6/10
Decent Enough but Not a Classic by Any Means
1 September 2008
Warning: Spoilers
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.
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