This truly is a cracking little sci-fi/horror thriller from American International and Roger Corman. In one of his finest late career performances, Ray Milland stars as the experimenting Dr. Xavier who comes up with an eye-drop fluid that allows him to see beyond the normal spectrum. Following the accidental death of a colleague, things get out of hand and Xavier is forced to go on the run. At this juncture, the picture perhaps gets even more interesting as the nature of what the doctor can increasingly perceive through his afflicted eyes is incorporated into a swirling and intriguingly developed background locale. He hides out at a carnival, where he becomes an attraction of sorts. Don Rickles, as his shady boss, turns in a sleazily memorable supporting performance and the depiction of the bustling on-site activity that goes on at carnival sites is well-realised.Later, on the run from a casino, Xavier loses the dark glasses that protect his eyes somewhat. As he struggles desperately to evade the police, the unbearable glare of the desert sunlight serves to heighten his strange and distorted visions. Milland's contorted movements and sense of straining despair and helplessness is really quite something to observe. The film's finale in the Evangelicals' tent proves supremely chilling yet also quite plaintive and deeply moving as the pioneering and now plagued Dr. Xavier reveals the extent of his troubling and harrowing visions.Shot in three weeks on a paper-thin budget of $300,000, this truly is a cheapie gem and undoubtedly one of Corman's finest achievements as a director. The haunting visuals and art direction are certainly dated yet retain a remarkable ability to convey what Xavier sees in front of him. There is fine support from a number of veteran character actors and Diana Van der Vlis is a particularly pleasant presence as a female colleague who tries to help Xavier. Milland is centre stage though and he is terrific and deeply compelling in creating an unforgettably anguished and understandably flawed anti-hero. He appeared in some pretty ordinary fare later in life but this is a film and performance that he could justly have been proud of. It is a searing and deeply pained but very human performance of admirable restraint and eloquence. Indeed, it takes the film to another level.As an aside, it is interesting to note that this film was released as a double feature with Francis Ford Coppola's Irish-shot 'Dementia 13'. I haven't yet seen that one but it too sounds wonderfully intriguing!

This is quite a bit better than it is given credit for. Roger Corman relies on Ray Milland, one of the best actors of his era, to be the title character. It's one of those movies where a scientist decides, through impatience, to test his substance on himself. The results are interesting at first and soon move toward things which begin to destroy his life. Soon he can't turn back; he's stuck with this "gift," and there seems to be no hope. Finally, he becomes responsible for a death and he goes on the lam, joining a circus. His love interest desperately looks for him. But what can he do. There are implications that are dealt with in "The Amazing Shrinking Man," another well crafted science fiction/horror movie. There seems to be some controversy over the last lines of the film. See previous reviewers for this information.

In 1963, no one ever imagined a film which predicted the future the way this one did. Ray Milland's great performance here is way ahead of it's time. When you see him wearing the dark glasses he very much looks like a person today wearing Virtual Reality Glasses. No one making the film at the time could even imagine that. Roger Corman was on TCM recently saying that at almost $300,000 dollars this was one of his biggest budget films. I am not even sure that money would pay for the poor lab monkey who gets too much of an eye full early in this one now. This movie has a cult following today for some very good reasons. The old carnival scenes are a throwback to simpler times with the kind of carnival thrill rides that existed before the huge theme parks that came later.Don Rickles is a perfect example of the early 1960's as his 2 desires are lust of all women and money, and more money. A small amount of his stand-up humor getting into this script does not hurt the film either. To me, the iconic scene is the end one, which has rarely been duplicated in Sci-Fi. Milland wanders into an old fashioned religious tent revival (these still happen), and walks up to the fire and brimstone preacher. He tells the preacher what he sees as God due to his X-Ray eyes. The preacher tells him it is "because he has sinned." There are several ways to interpret this depending on your point of view, but it leaves one of the deepest closing messages ever put into a Sci-Fi film.

The sad thing about the film X is that it was 40 years ahead of its time. Roger Corman should have done this or even redone this film in the age of computer graphics. Maybe at a major studio perhaps.But a major studio would never have taken a chance on a film like this. A science fiction movie without any horrific monsters or buckets of blood and gore, the moguls would reason who would want to see that? X could only be done at American-International Pictures and be done only with someone of the imagination of Roger Corman.Ray Milland as Dr. James Xavier is a research scientist doing work in the field of vision. Dr. Frankenstein only wanted to bring life back from the dead. Milland wants to improve vision so that we see with the eye of God. He develops a serum based on hormones and enzymes and you apply to the eyes. Milland sees things more clearly, but as was said in a film some thirty years after X, he can't handle the truth.After accidentally killing a colleague friend in Harold J. Stone, Milland goes underground still continuing his experiments and working first at a carnival and then at a diagnostic/healer under the tutelage of Don Rickles. All the while colleague Diana Van Der Vlis is looking for him because guilty or not of the homicide of their friend Stone, Van Der Vlis believes in Milland and his work.The climax of this film which takes place in a tent revival meeting is a sudden death one and unforgettable. Let's just say there are no good choices or fates left for Milland. And he's been given a clarity far beyond what any of these people in that tent can comprehend.Don Rickles will surprise many with his performance as this bottom feeding carnival hustler at how good he is. Actually he's not wrong in what he sees as a practical solution for all concerned, hiding Milland from the authorities, making money, and allowing him to continue his research. But no proper doctor wants a partner like Rickles. It's like Colin Clive teaming up with Dwight Frye. Also in a small role at the end of the film is John Dierkes as the small time evangelist with the tent show. He's also quite good.X does ask some interesting questions, much like the original Frankenstein movie. This film really deserves a remake.