Atlantis, the Lost Continent (1961)

Director: George Pal

Starring: Sal Ponti, Joyce Taylor, John Dall, William Smith, Edward Platt, Frank DeKova, Paul Frees

More info: IMDb

Tagline: SIGHTS NEVER BEFORE SEEN - Adventure never before experienced!

Plot: A Greek Fisherman brings an Atlantean Princess back to her homeland which is the mythical city of Atlantis. He is enslaved for his trouble. The King is being manipulated by an evil sorcerer who is bent on using a natural resource of Atlantis to take over the world. The Atlanteans, or rather the slaves of Atlantis, are forced to mine a crystalline material which absorbs the suns rays. These crystals can then be used for warmth. The misuse of science has created weapons out of the crystals that can fire a heat ray to destroy whatever it touches.

My rating: 5.5/10

Will I watch it again? Nah.

#2 on SCI-FI TRAILERS VOLUME 9 & 10 (part of the TRAILER TRASH PROJECT)

Don't you just LOVE Paul Frees' voice over in that trailer? I've been a huge fan of his since I was a small child.

Atlantis is the large continent in the center.
Who knew this fictional place was that big?

ATLANTIS is an OK adventure somewhat in the Sword & Sandal/Jules Vern vein. Some of the acting is weak, good (if unmemorable) score by Russell Garcia and the picture is too front-loaded with a stale love story and drama. Once we get to Atlantis (25 minutes in) things brighten up a bit and this is where the fun starts.

I need this statue in my house.

Remember this guy (John Dall, left) from Hitchcock's ROPE (1948)?
I do. He's a blast!

Visually, it's a great looking picture and overall it's not a bad film. It's more of a kid's adventure, Saturday afternoon kind of flick. I kind of dug it. If you go into it with that in mind (as you should with all of these type of adventure pictures), you'll be just fine. Lower your expectations to middle of the road and ATLANTIS will be very kind to you. Not a bad way to spend 90 minutes.