Atlantis: The Lost Continent

On its own, George Pal's "Atlantis, the Lost Continent" is your basic B movie: lousy acting but very fun to watch. Paul Frees's opening narration, however, provides some insight into all the exploration that had been going on for hundreds of years. It's well known that the Vikings had come to North America about 500 years before Columbus's voyages, but there's evidence of contact between peoples from Africa and peoples from the Americas, such as an Olmec statue that looks African. And then the movie has the talk about how the animals suspect impending doom and start fleeing, while humans ignore nature's warnings. We've seen how true that is. Another thing that caught my eye about the movie is the casting of Edward Platt, best known as the Chief on "Get Smart" (he also starred in "Rebel without a Cause" and "North by Northwest"). Funny how these things work out. Anyway, it's a pretty enjoyable movie.

Years ago when I was younger, I saw this film and was fascinated by it. I think that this is a very interesting take on the legend of the lost continent of Atlantis. Also, the wonderful special effects, for its time, were great as well. Unfortunately, this film was undone by two things which I feel are always a detriment to a potentially good film. The first was the acting. Anthony Hall was so wooden in this film he could have attracted termites, in fact most of the acting wasn't great. The only one who seemed to have an at least okay performance was Edward Platt as the high priest. Another flaw was the fact that the film relied a lot on stock footage (Pal lifted a lot of footage from Quo Vadis?). Except for these two flaws, this is an okay film. Too bad its not one of Pal's better works.

Yes, yes. Actually, I encountered this movie first as a "comic book based on the movie" when I was 11 years old (in 1961). That comic book really made an impression on me! (Money well-spent from my paper route). Anyway, the part I like best is where the Atlanteans are making men into beasts by grafting snouts and horns onto them. Impressive! I can't work out whether its "Island of Dr Moreau meets Ulysses" or "Pinochhio meets Jason and the Argonauts". However, all of that doesn't really matter. Let's just say they don't make em like this no more. Stiff, Biblical-epic-style acting abounds. Three cheers for George Pal!

This movie does not have any known stars. I think the most well known is the guy who played the Chief on Get Smart. But conceptually this is a great movie. It captures the imagination. It plays into the stories of the advanced people of the famous lost continent. A place with advanced science in the ancient world. But such strength becomes their downfall. This move was made during the cold war when many thought the A-bomb could lead to our downfall. It also shows how even with such advanced knowledge, the people of Atlantis act just like people. Such themes are common in science fiction and fantasy of the era, but they are brought together nicely in this movie. Also this movie has the great special effects of its director, George Pal. And those are worth the price of admission any day.

Anyone else notice that Paul Frees, the worlds greatest voice, doesn't just do the narration. He is doing the voice for Demetrius' father. Weird accent and all. And the Princess' father as well! Which is strange since the actor playing him has such a distinctive, tired old man delivery that goes with his appearance much better than Frees voice. There can't be any argument Frees sounds more like a King. Pal obviously loved the guy. He's in every film Pal made from '53 on.

I first saw this film when I was a child. My friends and I were enamored of it, and played "Atlantis" for weeks after. Watching the movie with adult eyes, however, reveals that it is not George Pal's best work. Even so, it continues to have sentimental value for me and I do watch it occasionally. I still believe it to be a "fun" movie, real Saturday Matinee, popcorn and juju beads, sticky floor fun. Just turn off the brain, drop your expectations, and enjoy.

This film held up alot better than I remembered it. Sure, the acting isn't great, some of the dialogue is flat, the costumes and hats are ridiculous, but this film is enjoyable, especially if you gravitate towards exotic adventure stories with a greco-roman flavour. There's even a gladiator fight! Though it seems dated and cheap by today's standards, it had some nice set design and miniature work. This would be a great contender for a remake, as long as they don't leave out my favourite elements: the monsters! Those scenes are still disturbing!