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Just perfect...

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

1961's "The Mermaids of Tiburon" aired on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater on Sept 5 1964 (the final 4:00 PM broadcast, the Sunday night co-feature being 1931's "Svengali"), and no doubt was shown in black and white. Today available on a DVD double bill with 1957's "Cry of the Bewitched" (both in glorious color) in the original fullscreen version, and the later letterboxed version, featuring new footage of topless models acting like mermaids. It's nice to have the 'nude' version, but the star of the original, the luminous Diane Webber, is almost completely cut out, and the story arc revolves around our hero's innocent pursuit of this untouchable goddess of the sea (there are glimpses of other mermaids but Diane reigns supreme). All of the topless models are missing the fins worn by the originals, looking like normal women out for some vigorous underwater exercise. Director John Lamb's photography brings this world to life, even including a scene with Diane swimming alongside a (possibly fake) shark. Timothy Carey's gratuitous villain spearguns a topless mermaid, and strips another of her lone seaweed garment, neither of which appear in the original. His intrusive presence disrupts the film's charming narrative, which is left unresolved as the hero vows to return someday. Until a better mermaid film comes along, this one manages to enter their world better than any other. Diane Webber would again don the fiberglass fin for a 1967 episode of VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA (after Marta Kristen got her shot in 1965's "Beach Blanket Bingo").

Young marine biologist Dr. Samuel Jamison (a likable performance by director George Rowe in his only acting gig) discovers a bunch of lovely and enticing lady mermaids while searching for buried treasure located deep in the ocean nearby an isolated Mexican island. Writer/director John Lamb gives this simple tale a certain sweet and strangely innocent charm. Moreover, Lamb also maintains a steady pace throughout and brings a sense of genuine awe to the fantastic subject matter. The actresses who portray the titular topless sea sirens are quite attractive and well-endowed; Diane Webber and Gaby Martone in particular are totally ravishing. Popping up in cool supporting roles are the singular Timothy Carey as nasty no-count criminal creep Milo Sangster, Jose Gonzales-Gonzales as excitable Mexican fisherman Pepe Gallardo, and John Mylong as weird old gent Ernst Steinhauer. Lamb's beautiful bright color cinematography offers a wondrous wealth of stunning visuals (the underwater photography is often very striking). Richard La Selle's lush, stirring orchestral likewise hits the melodic spot. An enjoyable little flick.

The visuals were beautiful. Having different mermaids other than the mermaid queen, made the movie exciting. They were au naturel too, not that I'm trying to be nasty, but that's how one would imagine mermaids to be in their natural habitats. Not wearing silly flower or clam shells. It is really the only real mermaid movie I've seen besides Splash. That movie was very disappointing because there were only couple seconds where she was really a mermaid. I don't know why they call it Aqua Sex, because it says "Mermaids of Tiburon" in the beginning, I have a color version but I cannot enjoy the movie because it has big white letters in the middle of the screen that it is not for public distribution.

With just a shade more imagination, this could have been a truly beautiful piece of work. It is very effective and thought provoking despite its surface appearance of cheapo trash. Its details have been very carefully worked out to the point where you can almost believe in the existence of the mermaids. The story is a simple but believable conflict of good and evil set against a gorgeous background. It's also a story of nature threatened by greed. If the mermaids had been just a little more mysterious and less obviously girls in mermaid costumes, it would have been perfect.