巨大生物の島
あらすじ
Ｈ・Ｇ・ウェルズの『神々の糧』を下敷にしたＳＦ動物パニック映画。離島を舞台に、地面から湧いた謎の滋養液を飲んで巨大化した蜂、芋虫、鶏そして鼠が人間を襲う。箱庭の中で暴れる本物のネズミたちを接写で撮っただけの、ちゃちな特撮さえ気にならなければ（人によってはそれがタマらん、という向きもあろう）、それなりに楽しめる。同趣向の作品としては同じ原作・監督による「巨大蟻の帝国」がある。十数年ぶりに続編「ゴッド・フード」が製作された。
Ｈ・Ｇ・ウェルズの『神々の糧』を下敷にしたＳＦ動物パニック映画。離島を舞台に、地面から湧いた謎の滋養液を飲んで巨大化した蜂、芋虫、鶏そして鼠が人間を襲う。箱庭の中で暴れる本物のネズミたちを接写で撮っただけの、ちゃちな特撮さえ気にならなければ（人によってはそれがタマらん、という向きもあろう）、それなりに楽しめる。同趣向の作品としては同じ原作・監督による「巨大蟻の帝国」がある。十数年ぶりに続編「ゴッド・フード」が製作された。
監督: Bert I. Gordon
脚本: Bert I. Gordon / H・G・ウエルズ
音楽: Elliot Kaplan
制作: Bert I. Gordon / Samuel Z. Arkoff
撮影監督: Reginald H. Morris
_**Great locations, decent f/x for the time, but dull story**_ Vacationers on a Canadian island in the Great Northwest encounter huge animals, such as wasps, chickens, rats and grubs. Will they make it out alive? The cast includes Marjoe Gortner, Pamela Franklin, Ralph Meeker, Jon Cypher, Ida Lupino, Belinda Balaski and Tom Stovall. “Food of the Gods” (1976) is a Bert Ira Gordon production, who’s known for ‘B’ sci-fi/horror flicks, often involving giant creatures of one sort or another, such as “Earth vs. the Spider” (1958), “Attack of the Puppet People” (1958), “Village of the Giants” (1965) and “Empire of the Ants” (1977). It borrows the plot of “Night of the Living Dead” (1968) just exchanging the zombies for giant animals. While the Bowen Island locations are to die for (no pun intended) and the special effects are quite good considering the era, the film failed to engage me as far as the characters and their story goes, although I appreciate the grim tone. The actors are fine; they just needed a better script to draw out compelling human interest. As such, any of the other flicks mentioned above is a better option even though this was a hit for AIP. Sure, “Village of the Giants” has a goofy side, but no one can deny its high entertainment value, not the least being its notable female cast. Speaking of which, fans of Belinda should know that she’s pregnant thru most of the picture. The movie runs 1 hour, 28 minutes, and was shot at Cowan's Point, Bowen Island, British Columbia, which is just northwest of Vancouver (where the football sequences were filmed). GRADE: C
