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List Price: $14.95 | | Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Salesrank: 39620
Released: June 5, 2001 |
| Our Price: $3.27 |
| Used Price: $2.99 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
The moment Village of the Giants opens, with sensual shots of slow-motion frugging, we know we've happened upon some Bad Teens. In search of kicks, the Bad Teens head into the village of Hainesville, populated by Good Teens, most of whom seem to be in their early 30s. The fun begins when a lovable tyke named Genius (an 11-year-old Ron Howard, by far the most assured actor in the cast) whips up some "goo," which makes anything that eats it grow really big and develop a rakish disregard for scale. Soon these wild Bad Teens, led by a deeply embarrassed Beau Bridges and wearing their rebellious cardigans and Sansabelt pants, get their hands on the stuff. They take over the town and celebrate with some giant slow-motion dancing, complete with lots and lots of footage of giant slow-motion cleavage to make sure we've taken in the full horror of the situation. There is not one disappointing moment in this entire movie: Just when you think it can't possibly get any more ludicrous, it comes through and surprises you with a giant spider in the basement or a plan to distract the teens with yet more sexy dancing. Absolutely not to be missed. --Ali Davis
Village of the Giants Reviews:
Teenage rebellion taken to new heights! 
2009-08-03 - Utter nonsense supposedly based off of H.G. Well's "The Food of the Gods" is one of the funniest bad movies of the 60s and one of the most ludicrous films the average viewer may ever find him/herself sitting through! Of course for the demented fan of B-cinema this is absolutely required viewing!
The film is basically a Beach Party movie meets one of those Giant Monster flicks of the 1950s as teens who listen to horrendously dated Rock and Roll music decide to become giants via a serum concocted by boy genius Ron Howard who is appropiately named "Genius".
The Giants are led by Beau Bridges, a rebel with abosolutely no cause who leads a rebellion against the adults in a small town in the lamest way by collecting all of there guns and demanding buckets of fried chicken to satisfy there hunger! Youthful rebel Tommy Kirk dosen't like the new order and plans to overtake it in a biblical way by bringing a sling(!) and taking on the Giant leader.
This film is one of those kind of movies you really must see to believe. Despite being about teenage rebellion, the film is depicted in a completely harmless and humorous way. Much more could have been utilized in the way of humor and the youths relationship to society but unfortunately this is stepped over. The film is entertaining but has an odd pace and curiously does not focus on the growth serum enough allowing only a few other giants to be included including a giant cat, dog, two ducks and even a creepy spider who gets electrocuted by a quick thinking Kirk....you won't hear that phrase again, folks!
The effects are mediocre and typical of other films by Bert I. Gordon(Mr. B.I.G.) and add to the comical content of the picture. I doubt many seeing this film was expecting anything in the state of the art so it's not a gigantic debit.
There's a huge amount of sexuality that is present within the picture including a surreal opening scene where all the kids cavort and go wild in a rainstorm dancing about in the mud and feeling each other up. All the girls are typically babes of the period and are usually depicted in tight clothing and bikinis and of course much is made of the giant babe's predicament once they outgrow they're clothing. Really got a kick myself out of seeing that one blonde babe's shirt pop open button by button as she becomes Kong sized. Oh yeah!
Happily, it's all in good fun and never comes off as offensive.
Much more could have been made of this film but for what it is, this comes off as a very entertaining piece of mindrot for the psychotronic film fanatic. So grab some friends, some junk food and some alcohol and/or illegal substances and enjoy this classic.
just a little note here... 
2009-05-02 - Has anyone else ever noticed that the brunette (don't know her name) virtually disappears the moment the "goo" gets cut up, and doesn't reappear until she's shown shrinking along with everyone else?
And to be honest (if somewhat unfair), the special effects in this movie are actually much better than a number of similar effects in the "Star Trek" TV series (1966 - 1969). I realize the budget in "Trek" was much lower, but, I mean, JEEZ...
"I Was Big Before" ~ Oversized Go-Go Dancers Gone Wild
2008-06-10 - Synopsis: A group of delinquent teenagers out looking for a good time steal a secret growth formula from a kid genius (Ron Howard) and expand to gigantic proportions. Just for kicks they decide to terrorize the local town folk and dance up a storm until someone can discover a way to shrink them back to size.
Critique: `Village of the Giants' from '65 is one of those films that fall into the often times embarrassing category of guilty pleasures. For lack of a better way to describe the storyline you might say it's a cross between the Frankie and Annette `Beach Party' movies with a heavy dose of the television series `Land of the Giants'.
Yes, this is a pretty bad flick that looks worse now some forty-three years later. It does however have some very well known names in the cast along with the offspring of some other film and television personalities. Personally speaking my attachment to this film was for the inclusion of two lovely young ladies in the cast; Joy Harmon (the girl washing the car in `Cool Hand Luke') and Gail Gilmore. Ah yes.., childhood crushes are difficult to overcome and I definitely had one on these two.
My Rating: Don't expect much and you won't be too disappointed: -3 Stars-.
Main Title Music re-used in Tarentinos Grindhouse "Death Proof" 
2007-05-13 - The awsome main title music by Jack Nitsche has be re-used by Quentin Tarentino in his film Death Proof but its called The Last Race
A 1950s Drive-in Movie Style Film
2007-03-27 - Although this movie was made in 1965, it feels more like a 1950s 'drive-in movie!' The story is so totally ridiculous that it comes off as a genuine fun movie. It is also interesting to see some quite big-name stars as teens (e.g. Beau Bridges, who didn't even get a listing on the DVD cover!) or children (Ron Howard, then known as Ronny Howard). If you want some very light, comical entertainment with nothing that would offend most traditional values families, this is one movie to watch.
