The Cyclops (1957)

The Worst Film Ever

Just perfect...

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I had a chance to see "The Cyclops" as part of a retro double feature a few weeks back, and it's a classic indication of the perversity of human nature that the annoyance value of this movie kept me thinking about it long after I stopped pondering classics such as "Bride of Frankenstein".This movie has a fine cast, but they appear to be mostly going through the motions on this one, probably because the lapses in logic and plot holes in the screenplay make it impossible for most people to take it seriously. Lon Chaney has a particularly ridiculous character to play, and while I am a fan of this great actor, I almost cheered when his character bought it. The special effects are, well, about what you'd expect from Bert I. Gordon. I've never seen a person apparently so obsessed with traveling mattes and gigantism; if he'd done it better, it would be inspiring. As it is, his technical limitations make for really contrived and unconvincing scene layouts. Not bad enough to be funny, not good enough to be involving, but I kept watching in case something interesting or magical happened before the end. It didn't.By no means the worst movie in the Bert I Gordon canon that I've seen..."Village Of the Giants" was much worse in spots. (But it also some cheerfully goofy dance scenes,. bawdy teen freakouts, and some hot babes to enjoy.) I felt especially bad for Talbott and Chaney.

If Anyone Tells You that They weren't Affected Adversely by the Titular Monsters Appearance in this Movie, They're Not Being Honest.That is, if the Non-Truth Teller was Less than 12 Years Old and saw this at the Theater or on a TV "Creature Feature" in the Late Fifties to the Mid Sixties.Because the Truth of the Matter is that this is One Scary "Famous Monster". The Makeup is Horrifying, Ugly, Repulsive and is the Remaining Memory of the Fortunate or Unfortunate Kids who Witnessed this Radiation Scarred, Sympathetic, Man. His Fate in the Film is Not for the Faint of Heart and the "B.I.G." Guy is Undeserving and Tragic. The Cyclops is the Movie's BIGGEST Draw and is Worth the Price of Admission. The Other Oversized Animals are OK for Typical Bert I. Gordon Filler but this is the Cyclops Show and He Makes the Most of it.Arguably Director/Writer/Producer/SFX Guy, Bert I. Gordon's Best or Worst Movie Depending on Who's Talking, but Ultimately it is Undeniably Underrated.Gloria Talbot almost Steals the Show from the Mutated Character and is a Strikingly Featured Female with a Strong Personality. She Looked Like a Cross Between a Vampire and a Goth and Haunted the Screen with a Beauty that was Unique and All Her Own. Lon Chaney Jr. is Irritating and is Only Bested in Aggravation by the Constant Unappealing Growls and Moans from Our "Hero" that are So Persistent and Ongoing that it Becomes nearly Unbearable.Overall, Delivers what is Expected from these Types of Fifties Fodder and Manages to be Entertaining in most of its 66 Minute Running Time and Lowly Budget. Worth a Watch for Bert I. Gordon Fans and Anyone with an Interest in the Radioactive Post Nuclear Paranoia Pictures.

I love 1950s monster flicks. Despite the often cheesy special effects and low-budgets, they were often a ton of fun. So, whenever one of them comes on TV that I have not seen, I am sure to tune in and cheer for the giant ant, crab or whatever the screenwriters dreamed up in this installment. Some are great and some are pretty stupid, but they are enjoyable. However, "The Cyclops" manages to do something that few of them could do--it bored me half to death. So, it had the cheesy effects and budget but lacked fun.The film begins with a wife (Gloria Talbot) hiring a pilot to go on a seemingly fruitless search for long-lost husband. Not surprisingly, they discover the husband has been turned into a giant cyclops and other creatures in this wilderness have turned giant-sized as well. Guess why this is...yup, atomic radiation!! Along for the ride are handsome James Craig and worthless Long Chaney, Jr.--and I say worthless because his part was incredibly one-dimensional even for one of these films. Every minute Chaney was on screen he whined and complained and schemed and I was thrilled when his character was killed! So why else didn't I like the film? After all giant creatures and atomic radiation--two sure ingredients for 50s-style fun! Well, the problem is that there is no suspense at all, little action and in the end, the survivors simply got aboard their plane and flew off...and the credits rolled. Sluggish and not at all fun...this is one you can skip.

Cyclops, The (1957) *** (out of 4) A woman (Gloria Talbott) travels to the Mexican desert to locate her husband whose been missing for three years. She finds him but he's now a huge, one eyed Cyclops. Here's a classic of the 50's sci-fi directed by Bert I. Gordon who would make a career out of these "man/animal grows big" films. The entire cast, including Lon Chaney, Jr. are a lot of fun and the dialogue gets some nice chuckles as well. Gordon made a lot of these "big" pictures throughout his career but I think this one here is the best of the bunch.