Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

mark.waltz When an atom bomb goes off and blow off all your clothes, don't panic. You're not at Minsky's witnessing Gypsy Rose Lee's newest striptease act, you're Glenn Langan, an army Lt. Colonel in the wrong place at the wrong time. He manages to survive the blast, but strange things begin to happen to him, much to the concern of his fiancée (Cathy Downs) to whom he was supposed to be wed that night. The doctors are stunned to discover that his burns have totally disappeared and new skin has formed. "Something out there is beyond the limits of our knowledge", the scientist who created the plutonium bomb realizes. Ah, duh? And how does the scientist explain the fact that Langan grows to enormous heights and becomes a human monster created by that fabulous organization known as the United States Army.Another lesson of the world getting into trouble because of organizations like this fooling around where they shouldn't, this is dramatically better than most movies of its kind and convincingly acted with outstanding special effects. Of course, the most famous scene is the shot of Langan destroying Vegas (the billboards of various famous headliners included), and it is worth the build-up to these exciting scenes. Downs tries to intercede as the voice of reason, but when mankind interferes where certain clues tell them not to, it is all of humanity who must suffer.Langan gets through this in a virtually silent performance, and wins sympathy for the innocent predicament that turned him into this colossal creature. William Hudson, who would later play the cheating husband in the film's follow-up ("The Attack of the 50 Foot Woman"), and Downs' shock upon discovering what has become of her fiancée is emotionally disturbing and powerful. Like the creature from Venus who grew to monstrous heights in "20 Million Miles to Earth", Langan gets the sympathy while the military gets the shaken finger. His reaction to realizing what's happened to him remains a very powerful moment in film. So as our world increases in knowledge, films like this remain behind to remind us of the lessons which we have not learned no matter what warnings there are for us way out there in the unknown.And remember...."Keep your dark glasses on, and stay where you are!"

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.

AaronCapenBanner Bert I. Gordon directed this surprise hit about Lt. Col. Glenn Manning, who is accidentally exposed to a plutonium blast at a desert Army base, burning him extensively, but survives. However, he mysteriously starts to grow, reaching 50Ft. He becomes an object of study, but is gradually losing his mind because of both the situation and decreased blood supply to his brain. Glenn, enraged and despondent, escapes and goes on a rampage, forcing a showdown with the Army he once served in. Despite a good performance from the lead actor, and a sympathetic script, the F/X are shoddy and the ridiculous plot dissolves into an obvious chase melodrama, ending at a dam. Not yet on DVD for some reason, though was on YouTube for awhile.

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.