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

Brilliant, but deranged physicist Dr. Alexander Thorkel (splendidly played with deliciously wicked relish by Albert Dekker) shrinks his enemies down to miniature size after they take him to task for his unconventional experiments. Director Ernest Schoedsack, working from a taut and engrossing story by Tom Kilpatrick, relates the gripping story at a brisk pace, maintains a generally serious tone throughout, and builds a good deal of suspense and momentum. The bald, burly, and bespectacled Thorkel makes for a marvelously ruthless, haughty, and sinister mad scientist. While Dekker clearly dominates the movie with his sterling performance, his co-stars nonetheless do respectable work in their roles: Charles Halton registers strongly as Torkel's most gutsy and vehement opponent Dr. Rupert Bulfinch, Thomas Coley is likable enough as handsome layabout Bill Stockton, the lovely Janice Logan impresses as the feisty and resourceful Dr. Mary Robinson (and looks quite fetching in her purple toga), and Victor Kilian contributes a solid turn as gruff trail guide Steve Baker. The scenes with the tiny people fending off giant animals and fighting back against Thorkel are extremely tense and exciting. The nifty special effects hold up quite well. Henry Sharp's vivid Technicolor cinematography gives the picture a pleasingly vibrant look. The robust and rousing score by Gerard Carbonara, Ernst Toch, and Albert Hay hits the stirring spot. The tight 77 minute running time ensures that this movie never gets dull or overstays its welcome. An immensely fun film.

Let me say that I have a love/hate relationship with this film since I first saw it way back in the late seventies at the age of eleven. I LOVE the general concept of a mad scientist conducting miniaturization experiments deep in the Amazon jungle of Peru. I also LOVE that the film had the most impressive special effects,of it's time, and was made in "glorious" Technicolor. But I HATE that the film used an ugly, bald and smelly cockroach of a man in the title role of the insane biologist. As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the great injustices of modern film. It is never explained why this disgusting nut case is attempting to play GOD. Nor, are the backgrounds of any of the other two-dimensional characters ever fleshed out. And this ruins any chance the story has to offer any type of credibility. Had the story been told another way, it probably would had been more successful during it's initial run, thus gaining greater public awareness. How dare the very talented film-making team who produced one of the greatest films ever-KING KONG- make such crap. And it is now my life's ambition to correct such a travesty. Finally, in my humble opinion, Dr. Cyclops is one of the worst films ever made just for the reasons I stated. And as one noted reviewer wrote, "dr. cyclops is a classic example of a missed opportunity".

"Dr. Cyclops" is masterful science-fiction from the golden era of cinema, containing all the prime ingredients in order to be ranked amongst the genre's most timeless classics. The script is excellent, there are at least two highly memorable acting performances (Albert Dekker and Charles Halton), the use of (Techni)color still stands as groundbreaking and the special effects are – at least 'were' for that time – phenomenal and faultless to the smallest detail. Youthful horror and Sci-Fi fans, exclusively swearing by the use of computer-animated techniques, can't possibly imagine how much time, effort and sincere devotion it must have cost here to scale down the sets or to endlessly edit all the matte works together. The effects in "Dr. Cyclops" are so terrific and so ahead of times they actually form a worthy equivalent for the visual art in "The Incredible Shrinking Man", which got released more than 15 years later and had a larger budget to work with. Doctor Thorkel is a brilliant albeit slightly eccentric scientist investigating the possibilities of freshly exploited radium in the middle of the Amazonian jungle. He develops a way to miniaturize living tissue, but he requires the help of three fellow scientists because his declining eyesight causes miscalculations. The scientists naturally refuse to leave without knowing the essence of Thorkel's research and, paranoid over the idea they'll steal his lifework, he shrinks them to a mere twelve inches. With Thorkel going increasingly berserk, the group has the choice between either facing their mad opponent or flee into the immense and dangerous jungle. The script features a couple of slower parts but, generally speaking, "Dr. Cyclops" is a vastly compelling and intellectually challenging film. The references towards the Greek mythology in the title and, more elaborated, in the script are fantastic, and Albert Dekker's performance is a stellar tour-de-force. His diabolical role also compensates for the weak and hammy supportive players.