The only good bird is a roasted bird

Rating: 5/10 (17 September 2018)

I watched this on TV as a child and, although I forgot all the details a long time ago, it remained carved in my memory as terrifying. Of course, this memory was greatly influenced by its reputation as one of the most famous horrors of all time. I just watched it for the first time as an adult in its entirety and I must say - wtf?! The story is linear, simple and does not require even the slightest use of the brain. It starts as a typical romantic comedy of its time (and it would be better if it stayed that way to the end), and then turns into something that is supposed to be a horror, but it is at best a mediocre drama. There is no mystery and tension that we expect from Hitchcock, there are no interesting dialogues, and performances of the actors are at a rather low level. From today's perspective, the effects are tragicomic, and I believe they were not anywhere near top-notch even for their time, which leads to the question how the hell was this film nominated for an Oscar in that category. Occasionally, the effects were so ridiculous that I had the impression that someone deliberately mocked with bird attacks. This is a film from 1963, not from 1923. The events in the movie remain completely unexplained, but that didn't bother me much because I couldn't care less about the reasons for bird attacks. The only good thing about this movie is the premise itself, because it is relatively realistic. Considering the number of birds on the planet in relation to the number of people, the very idea that birds can turn against us and attack us all at once is horrifying, because, despite their primitiveness in relation to human technology, I believe that in this war mankind would have no chance to win. Ever since I can remember I felt moderate repulsion and disgust towards birds, and after this movie, however unconvincing it may be, I could easily develop a phobia. If this movie was of a more recent date, I would rate it even lower, but, considering technical capabilities of the sixties, I have to give it a slack, so I'll rate it
5/10