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

I’m certainly not denying that Roger Corman made — either as director or producer — some absolute schlock that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, but when he gets it, the man gets it. As director here, he’s crafted a very compelling psychological sci-fi horror film (far more emphasis on sci-fi than horror), and with Ray Milland as his lead, he’s got the perfect muse for it.

Milland’s Dr. James Xavier tests some eye drops on himself, and he realizes that he can see through things. He has fun at a party where he sees through women’s clothes (I’m imagining ’80s Roger Corman having a lot of fun with this). But eventually things change and he’s using the power at a carnival to make money. But he also saves lives with it, as he can conduct a surgery that someone would have screwed up, and recognizes broken bones in a woman at the site of an accident.

There’s some great moral ambiguity with the character. He uses the power for both good or evil, but sort of like The Invisible Man, the feeling of invincibility gets to him, and he hits up a casino.

It sounds like pretty standard ‘50s/’60s sci-fi stuff, but it’s pretty well done. Milland, who’d normally be above this kind of exploitation stuff, lends the movie so much credibility.

It’s definitely worth watching as a pretty under-the-radar sci-fi classic.