Michael_Elliott The Amazing Colossal Man (1958)** (out of 4)Lt. Glenn Manning (Glenn Langan) is one of many people at a test site for a plutonium bomb when things take a bad turn. A plane crashes near the bomb so Manning runs to try and save the pilot but the bomb ends up going off. He's left with third degree burns but the doctors are shocked when the next day his skin is like brand new. Soon they begin to realize that he's growing at a rapid pace and it's having an effect on his mind.THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN is one colossal bore. It's easy to see why this film has gained such a huge following but I honestly believe it's due to the posters and promotional stills more than the film itself. Director Bert I. Gordon made a career out of doing these "growth" pictures so there's no question that he was qualified for the material but you have to wonder what the screenwriters were thinking because the film just doesn't have much in it.Well, to be honest, the screenwriters were probably limited due to the tight budget so this is perhaps why the majority of the film has the colossal man sitting in a bed or under a tent. These scenes just drag out the running time and in the end they're just downright boring. Also boring is the relationship with the fiancé because she basically just stands around asking if there's anything she can do. The film finally picks up some steam during its final act when the giant breaks free in Las Vegas but by the time this happens it's just too late.The performances are pretty much what you'd expect from a movie like this. The special effects are all pretty lame and it's obvious how they were done. Even for the standards of the era these effects really aren't all that special. THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN is slightly entertaining if you like this genre but there's no question that there's not too much here.

Hitchcoc Glen Manning performs an act of courage and what does he get. Exposure to Plutonium makes him a freak of nature, a man fifty feet tall, but the radiation affects his brain. Of course, this brings in the scientists who want to do things to him, as well as those who wish to destroy him as he goes on a rampage. These may be the worst special effects ever. At times we can see through the giant to the mountains and trees behind. This is also a love story and a story of hopelessness. He is made a freak, like the guy in "The Incredible Shrinking Man." The love of his life is willing to do what she can out of compassion and recognition of his cruel fate. The final scene is pretty good. There are some very touching scenes as well.

bruceljoyner The Amazing Colossal Man looms high on my list of favorite movies. The era it was made in and the results of exposure to radiation on humans was a subject of conjecture in 1957.Today we can look at this movie and judge it by what we know today, but in 1957 no one had a clue. Another movie from this time period was Attack of the Giant Gila Monster only this time a desert lizard is transformed into a threat.Both movies show how we react to the unknown.It is dated today but Bert I. Gordon got the mood of the times correct.I gave this movie 8 stars because the truth it holds is timeless.Col. Manning had my sympathy and kept it to the end.He was a character that was new for the times;he questioned the authorities that tried to imprison him and keep him out of view without him having anything to say about it.

Torgo_Approves The best thing about B-movies from the 50s is that they are almost always entertaining, if awful. Plan 9 From Outer Space certainly has more entertainment value than, say, Armageddon, and It Conquered the World was a funny little piece of silliness with performances that were definitely better than expected. The latter movie also featured the funniest movie monster I have ever seen.But The Amazing Colossal Man, simply put, has few things going for it. It looks promising, just take a glance at the priceless tagline: "A Seventy Foot Giant Is Terrorizing Las Vegas..." Sounds like a hilarious piece of schlock, doesn't it? Well, I was wrong to think so.The movie looks awful. Everything is too dark and since it is a black and white picture (although blue-and-black would be a more proper way to describe it), it is often difficult to tell what is really going on on the screen. Our hero, Glenn Langan's Lieutenant Manning, is a dull emo martyr who I found it difficult to feel sorry for. Sorry buddy, but if you run out in front of a nuclear explosion, you have yourself to blame.The main problem I had was with the ludicrous story (man is badly burned by hydrogen bomb and starts growing) that we're supposed to take seriously. This isn't a tongue-in-cheek riot, it's a melodramatic, dragging bore. It has the entertainment value you'd expect from The Seventh Seal.It is also annoying how repetitive the scenes are. Giant-Manning will sit in his hospital bed, whining about his condition, and his girlfriend will console him and claim that the doctors are working day and night. A few scenes later, Giant-Manning will sit inside a circus tent and whine, his girlfriend will console him again and repeat that the doctors are doing all they can. It all screams "filler" and makes you long for the cheesy monster action of the Gamera movies.The only scene in which anything of interest happens occurs at the very end, where a seemingly stoned Manning goes on a very mild rampage in his city. Then he is shot down and killed. That's it. The end.The Amazing Colossal Man is a huge disappointment. While Plan 9 might not have the quality of TACM, it is certainly more fun to watch. Avoid.(r#7)