Movie Review: Dr. Cyclops (1940)
Synopsis: A reputable but eccentric scientist invites a group of colleagues to his remote jungle laboratory to help them with a secret scientific experiment. When they refuse to leave, he believes they intend on stealing credit for his discoveries, shrinks them and holds them captive. At first, he only plans on studying them. However, when he learns the effects of his shrink ray are only temporary, he decides to kill them.
Who's in it? The movie stars Albert Dekker, Thomas Coley, Janice Logan, Charles Halton and Victor Kilian.
Review: I had watched Dr. Cyclops on a couple different occasions, both times with my daughter. However, since it had been a while since I last saw it and it is one of my favorite classic science fiction thrillers, I decided to watch it again this morning.
That viewing did nothing to change my mind. It is still one of my favorites.
There are quite a few things I like about this movie. One of the main ones is the jungle location of the film. There are plenty of movies that feature people being shrunk but most take place in a relatively controlled setting - a back yard, a house, etc. The already dangerous jungle made the idea of being shrunk even more terrifying while also rendering the idea of escaping pretty much impossible.
This was especially important in this movie because the antagonist, Dr. Thorkel (Dekker) was severely near sighted, making it difficult for him to capitalize on his advantage over the shrunken colleagues. Had this taken place in a non-jungle setting, I think it would have been too easy for his would-be victims.
Another thing I liked about this movie was the protagonists choosing to fight back rather than just be victims the entire film. It added to the suspense because every time they seemed to have a good idea (such as shooting Thorkel while he slept), their ultimate failure only made their situation seem more impossible.
I also liked how the protagonists in this film weren't exactly innocent themselves, forcing Thorkel's hand by refusing the leave and plotting to steal his radium deposit. Normally I prefer protagonists who have redeeming qualities, so I care if they live or die. In this case though, it added some unpredictability because they would be much more likely to cross moral lines.
On the flip side of that, if I had any complaints about this movie, it would be Thorkel not being enough of a villain. Simply put, he's just too polite and apologetic. This leads to him giving his shrunken captives too many opportunities to escape. He didn't even seem angry about any of it.
In fact, my daughter, who was about 10 when we first saw this, would have made a better villain. Her first reaction to this movie was "I would just feed them to the cat."
The movie's music also leaves a lot to be desired, and it doesn't help that it seemed to get louder as the film progressed. No lie - I seriously considered turning the sound off at one point because of it.
Final Opinion: I don't know if I would describe it as a great movie, mostly because the main villain is kind of a wimp. However, it is an entertaining film and one I would recommend taking the time to watch.
My Grade: B+
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Here are some reviews of other mad scientist movies:
Movie Review: Donovan's Brain (1953)
Movie Review: Voodoo Woman (1957)
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