"Dr. Cyclops" is known as one of the better "early sci-fi" films, made in '39 and released in 1940. (It is also in color.) But while the story has potential and there are some good moments, this is a very confused film.
The plot is simple - crazy mad scientist on some remote island can shrink animals, and wants to try it on humans. He manages this on a scientific team that came to check things out. They get angry, and the crazy scientist eventually gets really angry because his new shrunken subjects won't cooperate.
The FX aren't so bad but nothing special. The giant sets built are pretty impressive though. There is a scene where little fires are tossed at a real crocodile's head which probably made animal activists angry.
It also takes a long time for anything to really happen. This movie could have been done in a nice tight half-hour. Good for a viewing, but you probably won't watch again. The performance of the guy who plays Dr. Cyclops is definitely the main attraction.
