to visit the Tivoli Gardens, big-breasted blondes, or Reptilicus' house after seeing this movie.

Suffering cramps from too much belly laughter the Danes decide they can't cope with this unnatural disaster (the monster, not the picture...well, yeah...) on their own and call in the UN for military backup. We are then treated to a few minutes of stock footage of a tank battle.

The military does get the drop on Reptilicus eventually. Shortly after blowing off one of Reptilicus' stumpy little arms, the still-unstrangled Danish scientist realizes that any Reptilicus fragments will regenerate into other Reptilicuses (or is it Reptilici?).

So the order is passed: No More Shooting At Reptilicus, Boys. Of course, blond moment, nobody bothers to go searching for the missing limb, which starts to regenerate into Reptilicus II.

Eventually, Reptilicus commits suicide after attending the premiere of this film. The stump of Reptilicus II joins a cult, turns his back on the Hollywood life, and eventually reemerges to publish a healthy lifestyles book, THE HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN DIET (not available anywhere; unfortunately, the same can't be said for this ridiculous flick).

THE LITTLE MERMAID it ain't!

Woman in the Baby Jane make up was scarier than Reptilicus........2005-03-16

REPTILICUS, by Sidney Pink the same guy who brought us THE MAN FROM O.R.G.Y. and THE TWONKY, is pretty close to being the bottom of the barrel as far as giant monster movies of 50's and 60's go. Even THE GIANT GILA MONSTER was better.

The reason REPTILICUS is so bad is not because of the pathetic special effects, the numerous plot holes or even the oddly inserted "Visit Denmark" scenes, but because of the atrocious acting by the entire cast, especially Carl Ottosen who plays a General with wild mood swings. I've seen less wood at a Wooden Indian Convention.

Worth watching once, preferably with some friends to ease the pain.

Ed Wood, Jr. was much better than this.

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