Cyclops (2008)

The corrupt Emperor Tiberius forces his bravest general, Marcus, to subdue the monstrous Cyclops that has been decimating the countryside. Once the Cyclops is brought to the dungeons, ... See full summary »

Director:

Declan O'Brien

Writer:

Frances Doel (screenplay)

Stars:

Eric Roberts, Kevin Stapleton, Frida Farrell

Cast

Credited cast:
Eric Roberts	...	Emperor Tiberius Caesar
Kevin Stapleton	...	Marcus
Frida Farrell	...	Barbara
Craig Archibald	...	Falco
Mike Straub	...	Gordian
David McFarland	...	Severus
Dan Golden	...	Master of the Games
Scoop Wasserstein	...	Julian
Dimitar Maslarski	...	Cyclops
Raicho Vasilev	...	Tarquin
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Harry Anichkin	...	Casca
Ioan Banzourkov	...	Young Slave
Velizar Binev	...	Cletus
DeMorge Brown	...	Cyclops (voice)
Dimitar Dimitrov	...	Old Slave

Storyline

The corrupt Emperor Tiberius forces his bravest general, Marcus, to subdue the monstrous Cyclops that has been decimating the countryside. Once the Cyclops is brought to the dungeons, Marcus is forced to fight in the gladiatorial games. Eventually, he and the Cyclops become allies and they fight together to defeat the corrupt Emperor and his evil nephew, along with the beautiful barbarian Barbara.

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Plot Keywords:

cyclops | emperor | corrupt | general | dungeon | 

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Taglines:

The Rise of CYCLOPS... Is the Fall of Rome!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 December 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

A küklopsz szövetsége

Filming Locations:

Sofia, Bulgaria

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Horizons Picture

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The roman armor was made with wood and cardboard.

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Goofs

In Rome, the crowd signaled that they wanted death in the coliseum by raising their thumbs up, rather than down, as commonly believed.

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Connections

Featured in Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: Spookies (2012)

User Reviews

So Bad, So Bad, So Bad... But Entertaining!

The rise of cyclops is the fall of Rome, says the box. And that pretty much sums up this picture. The Roman Empire captures the cyclops with intentions of using him in the Colosseum for their own amusement. But when they wrong one of their top guards and turn him into a gladiator, the guard and the cyclops form a very unusual alliance against the emperor. Beware the eye of cyclops, Caesar! "Dude, that looks like the worst film ever," is what my editor says to me when I show him the latest movie on my desk for review. Well, luckily for me, that's not quite true. The film is somewhat silly and the special effects are pretty much the worst thing you'll find anywhere in the world (even Brazil). I've ranted time and again about why I hate CG, so I won't do it here... the evidence speaks for itself. But, if you ignore the effects (which is difficult with cyclops getting so much screen time) it's not a bad film. Just don't ask why the cyclops wears underwear and who makes them.

If you're a fan of "Gladiator" and bad horror movies, this is for you. I don't know how accurate this one is -- probably not very -- but the costumes and fight scenes are decent, and even better if you're drinking Scotch whiskey. If you're me, you're always drinking Scotch whiskey (except now... I'm in a bar drinking a rail whiskey and coke). The portrayal of slaves and prostitutes is cheesy, but you'll have that.

Why is this film not "the worst film ever"? Easy -- it's entertaining. Horror fans have a habit of lovingly ripping on their viewing choices. Don't believe me? Go to a horror film opening night or to one of Chicago's specialty theaters, like the Portage or Music Box. If the fans are yelling out bad jokes, that means they love it. And I think my commentary was more or less non-stop during "Cyclops". So, I was entertained, and unlike most of the films I see, I'd gladly see this one again.

Perhaps this tarnishes Roger Corman's good name. Let's just blame Julie Corman and assume Roger was asleep when this was produced. But either way, it's better than you think. Not modern classic good, not you must have it in your collection good... but if you need a rental for some light-hearted horror fans -- especially ones who drink -- this is a great choice for that Friday or Saturday night marathon.