Classic monster film with a pseudo-environmentalist message that flatters as the movie progresses, just as its overall quality. Still, various technical elements and the simplicity of the story makes it an enjoyable short-timed film.

On the top of this technical aspects, we have both the Creature with an incredible costume that puts into shame much of the current CGI and serves as a clear example of how much better is to make things real always, when possible, instead of recurring to the comfortability of the green screen and motion capture. The other fantastic element that leaves you in awe is the underwater scenes, the seaweed, the rocks, the fish, the sand, the swimming, all is fantastic! Reaching its peak in an underwater brawl climax which is just excellent!

When it comes to the story, as it has been said in the beginning, its strength and message fades out. It starts banging, keeping some mystery and mystique around the Creature, and very clearly and quickly presenting the various and clashing interests from two of the main characters played by Richard Carlson (Dr. David Reed) and Richard Denning (Dr. Mark Williams), the first as the careful and nature-respectful scientist and the second as the profit and fame drive lead director of the institute. This evolves to a beautiful second part which mostly takes place in those aforementioned magnificent underwater scenes, as their investigation and intended capture progresses, and this actually you get to heavily sympathise with the Creature and its thoughts of “what are these things, what are they doing in my home, why won’t they leave me alone, I want them to leave me in peace”. This sadly gets twisted in a simplified, rushed and quite stupid third act where practically all characters moral and behaviour gets completely twisted including those of the Creature which becomes very cheaply treated as a fairly standard (if still with some “humanity” inside it) monster.

But, if we basically scratch away part of the ending, in spite of the simple set-up and set of characters, the main trio of protagonists formed by Dr. Reed, Dr. Williams and the Creature just knock it out of the park. But sadly, the supporting cast is quite absurd and full of clichés: the old “dumb” fisherman who does not understand what does scientists do and his ill-fortuned assistants, a palaeontologist and other marine scientist that are there basically to fill-up space, and the woman which only serves as a cheap love interest between the main characters, to show “a bit of skin” and nice hair in some swimming scenes, and to yell (a lot!).

In any case, even if it has its several flaws, the assumed B nature of the film does not show in some of the usually most obvious elements, such as in its technical presentation which is completely flawless. That, alongside the speedy, entertaining, and even at many points interesting (although through quirky and cheap dialogue) story being told, keeps you watching without blinking from start to finish.