Creature From the Black Lagoon is not without its flaws but it is very easy to see why it is deemed a classic monster movie, it is fun to watch with a sense of creepiness and is one of the better monster movies of the 50s. Its two sequels, Revenge of the Creature and The Creature Walks Among Us are not as good and do have areas where they are lacking a lot but both were a lot better than expected. Before, mind you this was just under 10 years ago, Revenge came across as slightly better. On re-watch however, The Creature Walks Among Us was the superior film. The script isn't the best asset in either three movies, in fact in all three it was one of the weak links, and in The Creature Walks Among Us it can come across as both corny and dreary. The pace can lumber at times as well and the special effects apart from Gill-Man are rather hokey. However, the acting is not bad though it's not what you call great, much improved from the acting in Revenge, Rex Reason clearly relishes his role and Jeff Morrow is likable enough. Leigh Snowden is also very pretty and not too vapid. The story is also more involving, it doesn't have a scene like that memorable and very creepy scene where Julie Adams is swimming alone and the creature is lurking underneath, but it also thankfully doesn't have that half-baked romance from Revenge. It is fun and suspenseful though, and the creature/Gill-Man is much better used than in Revenge, there he was used too much whereas here like in Creature From the Black Lagoon it is just right. The cinematography is crisp and has a good atmosphere, while the underwater sequences are beautifully shot and the way they're lit and constructed creates a sense of foreboding. Gill-Man/the monster still looks great, and he still has a personality. When he is menacing he is genuinely sinister, but there is also a sympathetic side that's quite affecting. There is less of the Beauty and the Beast/King Kong-like shadings than in the first two, but when it's there(it's most prevalent in the climax) it is movingly done, and the ending is agreed very poignant. The music score captures the mood of the movie wonderfully and adds to it as well. All in all, a good sequel, better than Revenge(though Revenge is not that bad a movie, it still has a fair amount of good things as well as a lot of flaws) but Creature From the Black Lagoon personally will always be the best of the three. 7/10 Bethany Cox