Cyclops

Needless to say that I had never actually heard about this 2008 TV movie titled "Cyclops" prior to stumbling upon it by random chance here in 2024. And being familiar with the mythological creature, the cyclops, of course I opted to watch the movie. Sure, I wasn't really expecting a whole lot from it, given the somewhat dubious cover.

And then I saw that it was starring Eric Roberts, and my expectations went from slim to none.

Writer Frances Doel put together a fair enough script. It was a pretty straight forward storyline and it actually made for adequate enough entertainment. Sure, it wasn't stellar entertainment, but it was sufficient enough for a single viewing if you enjoy fantasy movies.

The acting performances in "Cyclops" were good. I was only familiar with Eric Roberts in the movie, and you know what you get from his acting. While I wasn't familiar with the rest of the cast, I will say that there were some good performances that helped to carry the movie.

Something that worked out well in the movie was the sets, costumes and props. It definitely looked like a movie set in ancient rome, and the costumes were really great. However, while the costumes were great, they were all just a tad too new and in mint condition. I would assume that commoners and slaves would have worn weathered garments with wear and tear, but oddly enough, everyone in the movie wore costumes and clothes that looked like they were straight and fresh out of the factory. It was a shame, because it made the production feel a bit amateurish. Some dirt and some wear and tear on the costumes would have added a lot of authentism to the movie.

The CGI animated cyclops creature in the movie was atrocious to look at. It looked like rejected CGI graphics from a 1990s computer game. It was really horrible to look at. Sure, the intention was good, but the CGI budget could have benefitted from a more handsome handout, or perhaps more skilled people working on the graphics. The texture of the cyclops felt incomplete and too smooth and shiny.

Oddly enough, there was a surprising amount of visceral gore and mayhem in the movie. Which definitely surprised me, because I wasn't expecting that from a TV movie with Eric Roberts in it.

"Cyclops" is a movie that is suitable for a single viewing if you like cheesy fantasy movies.

Funny fact here, you could actually watch "Cyclops" with just one eye, limited attention span, on the screen and still keep up with the events and happenings on the screen.

My rating of director Declan O'Brien's 2008 TV movie "Cyclops" lands on a three out of ten stars.

How Eric Roberts can go from portraying Sal Maroni in The Dark Knight to this is beyond me. The production value, low budget or not, is horrific. The costumes look like they were stolen from a nearby Halloween shop and the CGI looks like an art student got drunk and submitted some stock CG to SciFi.

That, and the gross butchering of Roman culture. The Emperor of the the most powerful empire in history clearly only hires the dumbest and most inept soldier for the city guard elite. These guys make the Star Trek "Red shirts" look like Leonida's 300.

To sum up: Take Gladiator, add a crappy subplot about a Cyclops to make it more SciFi worthy, and then give the staff 1 good actor surrounded by many, many bad ones and a budget of a 5 grade video project, without mommy's help.

I shudder to think about the future of the SciFi channel after Battlestar Galactica is done. Whether you like it or not, you must admit, after viewing terrible stuff like this, it's all they have left.

First and foremost: the Cyclops wasn't a Roman legend, it was Greek! (Check any decent production of Homer's "Odyssey".)

Eric Roberts was the best-known name in the cast, and therefore the first name mentioned in all the promo advertising. However, with what little screen-time Mr Roberts got, even he could not have saved this turkey. They wrote the Emperor Tiberius' character as if they'd never heard anything about the real man beyond his name. They had Tiberius completely under the sway of his evil counselor.

The CGI Cyclops effect was cartoonish not monstrous! (I've seen better amateur efforts!) It has to be seen to be (dis-)believed. — And it's really not worth the trouble.

All in all, I found it not only a waste of my time but a waste of the electricity it took to power my TV.

I have to admire the film-makers' ability to get paid for this.

dreck (noun: trash - worthless trashy stuff, especially low-quality merchandise.)

Well, the flick took no chances. Straight forward good verses bad and with no budget, I think that was a mistake. I feel the lower the budget, the more chances one should take. They could of put something, humor, whatever, into it.

As it was, it is what it is. Fluff and sub-par to slightly par. I did like many of the actors in it, the Centurion ought to get more parts, he has the dignity and charisma foe a big budget picture.

I thought the main female lead was Alantis Morrissette (sp) for a second, lol, a real LONG face but cute nonetheless.

Anyway, a light view, nothing special, but at the same time not taxing in anyway. Watch it, enjoy what is there, and forget it.

Needless to say, expectations were low for this no-budget Sci Fi flick. From atrocious acting and middles-school level CGI to uneven direction and boring subplots, Cyclops is what you've come to expect from the Sci Fi channel these days.

One interesting question was, how cold was it where they filmed this movie in Bulgaria? You could see the actor's breath in many scenes, including the indoor ones. Very strange and out of place. I never knew Rome got this cold.

The CGI was just dreadful. While the modeling of the monster wasn't bad, it seemed to change sizes continually throughout the production. In some scenes, it was enormous and in others, it was human-size.