Excellent science-fiction ideas and high moral purpose with classy actors- what could be better? A lot could be better- its too static, a general stasis pervades most of the scenes.A brilliant scientist is artificially trapped in a Stephen Hawking-esque existence. The film largely takes place in an eerie dark mansion that contains a laboratory with the usual oscilloscopes, and (since this was entering the modern era) a tape-drive computer console, yet another movie brain-in-a-tank sequence and other sci-fi components, all nicely done for the 1950's.Veteran stars of film and the New York stage with impressive acting credentials such as Otto Kruger and Mala Powers give solid performances, and fine actor Ross Martin is very good, both as a human and in his Hawking-esque voice only mode. I only mention Dr. Hawking out of respect, to illustrate how far ahead of its time the film's basic concept was.The actors at times have a curious lack of cohesion interacting with each other, a situation that is clearly the fault of the director, as is the slow pace, and in fact I would place all the blame for every fault of this film squarely in the lap of the director, who in my opinion seriously bungled what is otherwise a potentially very fine film. A reviewer here mentions the scene of a crowd just standing while being zapped- such stasis in scenes is inexcusable. And I agree with reviewers who decry the lack of a "rampage"- a good monster menace should ideally rampage around the city a little but this one doesn't (he moves around the city some while hidden in a clever way, but the result is: no rampage).I will give "The Colossus of New York" 5 stars out of 10 but wish I could give it a higher rating. Just can't do it.

Is there anyone in this world so indispensable that their continued existence is absolutely essential? That's the question that is posed to the viewers in The Colossus Of New York.Ross Martin plays the super achieving son of Otto Kruger in a family of geniuses. In said family Martin is the crown jewel, a world famous scientist who on the day he's awarded the Nobel Prize is killed in a traffic accident. The world mourns but not Otto Kruger who takes the body and does some Frankenstein like experiments.In short he puts Martin's preserved brain in the body of one rather large and powerful robot who can kill with a ray gun blast. The values he developed as a human gradually fade away.Watching The Colossus Of New York I thought back to this truly horrid film They Saved Hitler's Brain where some Nazis have concluded the genius of the Fuehrer must be preserved for eternity. This is a much better film, but the same principle applies. Applied in fact by a father who just will not accept his son's death at the height of his fame and ability to do good works.Not a big budget film, but it does give one a lot to think about. What are human beings without the packaging?

Reviewers appear to be about evenly divided on this film. Half are enraptured by "The Colossus of New York", and half think it's laughably bad. I tend to be in the middle somewhere. I think the movie is a slightly above average 1950s sci-fi/horror flick with a very good cast and some interesting twists. However, I've never thought the film represented some sort of special viewing experience.Ross Martin plays a scholar/humanitarian/all around good guy who is killed off in an unfortunate accident early in the film. His father (Otto Kruger, in an extremely pompous performance) implants Martin's brain in a huge Frankenstein-ish robot (played by Ed Wolff).Naturally, the robot doesn't just sit around smoking cigarettes and watching TV--he predictably goes berserk, wreaking havoc on Martin's enemies and, in a somewhat mawkish plot twist, befriending an innocent little boy. After smashing all kinds of things, the robot commits suicide with the help of his little schoolboy friend, dying at the UN building in New York.The pluses are a good cast, fine piano score, and very good photography on a limited budget. The minuses are the predictable storyline and the awkward relationship between the homicidal robot and a little boy. Worth a look, but not a classic in my opinion.

A still from this film, depicting the titular robot and a little boy, had adorned the cover of that Sci-Fi issue of “The Movie” periodical which I mentioned in my review of ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN (1958) – and I’d always been interested in it for this reason (considering that it’s a title which is rarely discussed). Despite being produced by a major Hollywood studio, Paramount, the film is definitely a ‘B’ genre effort – made to cash-in on the sci-fi craze of the Cold War era. The makers clearly relied on such classic prototypes as THE GOLEM (1920), METROPOLIS (1927) and FRANKENSTEIN (1931) for inspiration – but, being somewhat underwritten, the plot doesn’t quite supply the necessary impetus to elicit favorable comparison with them! Mind you, it’s fairly intriguing during the first half (surprisingly written by FATHER BROWN [1954]’s screenwriter Thelma Schnee!) and bolstered throughout by reliable Otto Kruger’s mad scientist characterization. Besides, the design of the robot itself (fitted with the re-activated brain of Kruger’s son, a humanitarian-cum-genius prematurely killed in a road accident) is interesting and actually quite eerie…though bestowed with curiously short arms! However, the latter doesn’t have that much to do since it’s confined for the most part to Kruger’s lab! Eventually breaking free of its creator/father’s control, the robot emerges into the open and befriends his own son (who’s unaware of the machine’s true ‘identity’). Inevitably, the human feelings once inherent in its brain gradually get lost within the metallic ‘armor’ – and the scientist even kills his own elder brother (for attempting to steal his wife’s affection…though she’s also pursued by his former best friend, who’s allowed to get away with it!). Finally, having gone berserk, the robot breaks into the United Nations building (the ‘monster’ during the sci-fi heyday always seemed to vent its fury at some point on such big-city landmarks), where it’s destroyed – or, more precisely, shut off – via a convenient lever lodged in its structure by the boy himself! The film, as I said, doesn’t quite make it into the genre’s top-rank – but, running a terse 70 minutes, emerges nonetheless to be a generally entertaining entry (and not an unintelligent one, either). That said, it’s somewhat cheapened by Van Cleave’s funereal score (which is more akin to the slapdash accompaniment one is prone to find in Public Domain editions of Silent films!). Besides, there are a number of illogicalities in the narrative which tend to stick out like a sore thumb: for instance, the robot is often seen traveling via water – but wouldn’t contact with this element cause a short circuit to begin with?; despite Kruger’s audacious claim that his son’s genius is on the same level of such world-renowned luminaries as Napoleon, Macchiavelli and Michelangelo, the young doctor’s major claim to fame seems to be merely that he had invented a way in which to fabricate food products more quickly!!; the climax is marred by a blatant continuity goof – a girl is seen on the ground in one shot, up on her feet the next and, then, once again on the ground to be pulverized by the robot’s laser beam!; as soon as the creature is gotten rid of, it’s business as usual for the folk at the United Nations – with no thought given to the many who had just lost their lives!; a similar nonchalant reaction is allotted to Kruger, who admits his responsibility for the tragic events – and, yet, isn’t held to account for his irresponsibility!