The Cyclops

Too bad the half-faced one-eyed guy is so hokey. The Cyclops head is grotesque but sticking it on top a normal man's body ruins much of the illusion. The matte shots creating the colossal effect are badly dated but then these were well before computerized effects. Seems our adventurous foursome have gone looking for Susan's true love who's disappeared on a plane flight into the Mexico wilds. Unfortunately for them, but good for us, radioactive uranium deposits saturate the search area. Thus, in typical 50's fashion, monsters are created out of ordinary critters. Actually the oversized lizards are pretty well done without the obvious matte marks that surround Cyclops. Then too, the small cast does a professional job, without mocking their parts--- something of a surprise for the often hammy Chaney Jr. Of course, I'll watch anything with cat-eyed Gloria Talbott, especially when she's in tight pants and top. The actress had a rather brief movie career, mainly in horror features of this type where her exotic features fit in perfectly. And, surprise, surprise, 50's audiences get yet one more look at Bronson Canyon, without which I doubt the monster genre would have happened. Still, the LA area locations are well framed, including The LA Arboretum used for jungle shots instead of the usual shaky studio sets. All in all, it's competent drive-in fare that's more shrewdly done than most.

Susan Winter (Gloria Talbott) is searching for her missing boyfriend test pilot Bruce Barton. He's been missing for three years in the Mexican jungle. She has joined up with wealthy Martin Melville (Lon Chaney Jr.) looking for uranium. The other two people on the search plane are friend Russ Bradford (James Craig) and pilot Lee Brand (Tom Drake). They encounter giant creatures created by the radiation.

The special effects of the giant creatures are compositing two different footages. It's not the best looking. The big-size half tends to be transparent. It's classic B-movie stuff. It's a lot of cheese. It needs more drama from Melville. When he first push the plane down, I thought he would be tied up and later cause problems. The others are not reacting enough to his aggressiveness. The plot is not good enough. As for the cyclops, his mask is fake old style. It's not that good, but it is weirdly interesting. That's this movie. It's not good but weirdly interesting.

Crazy, super sized fun film! It's one of those large creatures films that was so popular in the 1950s thru the early 1960s. If you like those types of sci-fi, horror films then you might like The Cyclops! Susan Winters' (Talbott) fiancée is missing. He has not shown back up from his trip to Mexico so Susan decides to get help from Martin Melville (Chaney) to fund her trip in exchange for some of the uranium that is suppose to be in rich supply in the area. She enlists the help of Russ Bradford (Craig) as a guide and Lee Brand (Drake) a pilot. What they discover are an abundance of uranium, over-sized creatures and The Cyclops! I really enjoyed watching this film again after years of no-see! 7.5/10

This was the first movie I ever saw! I was 2 years old and my brother was 4. Scared the be-jesus out of me! Hey, I was only 2. Down through the years, I became an avid reader of FaMOUS MOnsters of Filmland magazine, and NEVER saw it covered, and nary a publicity pic from Dear Old Uncle Forry! At 12, I watched War Of The Colossal Beast on the Saturday matinée, only to be thoroughly disappointed that it wasn't "that" movie.

Fast-forward to 1984. I went with my brother and his wife to a video rental store in a nearby town and the video box was one of those Elvira thingies...but "something" about that title... I showed it to my brother with a quizzical look and he flashed me a strange half-smile...

Anyway, I found it, (or should I say..."we" found it!) in 1984 after it had been aired on network t.v. only once (to my knowledge) back in 1962 or '63! Needless to say, we had a neat little "reunion" that Saturday afternoon! Ain't life fun?!?!?!?!

Bert Gordon was definitely a great B science fiction film maker. I love all his movies, ALL OF THEM. I almost forgot this one, and what a shame. I discover it again with great pleasure. It is not lousy, it is fun; it is not stupid, it is a good time waster, especially for Bert Gordon's fans, and there are many on earth. You will easily find here his trademark: gigantic animals; the Bert Gordon's trademark. Every horror movie buff should watch this one. Lon Chaney Jr shows a wooden performance, compared to other films which he played in. But let's be honest, it is not the highlight of Bert Gordon. However, this is a must see for horror fans.