Dr. Cyclops (1940)

Enjoyable Technicolor Sci-Fi, 14 September 2007

Dr. Alexander Thorkel, a scientist working in the Amazon jungle, has discovered the secrets of miniaturization. He invites a group of scientists to assist him, but quickly dismisses them once he gets what he wants from them. Thinking they are spying on him, Dr. Thorkel turns his radium experiment on the group reducing each to about twelve inches in height. In their current and miniaturized state, Dr. Thorkel becomes the least of their worries as they attempt to make their escape through the jungle.

As I sat and watched Dr. Cyclops for the first time, the thought kept going through my head, "Wow, these are some great effects for the 50s." It would be an understatement to say that I was shocked after the movie ended and I discovered Dr. Cyclops was made in 1940. The special effects are amazing. Sure, modern audiences who prefer soulless CGI may find the effects poor or even comical, but they represent a real craft and workmanship that you don't see much anymore. There's an art to the kind of rear projection, split-screen, and over-sized props found in Dr. Cyclops. So when you combine these ahead of their time special effects with the bright, vibrant, beautiful Technicolor used in the filming of the movie, I think it's understandable to see why I was surprised to discover Dr. Cyclops was made some 67 years ago.

Beyond the effects, Dr. Cyclops moves at a good pace. Although some aspects of the "mini-humans against nature" plot seem cliché today, it held my attention throughout. And, though obviously stage-bound, the sets are more than adequate. On the negative side, the acting is hit or miss at best. While Albert Dekker is more than adequate at playing the subtly sinister title character and Charles Hatton is good as his most capable adversary, Dr. Bullfinch, most of the rest of cast doesn't come across quite so good. I also thought that some of the key plot points were terribly predictable. As an example, from the moment Dr. Thorkel's poor eyesight is made known, is there any doubt this will come into play at some point in the movie? And I can't end this without mentioning the music – it's downright annoying. It's that loopy kind of music I associate with a bad kiddie movie.

6/10