An "odd little squid" and ashes to ashes
The question is, was Harry Essex deliberately trying to imitate the way monster movies were made during the 50s or was he just terribly behind the times, a little slow to catch up? I can't decide. At any rate, it is very reminiscent of movies like Creature From the Black Lagoon. The rubber monster was a hoot, all eyes and a teeth lined mouth perpetually set like a big O. Watching this monster walk with tentacles that looked more like pointed shoes was hysterical. The camera work was very trippy (all right, amateurish, I was trying to be kind). They also managed to throw in a message about ecology and recycling. Loved the burning ring of fire sequence. Wish I could say something nice about the bonus movie, The Cremators, but I can't. The lighting was awful; at times everything else in the scene was lit but the actor's faces! There was a running gag with a dancing hippy on the beach that made no sense whatsoever. A lot of the scenes were fixed as single shots that went on...
Octa-Cheeeze...
OK, if you're going into OCTAMAN expecting another CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, w/ excellent fx from Rick Baker, ala AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, you had better look elsewhere. If, however, you love 70s schlocky cheeze, complete w/ idiotic story, heinously bad acting, and a wiggly / wobbly man-in-a-rubber-suit, then you have hit pay-dirt! OCTAMAN is brain-scorching, soul-collapsing torture! View only if you (like me) are a hyper-schlock fanatic!...
Just How I Like My Cheese
This film takes me back to the days of really bad drive in movies (that's good). The rubber suited monster invokes memories of my youth watching my favorite movies (any Japanese rubber suited monster) and brings a smile to my face. Any fan of cheesy fun monster movies will love this one. The film quality and sound are good, and in spite of what other reviewers say, the bonus film is equally interesting to true fans of the genre. In the words of the immortal Roger Ebert (may he rest in peace in the balcony up above) I give it two thumbs up for both.
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