User Reviews

Although cheesy and corny at times, this lavish George Pal spectacle still packs a punch today with some agreeable old-fashioned special effects and a little bit of everything in the plot. Sure, it's not a perfect film, but what is? Occasionally dated and sometimes juvenile, ATLANTIS, THE LOST CONTINENT more than overcomes its flaws with a story populated by interesting characters, plenty of incident and interesting factors in the plot.

The film begins as a romantic adventure yarn as a beautiful Princess - as played by Joyce Taylor, who is very good and charismatic in the part - falls in love with a simple Greek fisherman, a fresh-faced lean youth played by Sal Ponti as a fearless, indestructible hero type. Once the action moves to Atlantis, the plot thickens with the introduction of many supporting characters, each with their own motivations, and numerous sub-plots.

From this point there are plenty of ominous rumblings and omens which point to the demise of Atlantis, which of course is saved for the finale. Up until then we follow Ponti, as he becomes a slave and rebels against the cruel guard, as led by a young William Smith. There are some fun sword-and-sandal type battle sequences involving battles between guards and slaves which highlight the action. Meanwhile Ponti finds himself facing the gladiatorial "fire and water challenge", in which he battles a brute of a man in a pit of hot coals which is then flooded with water. Again, a rousing moment, the highlight being the point when Ponti sets his opponent's head aflame! Another plot strand involves John Dall's Zaren, the King's right-hand who is effectively running the show and plans to become master of the world by using a crystal-powered death ray to destroy all of the other countries. Dall is the kind of slimy, yet charismatic villain you just love to hate, and kudos to the scriptwriters for not portraying him as a bad guy at the beginning of the film - instead, it's a gradual process.

Yet another sub-plot involves prisoners being converted into beastmen by the evil scientists of Atlantis, and sadly this is the most juvenile and poorly-realised portion of the film, with silly makeup effects and a lack of the tragi-horror combination that the writer was looking for with the beastmen. Thankfully this unwanted element is kept to the background in the movie. The special effects and fantastic elements are kept to a minimum up until the finale, which is where the budget seems to have been spent, and boy does it show. As Atlantis cracks up, we're treated to spectacular shots of bubbling lava, exploding volcanoes, collapsing buildings, the city on fire, rubble and masonry crushing people, floods and the city sinking beneath the ocean. On top of all this, the death ray comes into play to destroy numerous ships and lives, before it finally skeletonises the bad guy and goes berserk, causing yet more destruction. A truly satisfying conclusion to the movie and worth waiting for.

Even in the quieter moments, there is much to enjoy in ATLANTIS, THE LSOT CONTINENT's colourful cinematography and imaginative set design, including a weird temple with a huge Minotaur statue. In all, this is a splendid - if minorly flawed - retelling of the classic legend and an all-round crowd pleaser, bolstered most by the likable leads and Pal's uniqely old-fashioned approach to the adventure.

Leonard Maltin's Movies on TV lists this as George Pal's worst film. This is overly harsh and will steer you away from a fun film. While "Atlantis" is far from Pal's best, it's definitely better than "Conquest of Space," or "Doc Savage," both of which have embarrassing scripts, bad acting and heavy-handed direction.

Anyone who knows anything about Pal knows MGM rushed "Atlantis" into production before the script was refined, and it shows. Still, the major problem is not so much the script but the casting. The two leads, Sal Ponti as Demetrius and Joyce Taylor as Princess Antillia are terrible, particularly Taylor. She is beyond unlikable when she allows Zaren (John Dall) to make a slave of Demetrius after having been rescued and returned to Atlantis by him. If her performance suggested she suspected Zaren responsible for having Demetrius placed in irons, it would have softened her, making her later reunion with Demetrius believable. Unfortunately, she displays so much venom towards him when he verbalizes his suspicions of her betrayal, believability never recovers. Yet, Ponti is equally at fault. If, through a look or gesture we could see that perhaps he didn't truly believe she would have made a slave of him, the film would have been improved immensely.

Other actors fare better, but John Dall hams it up about as much as anyone could, making his also hammy performance in "Spartacus" appear to be Oscar bait by comparison. And Edward Platt as Azor is a bit too holier than thou, though he is quite restrained. That he became the Chief on TV's Get Smart later, doesn't help sell his believability in a serious role, but his performance can't be held accountable for interesting career decisions.

The actor who runs away with the picture is Jay Novello, as Xandros a Greek who Demetrius saves in the slave camp. After having thrown mud at the princess, who he assumes is responsible for making him a slave, Demetrius is sent to an evil scientist to be transformed into an animal to be used as a beast of burden (shades of H. G. Wells of course). Demetrius escapes this fate, but Xandros does not. Though we see the signs of an ox reveal themselves on his ears and nose, Xandros struggles to maintain his humanity as the animal instinct grows. Novello, who gave a campy but fun performance in Irwin Allen's "The Lost World" (1960), actually evokes some reasonable compassion in "Atlantis" as we watch him struggle to hold on to his humanity. His ox makeup is effectively creepy without being overdone, and his facial features lend themselves to that look. I don't know why more people haven't recognized this actor.

Where the film shines is in its atmospheric sense of place. Prior to Pal's "Atlantis" the only other version of the Atlantis myth to be seen on screen were the various versions of Atlantide, with Queen Antinea and the remnants of the empire of Atlantis discovered beneath the Sahara desert. A very dry prospect. Pal's "Atlantis" is a place that has to be reached by sea and ultimately, by submarine, one in the shape of a fish. Even King Neptune is shown in a dream sequence. The film feels aquatic and very Greek somehow, particularly the look of the city, the costumes and war machines. This definitely gives the film a mythological quality the Atlantide films don't possess.

And of course, Pal's attention to color and production design, in spite of the fact that much was stolen from earlier productions, pluses the less than adequate budget. In general, what the film is, is a very good American version of Italian peplum (sword and sandal epics shot at Cinecitta). It's a much better film than Steve Reeves' "Hercules" or any number of peplum from the late 50s and early 60s, and it's not dubbed either ( aside from the use of Paul Frees, who dubbed Demetrius' father's voice, and a few others).

Yes, Pal swipes footage from "Quo Vadis" for the destruction of Atlantis, and for some wide arena shots. The mattes of the Colosseum are up to Pal's usual standards. It's just that he didn't shoot the original footage. But the visual effects that Pal's team did create are for the most part, well done. In fact, "Atlantis" probably boasts one scene that stands with the finest work Pal ever did, the submarine fish's approach to Demetrius' boat and its arrival at Atlantis. First we hear the whirring sound and we see the metallic vessel surface in the distance behind Demetrius, unaware of its approach towards his boat. Though the sub's arrival at Atlantis uses earlier footage too, the combined result of seeing Atlantis from the circular window as the sub rises then cutting to the vessel pulling into harbor with people in togas cheering is one of the most memorable scenes in just about any fantasy film from that era. Though some of the miniatures used for the sinking of Atlantis look like what they are, the designs themselves and the lighting make the shots highly atmospheric.

Along with Miklos Rozsa's score to Pal's "The Power," Russell Garcia's scores to "The Time Machine" and "Atlantis the Lost Continent" are the best of Pal's long career. Garcia did the two films back to back and are both perfectly suited to their subjects. With "Atlantis" Garcia created a mini-epic. Regal and majestic, swirling with magical and diabolical moments, the music elevates the film beyond the peplum it really is.

The film totally depends on what you expect going in. If you expect peplum, you'll be nicely surprised. If you expect "The Time Machine," it couldn't possibly stack up.

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.

This is one of the earliest films I can remember seeing as a young child. I saw it in a theater when it was first released in 1961. In fact, the only part I remember from my first viewing, even after seeing it again as an adult, is the cool laser-like weapon shooting at the fleeing ships at the end. I loved that part when I was young. As a result, this film will always have sentimental value to me.

Therefore I still enjoy watching this film every few years. However, I am also simultaneously very disappointed in the special effects and moderately disappointed in the story. Atlantis, of course, is a classic story, which is why Disney chose it for an animated movie, so it's very much a shame that such a classic story wasn't given better treatment than this.

The worst effect is probably the laser-like weapon, where the beam is shown as a fake-looking superimposed red streak of color leading to and surrounding the target each time it fires, usually followed by an out-of-position scene of the destroyed target. The ray's effect isn't even consistent. In one case it melts an urn, in another case it blows up a fishing boat, and in another case it turns a man into a skeleton. So is it is heat ray, a coherent light ray, an anti-matter beam, or what? The half-man half-animal effects were also weak, with obvious masks. And the lava flow just looks like muddy red water, which it probably is. Also, the hypnotism scene was unconvincing and scientifically unsound.

Some of the effects are very good, however. I love the scene where the submarine surfaces in the background behind Demetrios and Antillia while they are chatting, oblivious to the sub as it spots them, circles back, and begins following them. The laser demonstration that melts a small urn was likewise very well done. The priest's wisdom about the effects of decadence, isolationism, warmongering, the good vs. bad sides of technology, and ignoring nature's warning signs will always be applicable, and this gives some nice depth to the plot.

For my taste there is a little too much focus on the cruel, sordid side of Atlantis instead of on the beautiful side that has always fired people's imaginations. They could have shown inspiring views of classical architecture, treasure rooms, exotic pets like peacocks or giraffes, hot air balloons, master artists and musicians, clever modern conveniences, and more, but instead they emphasized gladiator battles, audience drunkenness, whipped slaves, a pig, a vicious wildcat, and the turning of men into half-beasts. These depressing scenes, on top of Antillia's despicable personality, are then followed by horrific scenes of Atlantis' cataclysmic destruction. Obviously you're not going to come away from this movie feeling inspired with beautiful imagery in your head, so that aspect is a significant drawback to the film as a whole.

This is a movie fully deserving of a modern remake, but there's no hurry. Atlantis is a classic theme that won't get old no matter how many remakes are done about it, and no matter when they're made.

Here's a flicker that scared the bejesus out of me as a child. I had trouble understanding the overlapping of modern science with the ancient world. A Vernesque-style atomic submarine blew me away. And that solar laser--which vaporizes enemies of the state--defies logic. I hear there were scenes of men in flying machines that were cut. Why? One scene that was not cut involved a mad scientist experimenting with turning men into swine. Strange and scary stuff. And the costume designer went berserk with HIS creations. Watching the film recently I discovered my utter contempt for the lead female role. I felt sorry for the poor fisherman who saves the ungrateful princess from certain death. He, however, has only himself to blame. The princess whines, schemes and disparages his occupation right from the start AND in front of his father. And that's only the beginning. Later on, she has no problem casting him into slavery. Enough about her. The soundtrack is very rare because it is out of print--and costs a royal fortune. I just touched the surface with this well made and imaginative film. Look for it on cable somewhere--or visit Atlantis on your next vacation.

Once upon a time, sometime prior to Christopher Columbus, an island existed in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean that was as big as Australia and was more advanced than the ancient European cultures that knew nothing of its existence. This continent, once the model of goodness in its exploration of scientific knowledge and a free society, has become corrupt with the desire for world domination. A young Greek fisherman by the name of Demetrius discovers this when he escorts Atlantis's beautiful princess back through the dangerous towers of Hercules (actually a bunch of towering rocks protruding out of the Atlantic) into a watery mist he fears. Demetrius has visions of Poseidon, and attacks a premature submarine, believing it to be a sea monster. The Atlantis he finds hates outsiders, turning those who come upon the island by accident into hideous monsters, slaves of the rock piles. They can fight for their freedom by going up against a Tor Johnson like strongman in a pit of fire and water.

Silly, yes; Entertaining, certainly! With George Pal ("War of the Worlds") at the help, this is another variation of the protests towards the dangers of powers discovered within the past few decades (most obviously nuclear power), the source of this caused by crystals taken from an active volcano. It is this volcano that is the revenge on the imperious pretender to the throne, having usurped power from the aging King, and determined to destroy the Grecco-Roman world before they come along and destroy Atlantis. Ed Platt ("Get Smart!") plays the local priest, a Godly man who warns of the impending doom. Once everything erupts, Pal explodes the volcano with the fairly convincing blue screen special effects which literally seem to turn the island upside down, like an Atlantic Sodom and Gomorrah.

The laughable narration at the beginning tries to explain some of the legend of the lost civilization, but it is the straight forward production moving the plot forward that makes this an above average fantasy, worth its place in history, especially along side the many similar films being (overly) made today about the great myths of the past.

Yes, I also saw this film at age 10--first weekend of June, 1961---and I was thrilled by the brilliant, garish look and lurid content of the film.

Clearly, the script needed a significant re-write. For instance, the "Dr. Moreau" element, which provides the most gruesome and disturbing elements of the film, has little point beyond its sensationalism. It would have been far more effective if it were really integrated into the plot and if the demise of Berry Kroeger's slimy character wasn't treated as such a casual throw-away. Poor plotting.

I concur with most of the other reviewers: Sal and Joyce Taylor are pretty pathetic leads, Ed "The Chief" Platt manages to maintain his dignity despite the birthday cake headgear, etc, etc, and the pathos and sincerity that Jay Novello brings to his role blows away all of the other acting combined (but John Dall isn't as over-the-top as I remembered him, thankfully).

The problem with the film, IMHO, is George Pal's severe lack of effectiveness as a director. Like "Brothers Grimm" and "Dr Lao", the actors have no real sense of poise and intensity, since they seem to have received NO help at all from Pal, other than their basic blocking. As any good actor will tell you, performers NEED a good director's help to achieve their true potential, and George Pal (like Nathan Juran) just didn't have it. Why, for instance, is John Dall such a dynamic screen presence in Joseph Lewis' "Gun Crazy", while here he seems uncomfortable and contrived? When good actors are hampered by lifeless direction, a weak, cliché-ridden script, and dull, non-rhythmic editing, things tend to head downward towards the level of high-school drama club stuff.

Not to diminish George Pal's tremendous sense of striking visuals and brilliant flair for bringing the fantastic to life on the screen--but he continually undercuts the potential of his own grandiose, imaginative designs. For example, the terrific shots of the giant crystal being hauled by slaves through the tree-lined forest path are so brief that they barely have time to register; why go through the trouble of building the damn thing and staging that fabulous scene if your'e going to more-or-less toss it off?

Sadly, I think George Pal was his own worst enemy when he directed his films. Byron Haskin gave "War of the Worlds" style and pace; "Dr Lao", "Atlantis" and "Brothers Grimm" could have been significantly improved had Pal served as producer and called in a skilled, dynamic director who could have taken Pal's visions and given them true cinematic legitimacy, as opposed to the limp, Saturday kiddie-matinée, cartoony feel that his films now have. Too bad.

And, for God's sake, guys---buy a can of spackle and cover up the surgical saw-line on the John Dall skeleton for the big disintegration scene near the end.

Although not one of producer / sometime director George Pals' finest efforts, "Atlantis: The Lost Continent" offers adequate entertainment for any fan of the fantasy genre. Plus, it comes complete with a theme about mankind's penchant for technological advancement in the name of conquest. Yes, it does lean heavily on stock footage, but the sets, costumes, and music are all just fine, and the performances are all appropriate to the genre.

Sal Ponti a.k.a. Anthony Hall (the later screenwriter of "Doctor Death, Seeker of Souls") stars as Demetrios, a studly young fisherman in the days of Ancient Greece. He and his father (Wolfe Barzell, "Frankenstein's Daughter") discover a lovely young woman, Antillia (Joyce Taylor, "Twice-Told Tales") adrift in the ocean, and rescue her. She's a real ingrate for a while, and in fact hightails it out of the fishing village to make it back to her home land of Atlantis. Demetrios agrees to help her get back there, and soon they have arrived. But the locals are as ungrateful as she was at the start, casting him into slavery. He earns his freedom, but will have to combat power-mad Atlantian Zaren (John Dall, "Gun Crazy") who dominates the weak king (Edgar Stehli, "4D Man"), and who wants to conquer the rest of Earth.

All in all, this is good fun, at least if one is partial to this sort of entertainment. It has an amusing script (by Daniel Mainwaring, who'd adapted the original screen version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"), with some choice lines here and there. Ponti is the kind of stiff, jut-jawed hero you expect to find in such a film. Taylor is lovely: a hoot in her earlier scenes when she's required to be snooty, and more endearing as time goes on. The supporting cast also consists of iconic screen tough guy William Smith (actually rather wasted as a Captain of the Guards who doesn't get much to do), Frank DeKova ("Teenage Cave Man") as evil astrologer Sonoy, Berry Kroeger ("Demon Seed") as a maniacal surgeon who turns slaves into half-animal abominations (the makeup effects here are pretty good), and Jay Novello ("The Mad Magician") as a put-upon Greek slave named Xandros. The great Paul Frees does the narration. But the best performance has to be the one by Edward Platt (The Chief on 'Get Smart') as a High Priest who offers valuable assistance. Often, in low-rent genre fare, this kind of character would be a villain of some sort, but here he's the voice of reason.

One hilarious touch is the chant uttered by the slaves when they are turning a massive drill to speed up a volcanic explosion. It just comes out of nowhere.

And the climactic sinking of the continent is still a pretty good effect almost 60 years later.

Seven out of 10.

Is this a great movie? Not at all. The things I remember as a kid are 1: Joyce Taylor( Princess Antilla). 2: Ed Platt ( the Chief from 'Get Smart") giving a great speech. 3: The death ray. 4: The fact that the slaves escaped and went back home and it is inferred that they made their civilization's greater.Spoilers ahead: The key is that Atlantis would have destroyed the entire human race ( because they were far more advanced and evil then anyone else( turning people into animals (long before H.G. Wells ' The Island Of Dr. Moreau')) which is why it had to be destroyed, and every single Atlantian as well ( except Princess Antilla of course). She goes to Greece with the Greek fisherman Demetrius ( Sal Ponti) who saved her and brought her back to Atlantis. Is she good? Not at all. She turns him into a slave. But at the end she is salvageable, and the only good Atlantian ( Azor the High Priest ( Platt)), has Demetrius marry and bring her back to Greece with him. 5/10 stars mostly for looking at Joyce Taylor.