X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963)

 

We all want to see everything. Unfortunately, as humans, we cannot fully see everything. With the use of science, it tries its hardest to help out our eyesight, but only through the works of fiction can everything be achieved. Such is the case with the 1963 feature “X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes”, a Roger Corman production that imposes the facts on what could happen if we try and see everything from a certain point of view. However, the end result is not what people might be expecting. In fact, the final product, is actually a rather big mess. Yet, it's not the worst film that is out there. The film has definitely seen better days, that much is sure. While the special effects are quite amazing, and we get a pretty good performance from out main lead, the rest of the production feels incredibly dated. With “X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes”, its mind was in the right place, but its eyes couldn't see the big picture.

The story involves a popular scientist named James Xavier (Ray Milland), experimenting with the concept of seeing through solid matter. He has created a formula that can do this, however, the foundation that James is working for does not allow any further research to go forward. James, inadvertently, tests the formula on himself, and the result is extraordinary. Now, with the ability to see through solid objects, Dr. Xavier is doing whatever it takes to see the full potential of the world.

“X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes” is certainly an interesting mess for sure.

One of the issues with the movie is with the writing. Written by Robert Dillon and Ray Russell, with a story from Russell, the writing for this film has a lot of inconsistencies attached to itself. There's a lot of plot holes, and moments in the film are either forgotten or just glanced by. For instance, there is a heckler at Dr. Xavier who's presence is just for one scene, and is gone for the rest for the entirety of the feature. On top of this, the science that is provided her in the movie is kind of bogus, and really doesn't relate to anything special in particular. This all adds up to a running time of only 79 minutes, making the movie feel incredibly short. If the film were a bit longer, and fixed some issues regarding the science and certain continuities, then the movie would have been fine. Also, there is no ending to the feature; that is to say that the film ends rather abruptly, and there is this ambiguity towards the entire production leaving viewers dissatisfied with the ending result. All I can say is, if the film had a better story to follow, then the narrative would have clearly been a lot better.

This leads to one of the bigger issues with the film: the editing. Again, returning to the running time of just 79 minutes, the editing is all over the place. And, more importantly, the editing just doesn't add up. Especially near the end. With the editing in general, we get cuts of the normal world, and then very brief shots of the x-ray world for only a couple of seconds, and that does not have enough time for the audience to take in the amazing special effects. And importantly, with the editing, it just feels like the movie is playing it safe with its own execution. I'll explain later.

Which leads to what I consider the biggest problem with the movie itself: it has not aged in the slightest by any means necessary.

The film has seen better days. It looks like a film from the 1960s, and reflects the 1960s. More specifically, the early 60s, which was when this movie was made. Like I said, everything is played safely, and there really isn't that much shocking content, aside for maybe the ending, but that is stretching the shock factor. As stated before, as well, the science provided here is quite bizarre, and it might not make a lot of sense in today's modern world, due to advancements in technology. On top of this, while the special effects are good, they do not hold up in the slightest, dating the movie even more. “X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes” is one of those movies that could benefit from a remake or reboot. In fact, Tim Burton was at one point going to do that, but the project fell through. Even Roger Corman has expressed interest in a remake. A remake would definitely be beneficial.

With all that being said, there are two things that make the movie stand out from the rest.

The first is that the performance from Ray Milland is excellent. While the other actors are fine, they do not deliver the same kind of charm and charisma that Milland gives. Milland is good here, despite the writing being given to him is not the best. His performance is also quite convincing. Milland plays a man who wants to improve the world, only to reap the benefits in the end. Milland delivers a great performance that makes the movie more watchable.

The second and most prominent aspect, is that the special effects used in the film, are amazing. Up until this point in time, nobody hadn't seen effects like what is shown in the movie before. It's quite extraordinary to see these effects years later. By using a wide variety of camera and coloring techniques, the way the x-ray effect is handled is stunning.

In conclusion, “X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes” is viewable, but you may want to check your eyes after seeing this.