Rating: 3/5
Hooptober X | 30/34 | ‘X’ in the title
X Gonna Give It To Ya — by “it”, I mean terrible headaches and visions beyond your comprehension.
Dr. James Xavier (Ray Milland) is experimenting with vision, trying to see beyond the 10% of the spectrum available to humans. He has developed an eye drop serum he calls X.
He tries the serum on monkeys, testing their ability to see lights through a metal wall. But the monkey sees something that puts it in shock before dying.
Tired of the ambiguous results, he tries the serum on himself. His eyes see more than his brain can comprehend. But as his eyes adjust, he can see through things — pieces of paper, ties, jackets. He keeps adding drops to his eyes until he goes unconscious, unable to bear the light.
But as he recovers, he develops X-RAY EYES. No one believes him, so even when he tries to correct a patient’s diagnosis, the surgeon says, “fuck you, I’m doing the surgery I want.” He steps in and does the correct surgery anyway, and the surgeon accuses him of malpractice.
Afraid of what will happen, Xavier goes on the run, pushing his X use to the outer limits and experiencing the world as no one has seen it before.
The visual effects are so fun! I love it when everything becomes bleeding lights, and the spectrum smears across each image. They would make perfect concert visuals.
My favorite part is when he goes to a dance and sees everyone naked. Milland plays bashful schoolboy well.