Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cyclops-a great flick, January 31, 2009
Take a journey back in time, when Cyclops ruled the land. Roman citizens were not safe, herds were randomly decimated, and fear reined supreme...that is, until the great Caesar himself rid the land of the dangerous creatures!
Except for one. The last Cyclops roams the forested area around Rome, dining on unsuspecting thieves and brigands. A hungry trio spies a drying rack of wool, and pays for their dishonesty with their lives. Cyclops rips through two men, leaving one behind to warn the Emperor Tiberius. Corruption runs rampant through the Roman empire, and Tiberius, with his maniacal pattern of decision making and ambition, has run the gauntlet until his only the most violent `victory' games will do. He sends Marcus Romulus to capture Cyclops for use in the games. An enraged Cyclops kills many of the troops, yet Marcus emerges as a hero, inciting the jealousy of the Emperors' nephew. Popularity is no weapon against blind ambition, and the victory games pit man against Cyclops, friend against friend, and ultimately, freedom against tyranny!
This is one amazing movie. The CGI employed on Cyclops is remarkable, just as the costuming/props used on the Centurions is. A picturesque digital reconstruction of Rome serves as a suitable backdrop for this freedom motivated film. If there is any problem with the production, it is the Victory games pit used. I am not sure that an Emperor as fanatical as Tiberius is depicted as would settle for a small arena, but it does work in the film very well. Another realistic element is that of the format of the games with small side battles climaxing in a major brawl. The background element of the slaves being used in the games instead of building the nephews' villa addition is also factual. In times of war, households were cleaned out of slaves for war efforts and `freely' given when any Emperor demanded it.
The casting of Eric Roberts as Tiberius is excellent, while Kevin Stapleton as the imprisoned General is a good foil. Roberts gives a performance that reminds me of the BBC I, Claudius strongly. Stapleton is rugged, and is a fitting Roman centurion.
Roger Corman gives us a film that is a good addition to any sand and sandal collection. Great DVD jacket too!
[...]
Tim Lasiuta
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Film To Keep An EYE On, March 8, 2009
Who doesn't love a good cyclops movie? I sure can't think of anybody, nor would I consider someone a true American if they didn't. Cyclopses(Sorry, I have never had to pluralize the word "cyclops" before) tend to only make fleeting appearances in a limited number of films, but thanks to Roger Corman's company, New Horizons, we get a whole film dedicated to a cyclops! And dig this, it actually takes place in ancient Rome! Throw Eric Roberts into the mix and it's a no brainer that you'll have to watch it.
In the film, a cyclops is posing a threat to Rome, so Tiberius Caesar(Roberts) orders it's capture. Hero soldier, Marcus, succeeds in capturing the ten foot beast, only to be thanked by having his promotion yanked out from under him and being accused of treason. Tiberius puts the cyclops into the gladiatorial games to compete with slaves and criminals who fight to earn their freedom or death. The cyclops is a vicious brute who rips people limb from limb, decapitates and devours them as well. He even bites off a kid's hand(he was asking for it though. You don't tease a cyclops)! As you might have already guessed, our hero Marcus will eventually be pitted against the cyclops, but Marcus learns that befriending a cyclops can be quite useful, especially if you're planning a rebellion.
This film was fun nonsense. Not historically accurate by any means, but why should it be? Roberts kinda sleepwalks through the evil emperor role, but that really doesn't bring the film down. Considering we're not dealing with a Schmuckheimer budgeted film here, I was actually quite impressed with the look of the film. The movie looks higher budgeted than it probably was and the set design wasn't bad at all. No, it wasn't HBO's Rome, but pretty good I must say. The cyclops itself is naturally a CGI creation, and an above average one for a straight to video film. He's not all that impressive looking to me, but I hate CGI anyway. You get used to his look before too long though. The cyclops becomes a bit more of a sympathetic character in the last act of the film. I think it's supposed to be emotional, but it's more comically amusing than anything.
Like I said, it's a fun little film and I'd recommend it to lovers of B films, horror films....and movies about gladiators!!
I wouldn't put much stock in folks who say this film is bad, has bad acting, writing, FX, etc. IT'S A MOVIE ABOUT A CYCLOPS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
This very well may be THE single worst movie ever made., March 7, 2009
I bought "Cyclops" on a whim at a local Wal-Mart after seeing it on sale for $9.99. Turns out that there's a very good reason this thing was on sale for $9.99. It stinks. Not just a little, but a LOT. It was so bad that I literally couldn't watch any more than the first 30 minutes of it. After that, I took the disc out of my DVD player, but it back in the case, and then threw them both in the trash.
Where do I start? The "acting" was absolutely putrid. I wouldn't question you at all if you told me that the casting director for this turd of a movie went down one afternoon and picked people off the street for the starring roles. The screenplay itself was written by a 5th grader. The directing was horrible, as were the camera angles. Finally, the computer-generated special effects that generated the "Cyclops" himself weren't even remotely believable. All in all, this thing looks like it was made in about a week's time with a budget of about $200,000.
The California state legislature should pass a law banning Roger Corman from ever directing another motion picture again. As for Eric Roberts, it's sad to see that someone who's had a decent acting career has now been reduced to this. Seriously, Eric ... If you can't find anything better than this for work, maybe it's time to find a new career.
Trust me ... If you have an IQ of over 100, don't waste your money on "Cyclops".
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