Line #18 Film/BeginningOfTheEnd


1	[[quoteright:305:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/beginning_of_the_end_1957.jpeg]]
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3	A 1957 SciFiHorror film about [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever giant locusts]], directed by Creator/BertIGordon and starring Creator/PeterGraves and Peggie Castle.
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5	When a small Illinois town vanishes off the map in a single night, IntrepidReporter Audrey Aimes (Castle) swoops in smelling a scoop. Ordered by the National Guard to sit on her story pending approval from the government, she begins investigating the goings-on, leading her to a U.S. Department of Agriculture farm and Dr. Ed Wainwright (Graves), who's been trying to eradicate world hunger by developing a greenhouse full of [[NuclearMutant atomic-sized fruits and vegetables]][[note]]By which we mean vegetables grown to enormous size through the use of atomic power, ''not'' [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant vegetables the size of atoms]][[/note]]--which the local insect population keeps breaking into.
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7	Continuing the investigation, Aimes and Wainwright eventually make a discovery: LOCUSTS! BIG ONES!! Irradiated by the good doctor's atomic plants, the local locust population has been transformed into a NighInvulnerable swarm of eight-foot-plus bugs [[DoomyDoomsOfDoom of DOOM!]] The giant bugs begin chowing down on ([[SpecialEffectsFailure postcards of]]) the Illinois countryside and working their way toward UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}, while Wainwright tries to figure out how to stop them.
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9	For the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' version, please go to the [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S05E17BeginningOfTheEnd episode recap page]].
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12	!!''Beginning Of The End'' provides examples of:
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14	* ArtisticLicenseGeography:
15	** The locust swarm goes from Rantoul to Chicago... by way of Peoria (making a substantial detour to the west, for those who don't have a map of Illinois handy).
16	** Also, the infamous "suburbs of Paxton." Paxton, Illinois, is a small rural town (population slightly under 4,500 as of 2010) which has never had suburbs. They might have meant it was "the suburb (of) Paxton", but even this would be wrong because Paxton is a standalone town.
17	* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: Actually, [[YourSizeMayVary the script mentions that the Big Bugs come in various sizes]], in an effort to cover the lousy compositing work.
18	* AutoErotica: The couple in the ColdOpen only manage to get to first base before they're killed off though.
19	* BigCreepyCrawlies: The locusts, of course.
20	* {{Chickification}}: Audrey Aimes goes from IntrepidReporter in the first half of the movie to NeutralFemale in the latter half.
21	* GiantFood: Subverted; Wainwright's bowling-ball-sized strawberries and other oversized produce aren't safe for human consumption.
22	* GodzillaThreshold: The Army is willing to ''nuke Chicago'' to stop the locusts.
23	* JustPlaneWrong: The film bungles its '''one''' specific equipment call - the general says a B-52 will be used to nuke the grasshoppers. The stock footage used to portray the bomber is of a B-36, though. Either plane would be correct if the movie was consistent; it was produced and released in the brief window when the Air Force was transitioning between the two.
24	* MoreDakka: When Wainwright gets his hands on a military submachinegun.
25	* TheMountainsOfIllinois: The TropeNamer!
26	** The area around Paxton and especially Ludlow is shown to be very hilly and mountain-y. In reality, the landscape in the Champaign/Urbana/Ludlow/Paxton region is quite flat.
27	** Additionally, establishing shots of Audrey driving down an Illinois highway show a very visible mountain range in the background. There is nowhere in the entire state where you could view such a mountain range.
28	* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Played with:
29	** Ed Wainwright is the lead scientist on the atomic agriculture project, but he's an entomologist (study of insects), whereas his assistant Frank is the actual botanist. Ed notes that he and Frank are teaching each other about their respective specialties.
30	** Taken further with Ed, who notes that he was interested in electronics at a young age and served as a radio/electronics operator during "the war", which knowledge [[{{Foreshadowing}} ends up playing into the climax]].
31	* PoliceAreUseless: Audrey invokes this to justify her continued investigation into things: "The sheriff thinks in terms of 'crime and publicity'. You're a ''scientist''; you think in terms of 'cause and effect'; maybe [[TheOnlyOne you'll see something the sheriff missed]]."
32	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: A rather creepy example, as we see fewer and fewer locusts onscreen at once as the film goes on, as they had started ''eating each other''.
33	* {{Retirony}}: Major Everett: "You know, I'm 37 years old, and I've [[TemptingFate just realized how much I've taken life for granted]]." Not five minutes later, the man is dead.
34	* RomanticFalseLead: Captain Barton is set up as this early on. Problem is, he vanishes halfway through the movie, along with the rest of Paxton.
35	* TheSpeechless: Deaf/mute Frank.
36	* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: A same-work example, as Major Everett steps into the role left vacant by the recently departed Captain Barton.
37	* TitleDrop: "Annihilation... the beginning of the end."
38	* YouHaveToBelieveMe: Played hilariously straight even as Dr. Wainwright intones, "You know I'm not given to hysteria and you've got to listen to me with an open mind!"
39	** It doesn't help that Audrey [[IdiotBall fails to take a photograph of the giant locust]] when she has the chance.
40	** At least Ed gets in the [[ArmorPiercingQuestion one response]] most others in his situation never think of: "Won't you at least check it out? ''Or have you'' '''''found''''' ''an answer?''"

Context Film / BeginningOfTheEnd