Beginning of the End

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Robert K @Cougar2 4 days ago Peggy Castle and Peter Graves (along with a lot of firepower) try to rescue this 1957 'B' flick, but they can't quite get this one off the ground. Another Bert I. Gordon Sci-Fi try. It was pretty 'eh', interesting in places but not memorable. Hank Patterson [Green Acres' Fred Ziffel] appears for about a minute toward the beginning of the film. He also had an amusing little bit in another - and better - Bert Gordon effort released that same year, 'The Amazing Colossal Man.' See more Will G @Kingofthepixies Feb 19, 2026 Pretty good but 'it insists upon itself' 😉 See more Dennis D @RT54892421 Jul 12, 2024 I loved this movie and others like this. I know it might be a little corny--but still had a good basis. Check it out! See more nick s @Nick_S Mar 10, 2024 Few redeeming features in this shlock movie. The actors might be capable but the woeful script they were handed kneecapped their performance. The giant out-of-focus locusts topped it off... not even a bit of eye candy to help us pass the time. See more Dec 9, 2020 I've seen this movie since I was a kid. It's pretty much a "poor-man's" 'Them' which was produced by Warner Brothers. Instead of large animatronic-puppet monster Ants you get photo imposed giant grasshoppers/locust. Instead of real LA city drainage tunnels where soldiers battle giant charging ants you get ordinary grasshoppers climbing over 2-D photo-board sky-scrapers. The acting & direction keeps things moving fast, smooth & competent enough to keep you realizing how bargain-basement the whole thing is. A nice relic to pass the time & watch. See more Nov 21, 2018 Beginning of the End: 7 out of 10: Giant Grasshoppers threaten Chicago as a lady photographer and a scientist who specializes in giant radioactive vegetables try to convince the army of the threat. The Good: Good lord this movie is great. Is it as good as Them? Well no of course not. That is a legitimately scary movie. Beginning of the End would have a hard time scaring anyone who has figured out object permanence. Okay, so this isn't scary. The action scenes consist mostly of stock footage and grasshoppers crawling over postcards (No I am not exaggerating nor making that up). The key to this film is two words. Peter Graves. This simply would fall apart without Mr. Graves at the helm. The other acting is actually quite solid but Peter brings it to a new level. He and the script are so serious while giant grasshoppers wander down Wacker street and climb the buildings it is incredible. This movie is all about seriousness and science. It plays such a ridiculous story so straight that it simply becomes entertaining in its own right. Also bonus points for the lady photographer having an honest to goodness car phone in the middle of a black and white fifties film. The Bad: Did I mention the grasshoppers crawling over actual postcards? The Ugly: The filmmakers started out with over two hundred grasshoppers. Due to rampant cannibalism amoung the insect actors, they were left with only eight for the big finale. Despite looking every inch of a man that was about to lead the Wehrmacht into Leningrad Peter Graves really carries this movie. A guilty pleasure and a delight of that super serious science-based sci-fi that the fifties did so well. See more Read all reviews

Beginning of the End

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