The Deadly Mantis

When compared to its 1950's, big bug movie brethren like "Them" and "Tarantula", "The Deadly Mantis" doesn't compare. It's disappointing in many ways but it's mostly just dull, loaded with stock footage and radar tracking of the Mantis. The whole affair comes off as a celebration of military technology, which I'm sure was intentionally done as the U.S. was in the midst of a nuclear weapons build up with the Soviet Union. A large amount of chest-thumping was required back then. The movie is really boring. There's a lot of straight-faced pseudoscience delivered in during mostly pointless discussions. The mantis itself is a very detailed model. It's not convincing when it moves but it looks okay at least when it's on the ground. The model is well used during the attack on the Arctic base, but the later scenes show the mantis engulfed by fog or in a dark tunnel. The scenes with the mantis in flight are awful. This isn't something recommended unless you are a lover of '50s Science Fiction.