Four explorers are summoned to Peru by the brilliant physicist Dr Thorkel. They discover a rich source of radium and a half-mad Thorkel who shrinks them down to one-fifth their normal size when they threaten to stop his unorthodox experimentation.
Strange how absorbed man has been in the size of things!
Dr. Cyclops is directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack and written by Tom Kilpatrick. It stars Albert Dekker, Thomas Coley, Janice Logan, Charles Halton and Victor Kilian. Music is collectively arranged by Ernst Toch, Gerard Corbanara and Albert Hay Malotte, and cinematography is by Henry Sharp.
A group of scientists are requested to join Dr. Alexander Thorkel (Dekker) at his remote laboratory in the Peruvian jungle. Once there they find the doctor is losing his sight but working on something very secretive. Soon enough they wish they hadn't stuck around to find out just what it is he is up to.
One of the better of the "mad scientist" movies from the classic era of sci-fi schlockers, Dr. Cyclops boasts nifty effects work, lovely Technicolor and a superb lead performance by Dekker. As in the best traditions of such genre fare, the science is mad as a box of frogs, which here involves miniaturisation. Thorkel pushes the boundaries of his work and this puts his "guests" into grave danger as they enter a small world beset with everyday perils.
It's never truly a horror film, as evidenced by the jaunty musical score that accompanies much of the "little people's" adventures as they strive to survive, and this is something that has taken first time viewers by surprise and disappointed them. This really is a picture asking you to enjoy yourself with a smile on your face whilst appreciating the super craft involved for the era.
There's no brainy botherings or statements of metaphoric substance, while away from Dekker the acting is hardly high grade stuff. But transport yourself into this bonkers sci-fi adventure and a good time is assured at the very least. 7.5/10
