Size-changing films were nothing new in the 1950’s, most of them done by a man named Bert I. Gordon. This film, directed by Nathan H. Juran and written by Mark Hanna, follows along the same lines as many of those previous films where someone gets affected by something to grow exponentially larger than they are and ends up going on a rampage only to be put down by law enforcement of some sort. The only things to really differentiate any of these films from one another are the moments that lie between the clichés. The fact that most of these films seem fairly similar does not necessarily mean that they are bad in any way; it simply means that there is only so much you can do with a human being that is taller than a building. Most people are quite afraid of what they do not understand, and having a giant walking around, whether they are destroying stuff or not, is a scary thing and usually not long for this world. Attack of the 50 Foot Woman is essentially one and the same with the other movies of this particular sub-genre of science-fiction; it just has different bits that create a different story.

As the film begins, we are introduced to Harry. Harry is not a smart man. In fact, he is probably one of the dumbest men you will ever see on-screen. The man is married to a very gorgeous woman who also just so happens to be rich and due to the fact that she happens to enjoy a drink or twelve more often than not, he cheats on her. To top it right off, Nancy had previously caught him and left him and yet took him back because she loves him. After all he has done to her, she loves him still and he can think of nothing else except dating one of the local floozies. Soon though, through a series of unfortunate events, Nancy becomes a literal giant and means to make him pay.

As you watch the movie, it almost seems like it was originally a romance film with the script reworked to fit in the science fiction elements later on to sell the picture to a studio. Said elements include an alien sphere and a giant who pilots the ship. He is quite interested in Nancy’s diamond, though for what reason we never find out. In fact, the idea that the film was reworked becomes more solid as the entire plotline involving the alien remained unresolved. Why was he interested in Nancy or her diamond and after Nancy became irradiated, what happened to him and his ship. Nothing is ever shown or even referred to after the incident and all that can be inferred is that the alien left the Earth, conquered it or was killed by the armed forces. Out of everything, it is perhaps the largest fault that the film perpetrates.

Aside from leaving things a little open-ended, Juran creates a fairly solid movie, one that finds the melodrama quite entertaining as we see William Hudson’s Harry cheat on Nancy played by Allison Hayes with Yvette Vickers. The script was good and the story decent, and while it is not the strongest of the giant people films, you cannot help but have a good time watching it.

3 out of 5

2015 Edition

First Entry – Trapped in the… – Valley of the Dragons (1961)
Second Entry – Can You Feel the… – Tremors (1990)
Third Entry – Beauty and Danger Collide in… – Viking Women and the Sea Serpent (1957)
Fourth Entry – Dance the Night Away in the… – Village of the Giants (1965)
Fifth Entry – It Was a Time… – When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970)
Sixth Entry – Do Not Fall Into the Grasp of… – The Giant Claw (1957)
Seventh Entry – Who Knew They Could Give Birth? – Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996)
Eighth Entry – So Many to Choose From – The Loves of Hercules (1960)
Ninth Entry – Should Have Stayed Down Below – Up From the Depths (1979)
Tenth Entry – Snakes On a Boat! – Anaconda (1997)

Last Year’s Creatures…

Giant Monster Gamera (1965)
The Monolith Monsters (1957)
Gamera vs. Barugon (1966)
Tarantula (1955)
Gamera vs. Gyaos (1967)
Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)
Gamera vs. Viras (1968)
The Cyclops (1957)
Gamera vs. Guiron (1969)
Monsters (2010)
Gamera vs. Jiger (1970)
The Killer Shrews (1959)
Gamera vs. Zigra (1971)
The Deadly Mantis (1957)
Space Monster Gamera (1980)
King Dinosaur (1955)
Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)
The Black Scorpion (1957)
Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996)
Them! (1954)
Gamera 3: The Revenge of Iris (1999)
The Giant Gila Monster (1959)
Gamera the Brave (2006)
Frankenstein Conquers the World (1966)