User Reviews

Being a Dane and being born in the 1970s, then I would eventually get acquainted with "Reptilicus", especially since it is a cult movie here in Denmark. But I will try to keep a neutral viewpoint on my review here.

Taking into consideration that the movie is from 1961, then of course the effects were bound to be limited and also to be nothing compared to the effects of modern day movies. With that in mind, then lets just put it out in the clear; the movie had horrible effects. No doubt about it.

The creature, Reptilicus, might have worked in thought and concept idea, but brought to the big screen in 1961 it was an eyesore to look at. It was so obviously fake that it fooled no one. And it is fun to witness how there are no scenes with actual people interacting with Reptilicus. Sure there were some scenes where Reptilicus was in the backdrop of scenes with people, but even then it looked painfully fake. And in my lifelong track record of watching movies, then I have never seen anything as fake and laughable than the scene where Reptilicus eats a farmer that decides to bolt and leave his wife and children to fend for themselves in a crumbling farmhouse. It was awful to witness, and I keep laughing every time I watch the movie.

Should you decide to sit down and watch "Reptilicus", then make sure that you don't get a fully dubbed English language version, because it it just insulting to the movie. "Reptilicus" should be watched in its original Danish language (albeit there still is some English in the original Danish version as well). And to further add insult to injury then the English dubbed version is left with the spontaneous song by actor Dirch Passer cut out. I was outraged by that editing, because that song is great. Yeah, I have watched the original Danish language version and the English dubbed version of course.

Aside from a very questionable reptilian creature which moves about by pulled strings and spewing some equally fake green slime, then the scenes with Reptilicus was also sporting very fake buildings, toy cars and train model trees.

"Reptilicus" is one of those types of movies that are so bad that they are fun to watch, and that is the reason why I have watched the movie three times by now. It is fun to return to watch it every now and then with years in between, because it never stops to amuse me.

This movie might certainly have put Denmark on the monster creature features map of the world, but sadly it is not because the movie was a great movie. But hey, even crappy movies can make a lasting impression.

And even though I am rating "Reptilicus" a mere four out of ten stars, then it is still a movie that is entertaining and one that it well-worth to be able to say "yes, I have seen that one!".

a prehistoric piece of tail turns into a giant monster that resembles a sock puppet with eyes.its of the Godzilla imitation school but imported from Denmark by American international pictures.but its not all bad some of the monster scenes are OK.the dubbing is sloppy.it was made around the same time as Herman Cohen's konga also made by a.i.p.some critics called reptilicus ridiculous.its one of those movies that are so bad they are good.the monster keeps belching out green slime that destroys everything it touches.and of course tanks and weapons are powerless to stop it.i don't know if this was ever shown on mst3k, but if it was'nt it would've been great on there.Denmark will never be the same after reptilicus the giant prehistoric sock puppet.4 out of 10

Reptilicus is truly a bad, but fun movie to watch. From the incredibly awful monster which was photographed in such an unconvincing manner as to look exactly as big as it was (about 2 feet long) to the routine "giant monster on the loose in the city" plot to the inept acting.

However, this movie *does* have some decent moments. The first few minutes in the beginning when the drillers find the fairly gross pieces of meat and blood on the drill from boring into the hide of Reptilicus buried deep underground (with the movie's title literally leaping from the main character's blood stained hands) and the creepy sequence when the creature comes to life in the storm brings a few chills to the undemanding monster movie lover. A skinned cow's head also adds a bit of gore to the movie. Also, the dubbing is fairly good and not too noticeable. The dialog itself however, is comically bad.

Of course, the movie has an abundance of unintentional laughs and the monster itself is the main focus here. Reptilicus is probably the *worst* looking giant monster ever created. Looking like a bargain basement toy snake with an oversized head and fangs with some useless little feet and wings glued on it and some red glop slathered in it's mouth, it wobbles and swings its head as if a single fishing line from above controls all of it's movements. The detail in the crummy model houses and buildings it destroys is below an HO scale train set. Reptilicus occasionally vomits some crudely animated day-glow green "acid slime" at people but you never see it's affects on anyone. At one point, Reptilicus destroys a farm and eats some guy in a plaid shirt which is actually a very poorly animated cartoon figure!

Now here's a few tidbits not well known about this movie:

It was originally shot in Copenhagen in the native Danish language. There was about an additional 10 minutes of dialog that was cut in the US English dubbed release. Reptilicus did *not* spit acid goo, as this was added in the US release. There were no slow motion shots of the monster in the original version. Most importantly, Reptilicus actually *flew* in a few scenes! Very much like the Japanese original "Godzilla" movie, this movie was substantially altered for US release.

However, the original version is just as "bad" as the US version.

This movie was just released in August 2001 as a budget priced R1 dvd with a very nice, full frame transfer which includes a trailer for the movie.

Without a doubt the best BAD movie ever made. From beginning to end, "Reptilicus" has it all:

1) Weird Location: Copenhagen 2) Bad Dubbing: Phonetic English over Danish 3) Cheesiest Monster: Rubber snake hand puppet thingy 4) Worst acting: Carl Ottosen as Gen. Mark Grayson, plus the whole cast! 5) Worst stock footage: Obviously unrelated to the movie 6) Worst special effects: Acid vomit + cut-out farmer entree' 7) Worst crowd control: Copenhagenagers running amok!

I know there are CHEAPER monster flicks out there, but "Reptilicus" gets the honorary "OsKar" for totally bad in all major respects. I dare you to watch it and not laugh... a lot.

Make no mistake, Reptilicus is a bad movie but it is one of the most enjoyable bad movies ever made. If you want substance, watch Apocalypse Now but if you want junk entertainment, watch Reptilicus. Give Ib Melchior and Syd Pink credit for at least coming up with an interesting idea of a regenerating monster. Problem is they don't use it to it's full potential and leave alot of questions unanswered. For instance, what about the tiny peice the one doctor cuts off and examines under a microscope? What happens to this peice or for that matter the original peices of skin found in the movie's opening? My best guess is that they kept them under ice a little more successfully this time. But how does one kill the creature? The filmmaker's obviously backed themselves into a corner with this one. Although Reptilicus is knocked out at the film's conclusion, he is not dead. General Grayson swears that the Proffesor can kill the creature if they get him immobilized but only a moment before the Proffesor admitted he had no idea how to kill Reptilicus. And why does Sven stick around for the whole movie? He isn't a scientist or military man and his romantic conquests of the Professor's two daughters don't go very far. It would have made far more sense if he had been the one to sacrifice himself at the end and not Grayson's second in command as Sven showed alot of guilt earlier about being the man who found the creature but this film is not about sense. Notice how the characters say the word "where" with great regularity, so much so that it becomes a running joke. And how about those effects? No men in costumes knocking over finely detailed miniature cities but an unweildy rod and string puppet that can barely knock over a cardboard representation of Coppenhagen. Although Repti's acid slime venom is a fairly plausible power (And well animated. The day glow slime is easily the film's best effect) it spews forth in a rather rude manner that makes one feel that the monster might have made good in X rated films. Speaking of the acid slime, we are told of it's effects, we never see them as acid scar makeup and burned out buildings would have taken too much money out of an already low budget.

Make sure you have a stomach distress bag ready for the sickening antics of Peterson the comedy relief handyman who likes electric eels and the "Tivoli Nights" song, sung by a woman with the tiniest waist this side of Vampira. Also remember that Reptilicus was a trailblazer in one respect. It was a pioneer in the "set up for a sequel that never happens" sweepstakes.

Grab a bag of popcorn and get ready to laugh. Reptilicus is wonderfully awful and deserves it's rank as one of the best of the bad.

First, let me say that there was no way that anyone associated with this project could've understood what they would create in the end. Forty-two years later, and people are still asking: "What in the heck were these folks doing?" Now, very few works of "art" have that kind of staying power. Of course, it's a low-low-low budget, early 60's monster/sci-fi flick. But at a deeper, more existential level...just kidding! The thing about "Reptilicus" is that it's so consistently awful from start to finish, and that's what makes it a true gem, in my opinion. I can't believe there aren't any entries in the "Memorable Quotes" section for this movie. Who can forget Carl Ottosen (as Gen. Mark Grayson) asking himself: "When am I going to be released from this hell?" An ambiguous line if ever there was one!! And how many branches of the Danish armed forces are there anyway? In this movie, I counted about 12, judging from the assorted uniforms. Then there are those 2 Danish blondes who shadow the Professor (between his 5 heart attacks) everywhere. And these are the same ladies who mix everything but their earrings into the last ditch concoction (almost a gallon!) which finally brings down the rubbery reptile, sort of. Copenhagen in October never looked so...cardboard and gray and filled with 300 Copenhagers running up one street and down another, not quite in terror, but briskly, and smiling a little. The director must've grabbed these folks out of their church services and shoooed them down the avenues to cut yet another corner of expense. I can't forget the fantastic scene at the drawbridge where the operator raises the bridge to keep Reptilicus from using it (as if he cared), only to send scores of Danes hurtling to their certain deaths as the bridge parts in the middle! The operator then appears to have something akin to mental breakdown over his fatal decision!! But the over-acting award goes hands-down to Carl Ottosen. This guy bites off and chews his lines like they were bars of lead. Only constipation could explain such an agonized delivery, over and over again! If you like plenty of stock Danish newsreel footage, you'll get your fill. Lots of "disasters" where Reptilicus has struck, and lots of vintage military celluloid showing Danish forces setting up positions anywhere and everywhere at the drop of a hat. The whole grand journey ends with incongruent festive Danish music, and Reptilicus' severed claw scratching around the ocean floor, threatening the sequel that never happened. It's pure junk, but like that claw, it just won't die!!!

"Reptilicus" is a rather easy movie to write a review about, since for almost all its length it follows the same, monotonous pattern: it alternately becomes laughably bad (when the "monster" is onscreen) and sleep-inducing (when it isn't). I mean, if the unconvincing special effects don't get you, the lifeless performances will! Those who are looking for unintentional laughs won't be too satisfied, either; sure, the green "acid slime" is funny for the first few times you see it, and the scene where Reptilicus eats a man who has changed into cartoonish form is hilariously embarrassing, but this is an one-joke comedy, and it soon wears thin. I have to admit, however, that the film is slickly photographed; when Reptilicus is offscreen, it's much more slick-looking that "Dr. No", for example, which was made the same year (1962).

If you like cheesy special effects, limited plot, limited acting talent, and garish acidic monster vomit, you'll love this movie! While it is far from the worst monster movie ever made, Reptilicus has very little to recommend it. But if you really, really liked the original Godzilla, then maybe you will like this also.

Reptilicus is just as ridiculous and poorly-contrived as its title. Its writing and bare-bones production value is so painfully obvious that, it's actually a joy to watch this thing because of how poorly done it is. It's Denmark's Godzilla without the trademark monster, without the visceral sense of disaster, and most importantly without the story. Basically imagine Europe's poor-man's answer to Japan's monster movies and you've got Reptilicus: a time capsule of a B-Grade treasure-chest that has been revived thanks to MST3K: The Return.

See this movie and witness the lackluster story, the beautifully awful direction. Unfortunately this film is quite boring when it's not Reptilicus-ising everything. People talk and talk, and when we do see the monster it's not nearly enough. It's a movie that's so-bad-it's-good AND so-bad-it's-bad at the same time! See this film, either through renting/buying it, or through the MST3K: The Return episode that's just come out!

We were stationed in Pensacola, Florida at Saufley field 1962-64. I was in 4th grade at the time and my parents told us they had a surprise for us. We were going to see a horror movie. I was very happy. Horror movies were my favorite. The folks use to take us to see a lot of movies at the base. I grew up seeing everything from "Lawrence of Arabia" to "From Russia With Love". It set the movie enjoyment tone for me that would carry on all throughout my life. As a kid at the time, I thought this horror movie was wonderful! It had the main element I liked: the army fighting a giant monster. This was right up my alley. As I saw the movie years later in college, I realized what a tacky treasure classic grade "B" movie it was. A "must see" with all your buddies after a day of partying! I think the American general had his face frozen in that one expression for the entire movie so he wouldn't start laughing.

This is the story of what happens when a part of a long dead monster is dug up and allowed to grow to Godzilla proportions before it destroys much of Copenhagen.

This film exists in two versions the American release version and the version that was released Europe. The films while telling essentially the same story are cut very differently. The European version runs over 10 minutes longer, which doesn't include alternate versions of scenes. Most tellingly missing from the American version is a pointless song by the handyman to a bunch of kids in a park, beach romance scenes between two of the characters and the the legendary flying scenes, which consist of the monster model being flown on strings at night (their removal was probably a good idea). The American version also is missing the spitting of the animated green goo.

I just finished watching the two versions of the film back to back and find that the non-English version is a better film, there are more shots of the monster and of destruction, and even though some look worse, its some how a more sincere, more complete film (Handyman song aside).

No its not a good film by any stretch of the imagination but it is a fun film, with a monster the likes of which we don't see any more. Its one of the dumbest, yet coolest, monsters in movie history. Yea its a badly animated puppet in fake settings, but its till a great way to enjoy a rainy Saturday afternoon.(Just skip to the monster parts)

This review is based on the original Danish version, as directed by Poul Bang.

This has everything: a movie monster (hey, you can hardly see the strings), crappy songs, unfunny comedy relief, army stock footage, a hilariously bad papier maché version of the Copenhagen City Hall Square, and dialogue that would have embarrassed Edward Wood Jr.

It´s pretty funny to watch if you´re from Denmark, and I guess we can be a little proud that we can make "so-bad-they´re-good"-trash just as well as Japan and the US. Or not. 0 or ***½ (of ****), depending.

The monster Reptilicus (I forget if and how often the monster is referred to as this in the movie, but let's run with it and say it is for the sake of the world's entertainment) is a wonder to behold. In what was Denmark's one and only monster movie, how the monster becomes what it is is one thing - it's practically formed through scientist neglect as a guy sleeps on the job and he (or it, not sure if it's a she) un-thaws in a much smaller form of basically a reptile-loaf. Then it reveals to the scientists the next day a small crater-sized wound that is healing itself. And then, you know, one thing leads to another and then BOOM there's a giant reptile-snake thing that looks like a deformed 3 year-old's attempt at a monster creation in the Jim Henson shop, crawling around eating poor unsuspecting people (or at least one guy) through the magical power of horrible special effects (seriously, there's a moment where the monster eats a human that's clearly there through the power of badly placed matte-lines).

The monster is so gloriously stupid that it's only a wonder that it took so long for the Mystery Science Theater guys to get around to it upon the revival 18 years after the end of the show. This movie is prime-cut MST3K action, full of wooden actors - and some, like the inimitable Dirch Passer as Peterson (like a less subtle but less intentionally funny Kramer from Seinfeld) who are completely goofy, with the director Sidney Pink trying for real laughs like when he puts his hand in an eel tank - and that monster of the title. You almost can't believe when you first see what Reptilicus looks like and that he/she/it is going to be what we're getting; no amount of commentary can make one not laugh at it, and it's one of the pleasures of bad movies to see it there on the TV screen.

Did I mention this is a monster movie from Denmark? Some may not notice if one is only paying attention to the redubbed voice-work from AIP, though this creates an odd feeling as Pink had his actors and actresses speaking *in* English, so it has that effect of knowing the actors aren't speaking with their voices, but they don't have that Japanese or Italian style of dubbing where they try to match their mouths. This coupled with the usual lot of types of stock characters, whether it's the stern-faced scientists or the stern-faced military-men (oh those maps they look at where they don't seem to be pointing at anything) and the women who have the same serious but smiling expressions (yeah sounds like a contradiction, just watch), makes for a sit that is hilarious but also occasionally quite boring. Oh, the dialog certainly helps to bring some laughs, but it's telling that the new MST3K characters have to do a lot of work, particularly in the second half, to make it watchable at all.

I mention the second half, which is actually where the majority of the action takes place (most of the first half is set-up, with the scientists unearthing this reptilicus at some construction site that, as the MST3K guys says, is like a place out of the end of the Wicker Man, and then how it forms and remolds and grows in the lab). The problem is mostly one of pacing; there's a first attach by Reptilicus that is a lot of fun, and then it goes into the water after it burns to heal. Then the military tries to strike it with some stock-footage navy ships, and this only reveals it that when it's broken apart it grows *new* Reptilicuses (or Reptilicii, I don't know the plural of a made up monster). And then this new Reptilicus attacks a city, with crowds of Danish folk running all amok (many of them smiling, naturally, since they know they're in a cheesy monster movie as opposed to *real life*), and yet this last part feels so connected to the section set in the ocean that it drags. A lot.

Sure, criticizing this movie seems like a moot thing to do, but I thought it might be worth pointing out; part of this is that one or two of the jokes by the crew don't hit every time, so one is left watching this dopey nonsense. But at the least Pink's movie is a glorious bit of nonsense, all summed up by the creature with its (sometimes) green slime or fire or whatever coming out of its matte-lines near the mouth, and some of the 'acting' is so stone-faced it's impossible not to chuckle when they go about plodding through the exposition. It makes for a grand return to form for cheesy/worst movies, though among the worst this isn't so bad.

An original title may be the only saving grace of "Reptilicus", but somehow it works subliminally on one's head... I can't forget the beast's expressions, there are at least two shots in which it has a strange sad grimace, although the origin of this creature is so weird that one can hardly develop sympathy or any other kind of emotion for it, as it often happens with film monsters. The character of the American general is not a very pleasant fellow, but the filmmakers put the weight of 70% of their movie on his shoulder, since the engineer does not do much and the professor is not only too old but also a cardiac patient... Then there is a bit of comic relief, two daughters that add nothing to the plot, a little travelogue of Copenhagen, a musical number, two different scores, and beautiful Miss Germany 1958 playing the leading lady in the American version. No more choices. Strange bad film, but somehow unforgettable. Maybe it has to do with poor Reptilicus. When I see things like this, that needed more than its two-cent budget I wonder why they made it.

And it's a great try at Kaiju! Seriously, this is a cool movie. The American edit is missing some of the good scenes (a giant, life-sized foot and the beast flying) but it's still okay. I liked the added effects a bit, added to the cheesy feel of it all. One issue with how it's looked at though: people think it was meant to be serious! Some do anyways. I think it would be a cool movie to try and remake. Of all the kajiu, it seems to be missing out on the attention it deserves. Check out both variations, but be warned: there is a weird musical number in the original version...

A strange fact about it: in Canada (or Rocky Mountain House at least)they released the original dub, without the added effects. In fact, it may be the only time it was shown like that out here!

And it ain't Hamlet...

Take a silly looking monster, toss in some green slime which looks like lime jello, then add in a scenic tour of old Copenhagen and you have the ingredients gor a genuinely absurd Sci Science fiction dud. The basic premise has the discovery of a dinosaur tail which begins to regrow after being defrosted. This leads to one scientist becoming a tooth pick and another having a heart attack after a screaming attack towards the military shooting at the giant beast

When a missle blows the lizards foot off, the stage is set for a sequel which fortunately never came. To add to all this is an Octoberfest celebration which includes a musical number! Wretched special effects add another element of disappointment while a lack of humor prevents it from camp and becoming a cult classic.

My dad had always been a big fan of Reptilicus since he was kid. (it was made the year he was born). I first saw it when I was about 4 and if I remember right, it did scare me a little bit, but now that I'm older, I watch it just because, like my dad, it's an excellent movie. Surprisingly, a lot of people disagree with me there. I think mostly because the special effects are fake (but let's all think, there weren't any movies back in 1961 that had incredible special effects), but this movie is very entertaining. And the climax will surely get you thinking about what could happen. This is one of my favorite movies and I watch it on TV whenever I can.

I recently had the opportunity to see Reptilicus again, and never has there been such a misunderstood film as this.

Misunderstood, not by the audiences, but by the producers. This is a film that not only chooses to sit between two chairs, stylewise, it is simply impossible to find a chair that even gets close to describing the style that it is filmed in, I seriously doubt that even Ed Wood could have produced such a mish-mash of a stylistic jumble even if he tried.

However it is exactly this mish-mash that makes the film enjoyable today. Nothing about it is good, not the acting, not the special effects, not the plot, not the musical intermezzos, in fact if it was to be judged by the genre that it portrays, it would rate a 1 - or maybe 2 for the effort - instead I've rated it as an 8 for enjoyment, I've seen it before and I'll see it again if it comes up on TV, because this mix of low budget and low comedy makes for an extremely funny movie.

The movie was produced in an effort to sell it abroad and therefore also made in an English version, this I believe would be a total bomb, because what makes it funny for a Dane is the fact that the actors are among the best in Danish comedy, but their humor is typical Danish and very hard to translate.

If you get the chance, see it it is well worth it

Here it is: Denmark's very first and only monster movie ever made! I read this trivia info on the website here, but it's exactly the sort of lame excuses my mates and I need in order to track these reputedly awful movies down! However, one thing that immediately struck me as pleasantly surprising about "Reptilicus" was the original way to … awaken the monster; so to speak. Usually it's following an earthquake, or after the thawing of an ice block or radiation, but here it's actually a group of mine workers literally drilling a hole into the monster's tail and pulling up a pile of bloodied flesh. The accidentally chopped off tail is brought to the laboratory of some prominent scientists in Copenhagen for further investigation. They're supposed to be the biggest geniuses in Europe, but they hire a mentally handicapped hillbilly with a flashlight and put him in charge of guarding the monster at night? Smart… The coolest thing about "Reptilicus" is that it was partially intended as a tourist promotional video to attract American travelers. Somewhere halfway the film, the action and suspense are suddenly interrupted for an extended scenic tour around Copenhagen. That's brilliant! May I suggest a catchy phrase to put in the brochure: Denmark! Come for the monster, stay for the country! In many ways this is actually a smart and reasonably ingenious early 60's monster movie. True, it's a giant rip-off and shamelessly borrows elements from "Godzilla", "Beast of 20,000 Fathoms" and "Gorgo", but there definitely also are some imaginative aspects. The makers build up some sort of suspense, for example, by letting us guess what the giant reptile monster looks like exactly. It's a salamander with the size of a dinosaur, but it takes a fairly long time before we get to admire it in all its glory. The special effects are beyond perplexing, with as the most memorable example the devouring of a cartoon drawn little human being – seemingly cut from the storyboard and pasted in the open mouth of the creature. This was quite possible the greatest showcasing of hi-tech special effects I've ever seen. It doesn't get any clumsier and/or more charming than this. Other admirable elements include that "Reptilicus" exclusively introduces intelligent blond-haired women (of course, the majority of Scandinavian women are blond) and features copious amount of military parade stock footage. Some of the extra players are at least 80 years old and it looks as if they were requested to wear their proper WWI uniforms to save some money on the wardrobe and costumes. Last but not least there's a chaotic beach attack sequence that predates the classic "Jaws" sequence with nearly 15 years and there's a truly bizarre moment involving a panicking bridge operator taking a very wrong decision at a crucial time and indirectly causing the death of dozens of people. It's the peculiar stuff like this, which makes me consider "Reptilicus" as a underrated and under-appreciated Sci-Fi gem.

Reptilicus is the effort of one European country, Denmark specifically, to try and cash in on the market the Japanese were finding so lucrative in monster films. But no one does cheesy monster like the Japanese.

Still you have to give some credit for originality. Some folks drilling for oil in Lapland strike some fleshy remains of something. Turns out it's a tail from a prehistoric creature as yet unknown. The Danish scientist studying it names it Reptilicus, but it ain't like any reptile we know.

For one thing they're coldblooded creatures and should NEVER have any living tissue survive. But more important the tail the oil drillers uncover starts growing on its own. Like a starfish regenerating. A natural born ability to clone itself.

Now how something like this didn't survive is beyond me. So what do we do with old Reptilicus. Can't shoot him or blow him up or he'll scatter in a million pieces. His scales are like armor and is impervious to all kinds of ammunition. Can't blow up Copenhagen with an atomic bomb, what to do?

Here's a hint, if you've seen The Blob you know what the military and the scientists do with him.

For cheesy special effects, Reptilicus rates right up there with the best Japanese stuff. It does have some nice location photography of Copenhagen in the early sixties.

And it's fun in a goofy way.