67 reviews
The film that helped usher in Hollywood's giant bug craze, this isn't half-bad. Special effects are pathetic even for the time, but the story is gripping enough and the acting first-rate. Peter Graves plays a scientist working on food growth via radiation. Grasshoppers get at these plants and grow to the size of a bus. They find humans much tastier than their usual fare. They invade Chicago after tearing up the countryside, and it's a race to the finish to see whether anything can be done to stop them before the Army nukes Chicago. Morris "Colonel Fielding" Ankrum is a grumpy general, and Peggie Castle is a reporter investigating the story. Lots of fun. We never see the monsters actually come into contact with any of the humans they devour, but the closeup facial shots of various actors about to be eaten are priceless.
Audrey Ames (Peggie Castle), an enterprising journalist, tries to get the scoop on giant grasshoppers accidentally created at the Illinois State experimental farm. She endeavors to save Chicago, despite a military cover-up.
Whether or not you will enjoy this film comes down to whether or not you are ready for good, cheap fun. Yes, the effects are not that amazing and in some cases are incredibly fake. The acting is nothing special, and there are some scenes that are most likely stock footage. But this is a fun, popcorn-eating film! Director Bert Gordon (a Wisconsin native) had his special niche, and he deserves more credit than he usually gets. Maybe some day we will see a nice box set of his work...
Whether or not you will enjoy this film comes down to whether or not you are ready for good, cheap fun. Yes, the effects are not that amazing and in some cases are incredibly fake. The acting is nothing special, and there are some scenes that are most likely stock footage. But this is a fun, popcorn-eating film! Director Bert Gordon (a Wisconsin native) had his special niche, and he deserves more credit than he usually gets. Maybe some day we will see a nice box set of his work...
Thank you Bert I Gordon for making films which nobody else (except maybe Roger Corman) would dare to make, and for making them so definitively that no one would ever dare to remake them.
The Beginning of the End actually has a promising beginning. It follows Audrey Aimes (Castle) a young woman reporter who runs into a military roadblock and begins snooping around by introducing herself to the operation's CO, who happens to have read some of her wartime coverage and is willing to cooperate to a point. Weird and inexplicable happenings have been reported in a nearby town (site of the roadblock). In fact, we discover, the entire town has been wiped out. When Audrey finally gets to briefly tour the site, we are shown some footage of tornado devastation which is supposed to be the result. Then she meets Peter Graves (playing Peter Graves playing an entomologist working with radioactive plants). there is a decent enough amount of back-story, and the characters are all likable and interesting, but then theatrical disaster strikes - in the form of a totally ludicrous plot.
Two words - giant grasshoppers. And they are split-screened (poorly) into stock footage or scraps from some heavily edited war movie. I .... just can't go ... on.
As the absurdities continue to unfold, you will be impressed by the absolute seriousness with which the cast portrays their characters, and positively blown away by the enormously long cinematographic (un)dramatic pauses as we watch hordes of soldiers marching by in different directions with nothing going on around them, giant out-of-focus grasshoppers climbing up postcards of skyscrapers and sometimes slipping on the glossy surface, and 1-2 minute-long fixed frame shots of cars approaching from miles away.
I love giant monster movies, but this is definitely not one of the better ones. Still, it's harmless, more intelligent than the average sex comedy and more relevant than the usual political campaign.
The Beginning of the End actually has a promising beginning. It follows Audrey Aimes (Castle) a young woman reporter who runs into a military roadblock and begins snooping around by introducing herself to the operation's CO, who happens to have read some of her wartime coverage and is willing to cooperate to a point. Weird and inexplicable happenings have been reported in a nearby town (site of the roadblock). In fact, we discover, the entire town has been wiped out. When Audrey finally gets to briefly tour the site, we are shown some footage of tornado devastation which is supposed to be the result. Then she meets Peter Graves (playing Peter Graves playing an entomologist working with radioactive plants). there is a decent enough amount of back-story, and the characters are all likable and interesting, but then theatrical disaster strikes - in the form of a totally ludicrous plot.
Two words - giant grasshoppers. And they are split-screened (poorly) into stock footage or scraps from some heavily edited war movie. I .... just can't go ... on.
As the absurdities continue to unfold, you will be impressed by the absolute seriousness with which the cast portrays their characters, and positively blown away by the enormously long cinematographic (un)dramatic pauses as we watch hordes of soldiers marching by in different directions with nothing going on around them, giant out-of-focus grasshoppers climbing up postcards of skyscrapers and sometimes slipping on the glossy surface, and 1-2 minute-long fixed frame shots of cars approaching from miles away.
I love giant monster movies, but this is definitely not one of the better ones. Still, it's harmless, more intelligent than the average sex comedy and more relevant than the usual political campaign.
This is one of the most enjoyable of the 1950s "big bug" movies. Filmed in 1957, in the middle of my favorite sci-fi era, this film enjoys a better than average cast than you would expect for B science fiction.
People begin to disappear in the surrounding communities outside Chicago. Photographer/journalist Audrey Aimes, portrayed by the lovely Peggy Castle, stops to visit Dr. Wainwright, the Dept. of Agriculture scientist who has used radiation on his plants to make them larger, only to discover that grasshoppers have feasted on them, thus making an army of giant sized locusts. This sounds pretty lame by today's standards but this was standard fare for 1950s science fiction, in the days when we were scared to death of having a nuclear weapon dropped on us and being taken over "from within."
After the discovery of what has happened and why, the rest of the story deals with what to do before the grasshoppers destroy Chicago. Fortunately for all, this did not happen. I won't give the ending away be will provide a hint: View 1963's Day of the Triffids.
Reviewers have not been kind to this film and perhaps rightfully so. However, within the context of the preposterous story and extremely limited budget, its not so bad. Beginning of the End starred Peter Graves, a sci-fi regular of that time in his pre-Mission: Impossible days and whose brother, James Arness, was riding high as Marshall Dillon in television's Gunsmoke. (You may recall that Arness starred in 1954's Them!, about huge ants terrorizing Los Angeles. This was the film that started the big bug craze). Peggy Castle was cool and calm as the female lead and was a forerunner of sorts to today's' strong woman in action films. And, this was yet another film of many whereas Morris Ankrum played a military general.
Special effects were not too good even for that era and are downright atrocious by the standards of today. We see grasshoppers walking upon photos of various places in Chicago and the super imposed shots are of very poor quality. The storyline stretches even the keenest imagination, as we are led to believe that Chicago can be 100% evacuated within 24 hours, and this with thousands of homeless refugees from the outlying communities camping out in the inner city!
Even so, Beginning of the End possesses the low budget charm that subsequent eras have not been able to duplicate. This is one of those films that is fun to watch and is the sole reason one should do so. Saturday night late is the best time. I like to view it alone and recall a far simpler time in my life and our world at large. At least, the times seemed simpler. Perhaps they were not and that may be what films such as these were all about.
People begin to disappear in the surrounding communities outside Chicago. Photographer/journalist Audrey Aimes, portrayed by the lovely Peggy Castle, stops to visit Dr. Wainwright, the Dept. of Agriculture scientist who has used radiation on his plants to make them larger, only to discover that grasshoppers have feasted on them, thus making an army of giant sized locusts. This sounds pretty lame by today's standards but this was standard fare for 1950s science fiction, in the days when we were scared to death of having a nuclear weapon dropped on us and being taken over "from within."
After the discovery of what has happened and why, the rest of the story deals with what to do before the grasshoppers destroy Chicago. Fortunately for all, this did not happen. I won't give the ending away be will provide a hint: View 1963's Day of the Triffids.
Reviewers have not been kind to this film and perhaps rightfully so. However, within the context of the preposterous story and extremely limited budget, its not so bad. Beginning of the End starred Peter Graves, a sci-fi regular of that time in his pre-Mission: Impossible days and whose brother, James Arness, was riding high as Marshall Dillon in television's Gunsmoke. (You may recall that Arness starred in 1954's Them!, about huge ants terrorizing Los Angeles. This was the film that started the big bug craze). Peggy Castle was cool and calm as the female lead and was a forerunner of sorts to today's' strong woman in action films. And, this was yet another film of many whereas Morris Ankrum played a military general.
Special effects were not too good even for that era and are downright atrocious by the standards of today. We see grasshoppers walking upon photos of various places in Chicago and the super imposed shots are of very poor quality. The storyline stretches even the keenest imagination, as we are led to believe that Chicago can be 100% evacuated within 24 hours, and this with thousands of homeless refugees from the outlying communities camping out in the inner city!
Even so, Beginning of the End possesses the low budget charm that subsequent eras have not been able to duplicate. This is one of those films that is fun to watch and is the sole reason one should do so. Saturday night late is the best time. I like to view it alone and recall a far simpler time in my life and our world at large. At least, the times seemed simpler. Perhaps they were not and that may be what films such as these were all about.
- hwg1957-102-265704
- May 9, 2020
- Permalink
This movie has all the cliches. There's the scientist who is not only handy with a tommy gun but also starts giving orders to the military. There's the terrible dialogue. A soldier says "We found some guns, the kind people keep in houses". What?? There's even a guy who says "Worshington". And of course the giant grasshoppers can climb buildings. If you only see one giant bug movie, make sure it's not this one.
During the 1950s, there were huge numbers of giant creatures gone wild films. There were giant Gila Monsters, ants, bees, wasps, shrews...you name it. What most of these movies also have in common is that they were terrible--with lousy special effects and silly stories. One of the few exceptions was "Them!". While not high art, at least they created some cool giant fake ants for this one. Most of the rest of the films really dropped the ball and the scary creatures looked utterly ridiculous...and this is definitely the case with "The Beginning of the End".
"The Beginning of the End" is a film that finds enormous grasshoppers that cannot be easily stopped thanks to the miracle of radiation! Entymologist, Dr. Wainwright (Peter Graves), and newspaper reporter, Audrey Aimes (Peggie Castle), try to warn folks...but naturally no one will listen until it's almost too late.
The biggest problem with this film is the utter cheapness of the production. Many of the scenes where the military attacks the creatures are laughable--sloppy in every possible way. It's very obvious that many of the clips are just stock military footage with grasshoppers sloppily placed on top of the footage. And, to make it worse, a very high percentage of the film consists of this footage. The scenes without the footage are actually pretty good and the folks do their best.
It's hard to believe now, since he had a good career in films and television, but Peter Graves made several crappy sci-fi/horror films in the 1950s. So, if you find this film unintentionally hilarious, will you be in for a treat if you see him in "It Conquered the World" or "Killers from Space"...films so bad that "The Beginning of the End" looks almost like "Masterpiece Theatre" by comparison!!
"The Beginning of the End" is a film that finds enormous grasshoppers that cannot be easily stopped thanks to the miracle of radiation! Entymologist, Dr. Wainwright (Peter Graves), and newspaper reporter, Audrey Aimes (Peggie Castle), try to warn folks...but naturally no one will listen until it's almost too late.
The biggest problem with this film is the utter cheapness of the production. Many of the scenes where the military attacks the creatures are laughable--sloppy in every possible way. It's very obvious that many of the clips are just stock military footage with grasshoppers sloppily placed on top of the footage. And, to make it worse, a very high percentage of the film consists of this footage. The scenes without the footage are actually pretty good and the folks do their best.
It's hard to believe now, since he had a good career in films and television, but Peter Graves made several crappy sci-fi/horror films in the 1950s. So, if you find this film unintentionally hilarious, will you be in for a treat if you see him in "It Conquered the World" or "Killers from Space"...films so bad that "The Beginning of the End" looks almost like "Masterpiece Theatre" by comparison!!
- planktonrules
- Feb 20, 2017
- Permalink
This movie starts slow, goes at a slow pace, and finally ends slow. This movie is about giant locast that are overrunning Chicago. As interesting as this sounds, it isn't. Most of the film is watching grasshoppers that are super imposed on the background just run around. I don't mind using this technique, and I understand why they do back in the 50's, but couldn't they build something. A pincher, anything. Never is a person near one of these killer grasshoppers, at least build part of one and show someone being scooped up. And they are not very consistent on how easy this things are killed. In some scenes the grasshoppers die from regular machine gun fire, the next they can withstand tanks. The only saving grace to the film is actor Peter Graves.
Typical giant bug movie. Nuclear fallout turns regular grasshoppers into truck-sized killing machines. Scientist Ed Wainwright (Peter Graves) tries to figure out how to stop the over-sized insects (the solution may or may not be nuking Chicago), while reporter Audrey Ames (Peggie Castle) investigates the whole thing and falls for Ed. As expected, the whole thing is quite laughable (somehow, Illinois has California-style hills), although Audrey is actually pretty hot.
If you really want to watch this movie, then watch the "MST3K" version. Mike, Servo and Crow really have some fun with this one, as you might imagine.
If you really want to watch this movie, then watch the "MST3K" version. Mike, Servo and Crow really have some fun with this one, as you might imagine.
- lee_eisenberg
- May 17, 2005
- Permalink
Beginning of the End was one of the scariest movies I ever saw. I saw it at the age of nine at our local first-time A-flick theater, the State. When it ran at the second-run B-flick theater, the Rialto, I dragged my little brother Jeff to see it. He watched it from between the seats. We used to sit up and watch Shock Theater and we knew scary when we saw it.
What a lot of people miss today, is that the popular science magazines at the time "Beginning..." came out were full of speculation about using radiation to enhance crops and livestock, just like the experiments in Peter Grave's agricultural station in the movie. I also remember that Bert Gordon's earlier movie, King Dinosaur, came out after a close approach to earth by an asteroid was in the news. These movies were ripped fresh from the headlines.
Yes, the low budget values are low. There's the ponderous pseudoWagnerian Albert Glasser music Da-DUM-da-da-da-DA-DUM motif for reporter-driving-down-road, cop-driving-down-road, reporter-stopping-at-road-block, etc. We see the mountains of Illinois that look suspiciously like southern California (at least they did not use Bronson Canyon in this one (they didn't did they?).)
Yes, they do use the same stock footage three times for rear projection behind characters "driving" down the road, but, hey, they DO tint the stock footage for the nighttime driving scene.
But the woman reporter, Peggy Castle, is not only a good looker, but a strong woman who is treated as a equal by most of the men, who show her respect. She is a tough cookie like Beverly Garland in It Conquered the World. Not a typical 1950s bimbo or weak sister. I always thought Peggy Castle's character taught Peter Grave's character how to be a man.
And when Morris Ankrum is in uniform, you know however dicey the situation, right and good will triumph in the end. Even in the Beginning of the End.
This movie does have a message: if you park on a lonely road and engage in illicit teenage necking, you will be eaten by giant mutant grasshoppers.
What a lot of people miss today, is that the popular science magazines at the time "Beginning..." came out were full of speculation about using radiation to enhance crops and livestock, just like the experiments in Peter Grave's agricultural station in the movie. I also remember that Bert Gordon's earlier movie, King Dinosaur, came out after a close approach to earth by an asteroid was in the news. These movies were ripped fresh from the headlines.
Yes, the low budget values are low. There's the ponderous pseudoWagnerian Albert Glasser music Da-DUM-da-da-da-DA-DUM motif for reporter-driving-down-road, cop-driving-down-road, reporter-stopping-at-road-block, etc. We see the mountains of Illinois that look suspiciously like southern California (at least they did not use Bronson Canyon in this one (they didn't did they?).)
Yes, they do use the same stock footage three times for rear projection behind characters "driving" down the road, but, hey, they DO tint the stock footage for the nighttime driving scene.
But the woman reporter, Peggy Castle, is not only a good looker, but a strong woman who is treated as a equal by most of the men, who show her respect. She is a tough cookie like Beverly Garland in It Conquered the World. Not a typical 1950s bimbo or weak sister. I always thought Peggy Castle's character taught Peter Grave's character how to be a man.
And when Morris Ankrum is in uniform, you know however dicey the situation, right and good will triumph in the end. Even in the Beginning of the End.
This movie does have a message: if you park on a lonely road and engage in illicit teenage necking, you will be eaten by giant mutant grasshoppers.
- CarlNaamanBrown
- Oct 26, 2005
- Permalink
- BandSAboutMovies
- Jan 31, 2021
- Permalink
Bert I Gordon has given the classic sci-fi and horror community plenty to enjoy and that doesn't mean that Mr BIG's films are going to win any Academy awards, but they certainly entertain and isn't that why most of us watch films? Stars Peter Graves, Peggie Castle amd Morris Ankrum take a back seat to mutated grasshoppers in this classic from 1957. Personally, I skip the MST3K version of the film, the original version is much more fun and entertaining on it's own.
- ClassixFan
- Jul 30, 2002
- Permalink
Bert I Gordon.....you gotta love this man. He was the maven of cheapo science fiction films in the 50's and gave us a lot of laughs and fun from his efforts. Don't get me wrong....I think his films are worth watching. There was always a message of some kind, albeit ludicrous and his "special effects" were of the superimposed, see-through type.....but still you get a kick out of viewing people running from oversized insects, amazing colossal men, etc. This film, like most during the 50's deals with mutation of some life form (here it's grasshoppers) into giant beasts who wreak havoc on the world.....in this case Chicago or postcards of Chicago as in the building climbing sequence at the finale. Peter Graves, who seemed to be stuck in this type of film for several years, does a serviceable job as the hero but probably wished he could be someplace else. Peggy Castle plays it straight as the gal pal and some other faces that we all know pop up in supporting roles. But it's the grasshoppers who steal the show.....crawling around on pictures, flying through the air and apparently eating people alive. We salute you, Bert I. Gordon!!! You made late night TV viewing worthwhile!
- mark.waltz
- May 16, 2018
- Permalink
- bensonmum2
- Oct 7, 2007
- Permalink
Plot: government experiment with radiation produces giant locusts who try to eat Chicago. This is the sort of trashy movie they used to make for "drive-in" theaters in the 1950s. The special effects are so bad that they are unintentionally funny. It's a bit slow at times, because there are a lot of long scenes where the characters are just talking. (When you are making a low budget film, talking scenes are cheap to shoot.) However, when there are action scenes (giant bugs vs the US Army) they are pretty good. The Mystery Science Theater version of this film is one of their better episodes. The best jokes are when Mike and the bots are speaking in "bug voices."
- robertmurray-70637
- Oct 6, 2019
- Permalink
- kevinolzak
- Mar 30, 2019
- Permalink
END was one of those 1950s sci-fi quickies that briefly played the nation's drive ins and then were resurrected on TV a few years later, to play endlessly to fill time. Peter Graves is a scientist battling giant grasshoppers, which are shown climbing photos of the Chicago skyline and otherwise are poorly matted into some live action scenes, so they appear to be the ghosts of grasshoppers. I suspect some of the fightin' army sequences were also used in the same director's AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN and COLOSSAL BEAST, which used the same poor matte special effects. You know the scene in ATTACK OF THE 50-FOOT WOMAN where Alison Hayes picks up a photo of a car? That's the level of the special effects going on here. Minus the comely Ms. Hayes. Skip it. Even the MST3K version doesn't help much.
- xredgarnetx
- Feb 24, 2006
- Permalink
Beginning of the End (1957) When better to meet your new man than while saving the world from GIANT radioactive grasshoppers! That's what happened to Audrey Ames in "Beginning of the End". Audrey is a persistent reporter who is trying to get the scoop on a new story discovered on her way to a lackluster flying demonstration. On her way to the flying demo, she is stopped at a roadblock to a town that's been mysteriously destroyed! On a hunch, she visits a handsome entomologist named Dr Ed Wainwright. Little does she know that Dr Wainwright is the source of all the trouble in town! After much research, the Dr Ed and Audrey find the first attack site of the killer locust! A little too late for poor Frank Johnson, Dr Wainwright's assistant. Escaping from the locust appetite, the pair try move quickly to convince the army of the problem at hand. After several mistakes and delays, the army is preparing a final assault on the grasshoppers outside and in Chicago! The dilemma: an Atom bomb or a sketchy pied piper routine, which will save the day...
Beginning of the End is an amusing movie to watch! The acting is traditional of the sci fi movies of the era. The special effects are mediocre, but the humor in retrospect is delightful. After some research, I discovered this movie is a B movie attempt at recreating the success of "Them". The studio tried to save some money by using some special effect footage several times and didn't build miniatures to imitate the city. Apparently, the director even went as far as to hire the star of "Them"s brother to fulfill the lead roll of Beginning of the End. The science behind the story line is patchy at best. Several key mistakes were quoted by the scientist and army officers. If you are a fan of cheesy sci fi suspense movies, give this flick a try! You will not be disappointed. Who knows maybe you'll learn something that could save the world the next time we are attacked by radioactive BUGS!
Beginning of the End is an amusing movie to watch! The acting is traditional of the sci fi movies of the era. The special effects are mediocre, but the humor in retrospect is delightful. After some research, I discovered this movie is a B movie attempt at recreating the success of "Them". The studio tried to save some money by using some special effect footage several times and didn't build miniatures to imitate the city. Apparently, the director even went as far as to hire the star of "Them"s brother to fulfill the lead roll of Beginning of the End. The science behind the story line is patchy at best. Several key mistakes were quoted by the scientist and army officers. If you are a fan of cheesy sci fi suspense movies, give this flick a try! You will not be disappointed. Who knows maybe you'll learn something that could save the world the next time we are attacked by radioactive BUGS!
It looks like more than a couple of the many locusts filmed for this B-movie were actually roasted, blown up, and drowned for the sake of art. If so, they died in vain.
"Beginning Of The End" is a Bert I. Gordon film that shows why people remember Roger Corman so fondly. At least with Corman, there was some offbeat element, a sparkle of wit, to liven up the dullest package. Here, the exercise is so rote and bland, you might as well be watching window cleaners or traffic cops doing their daily chores.
Peggie Castle and Peter Graves were getting enough work in the 1950s that they didn't need to show up here. She's a reporter hot on the trail of a big story, of an Illinois town that mysteriously became a desolate ruin overnight. He is an entomologist with the Department of Agriculture who is using radiation to enlarge crops (kids, don't try this at home) and wonders if something else has grown, too.
Yes, as it turns out. Locusts.
Imagine locusts grown to 20 times the size of a man. Can you picture that? Good. It helps if you can do that for about 90 minutes, because the special effects in "The Beginning Of The End" are little help. The film features superimposed real bugs running over postcards and stock footage, like something you could have done with an ant farm and a Super 8 camera when you were 12. Nothing on screen really seems like anything you couldn't have made at home, not even back in the 1950s.
Graves and Castle aren't well integrated into the story. They spend an absurd amount of time playing odd sounds for captive bugs and staring at oscillators while the city of Chicago blows up around them. The Army, in their infinite wisdom, determines the only way to save the Windy City is to nuke it. Graves ponders another possibility. Locusts seem to like one particular kind of noise. What if that could be used against them?
I wish I could say "Beginning Of The End" is so hokey its fun. The problem is its not bad enough that way to be worthwhile. It's not "Eegah!" or "Robot Monster" where the incompetence gives you something to think about and enjoy. It's strictly by-the-numbers drive-in fodder way past its sell-by date. Graves is especially dull, raising his eyebrow once in a while so you know he's the same guy who delivered that great line about gladiators, but offering little else. Castle does the best here, even showing off the world's first-ever car phone while giving orders to her boss, but she's supercargo way too early.
Even the Mystery Science Theater 3000 gang do little to make this worthwhile. Of course, by the time they got around to "Beginning Of The End," Mike Nelson had replaced Joel Hodgson and it was the beginning of the end for that show, too, but even in its glory days MST3K would have had little success skewering "Beginning Of The End." There's just nothing here to skewer.
"Beginning Of The End" is a Bert I. Gordon film that shows why people remember Roger Corman so fondly. At least with Corman, there was some offbeat element, a sparkle of wit, to liven up the dullest package. Here, the exercise is so rote and bland, you might as well be watching window cleaners or traffic cops doing their daily chores.
Peggie Castle and Peter Graves were getting enough work in the 1950s that they didn't need to show up here. She's a reporter hot on the trail of a big story, of an Illinois town that mysteriously became a desolate ruin overnight. He is an entomologist with the Department of Agriculture who is using radiation to enlarge crops (kids, don't try this at home) and wonders if something else has grown, too.
Yes, as it turns out. Locusts.
Imagine locusts grown to 20 times the size of a man. Can you picture that? Good. It helps if you can do that for about 90 minutes, because the special effects in "The Beginning Of The End" are little help. The film features superimposed real bugs running over postcards and stock footage, like something you could have done with an ant farm and a Super 8 camera when you were 12. Nothing on screen really seems like anything you couldn't have made at home, not even back in the 1950s.
Graves and Castle aren't well integrated into the story. They spend an absurd amount of time playing odd sounds for captive bugs and staring at oscillators while the city of Chicago blows up around them. The Army, in their infinite wisdom, determines the only way to save the Windy City is to nuke it. Graves ponders another possibility. Locusts seem to like one particular kind of noise. What if that could be used against them?
I wish I could say "Beginning Of The End" is so hokey its fun. The problem is its not bad enough that way to be worthwhile. It's not "Eegah!" or "Robot Monster" where the incompetence gives you something to think about and enjoy. It's strictly by-the-numbers drive-in fodder way past its sell-by date. Graves is especially dull, raising his eyebrow once in a while so you know he's the same guy who delivered that great line about gladiators, but offering little else. Castle does the best here, even showing off the world's first-ever car phone while giving orders to her boss, but she's supercargo way too early.
Even the Mystery Science Theater 3000 gang do little to make this worthwhile. Of course, by the time they got around to "Beginning Of The End," Mike Nelson had replaced Joel Hodgson and it was the beginning of the end for that show, too, but even in its glory days MST3K would have had little success skewering "Beginning Of The End." There's just nothing here to skewer.
Peggie Castle portrays an intrepid reporter investigating the wipe-out of a small suburban town outside Chicago. The military won't reveal information, so she winds up at an entomologist's compound, headed by Peter Graves. His nutrients have created super vegetables, for world hunger, but with horrific repercussions. The first appearance of a gigantic locust is frightening, aided by excellent Albert Glasser music, shrill insect sounds and competent special effects (real bugs magnified via rear projection and/or mattes). The acting is all polished by Graves, Castle, perennial favorite Morris Ankrum (as a general, again), others. Military stock footage is seamlessly interwoven into the battle scenes. The Special Edition DVD print is beautiful (skip the shoddy Mystery Science Theater version - I HATE MST, they ridicule good pictures), looking like a new film, shimmering black and white photography, properly framed at 1:66 to 1, eliminating any grasshoppers crawling outside a skyscraper into the sky. 73 minute running time works wonders, without bloated padding and gratuitous violence. It moves efficiently and competently, thanks to director Bert I. Gordon and the rest of the crew.
- rmax304823
- Oct 31, 2013
- Permalink
This wouldn't be that bad a movie if not for the fact that it was a film that certainly seemed to have potential. I mean come on, it's a movie with the title of "Beginning Of The End"! There are so many possibilities for what you could do with this! Instead, I was majorly disappointed to find out it was just a movie about giant grasshoppers or insects or whatever they were. There are said to be hundreds of these things, but we only see about a dozen or so of them. The special effects are just embarrassing with obvious stock footage of the insects. It really does look like a post card at the end.
I mean, I guess it's the first movie I've seen with giant locusts, although I'm sure there have been ones with regular sized swarming locusts. This looks more like it was made in the 1930's. No, to say that would be an insult to the classic "King Kong" movie. This is just odd to look at on all levels. I don't understand the end of this. They just go into the water and die? I really don't even care to look into it that deeply. *1/2
I mean, I guess it's the first movie I've seen with giant locusts, although I'm sure there have been ones with regular sized swarming locusts. This looks more like it was made in the 1930's. No, to say that would be an insult to the classic "King Kong" movie. This is just odd to look at on all levels. I don't understand the end of this. They just go into the water and die? I really don't even care to look into it that deeply. *1/2
- ericstevenson
- Jun 9, 2016
- Permalink
Sorry, it's a bit hard to hear myself think over that loud blaring music.
Another opus from Bert I. Gordon (of "Amazing Colossal Man" fame), this was one pretty much cut from the same bolt: huge creatures mutated by atomic radiation, really cheesy special effects (even by '50's sci-fi movie standards), loud pompous music, handsome dashing hero, pert, perky blonde heroine, etc.
This movie may not have Glenn Langan (or even William Hudson for that matter), it does have Peter Graves, which more than makes up for any Glennlessness. (Both movies have Hank Patterson, by the way).
Overall, this is an OK movie, given its time and genre; the really bad special effects previously alluded to will make you smile, and the mellow take-charge presence of Peter Graves will leave you feeling warm and secure - sort like you used to when you fel asleep in the back seat of you parents' car on long trips while Mom and Dad sat up front, taking care of everything.
Aaaahhhhh, now if they'd only turn down that music.
Another opus from Bert I. Gordon (of "Amazing Colossal Man" fame), this was one pretty much cut from the same bolt: huge creatures mutated by atomic radiation, really cheesy special effects (even by '50's sci-fi movie standards), loud pompous music, handsome dashing hero, pert, perky blonde heroine, etc.
This movie may not have Glenn Langan (or even William Hudson for that matter), it does have Peter Graves, which more than makes up for any Glennlessness. (Both movies have Hank Patterson, by the way).
Overall, this is an OK movie, given its time and genre; the really bad special effects previously alluded to will make you smile, and the mellow take-charge presence of Peter Graves will leave you feeling warm and secure - sort like you used to when you fel asleep in the back seat of you parents' car on long trips while Mom and Dad sat up front, taking care of everything.
Aaaahhhhh, now if they'd only turn down that music.