The Land That Time Forgot (1974)

A lot of people seem to criticize this movie for what they call its "poor" special effects. I think if that becomes the basis on which you're going to judge the movie, you have to keep in mind that it was made 40 years ago, long before the computer generated stuff that dominates today's movies came about. Personally, I found the special effects to be fine - especially considering when it was made, and in any event I don't think the quality of a movie depends on the special effects. Much more important, to me, are the storyline and the performances. "The Land That Time Forgot" certainly gets a passing grade on those.The story begins with a German U-boat sinking a British civilian liner. A few of the passengers make it on to the u-boat and manage to take control of it for a while. To me, far more than the special effects, the idea that a rag-tag group of survivors from a sunken vessel could take control of a German u-boat was probably the most problematic part of the story. Having said that, though, there's an ongoing struggle to control the sub which was mildly interesting to watch. I wondered why the American who had taken command (Tyler, played by Doug McClure) needed seven days to figure out that the Germans had sabotaged the compass so that they were heading south rather than west. Somehow, that seemed to me to be something that probably should have been noticed earlier. In any event, out of fuel and other supplies, the u-boat suddenly encounters Caprona - what had been thought to be a mythical island in the South Atlantic, populated by dinosaurs and primitive humans, all of whom exist together. The struggle for survival in a hostile environment is on!This was fun. It['s not a masterpiece of movie making, but it's a fun adventure, and it even includes a little bit of ethical thinking about the morality of warfare - especially as Captain Von Shoenvorts (John McEnery) and Lisa (Susan Penhaligon) talk about why the Germans would have sunk a civilian vessel with women and children aboard. As the captain replied - the way the ship exploded made it clear that there were arms in the hold; arms that would have been used to kill German women and children. Not everything is as clear cut as we want it to be!The performances were fine. Nothing outstanding, but nothing that detracted from the movie either. It comes from a story written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, who's better known as the author who created Tarzan. Frankly, I enjoyed this more than any Tarzan movie I've ever seen. (7/10)

Not a bad movie, it is entertaining and decently done. Doug McClure plays the lead in this one and does an adequate job. He and his group end up cast away on an island. 'At first they believe it is a normal land. Guess what? It is a blast from the really far past. They encounter all kinds of prehistoric animals and even what I guess are suppose to be cavemen. The overall plot definitely has a Jules Verne bent, although it comes from the great Edgar Rice Burroughs. The special effects are not quite up to the era they were done in but they are not that bad. I don't know if pterodactyls could really swoop down on their prey, I guess no one really does, but hey it worked.

The Land That Time Forgot (1975) *** (out of 4) Set during WWI, a German U-boat sinks a British ship and soon the survivors take over the boat. What remains of the two group end up in some sort of fantasy island where dinosaurs still rule. THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT comes from Amicus who of course were best known for their anthology horror films. During the 70s they turned to the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs and I think for the most part that these films were fun. With that said, if someone is expecting a big-budget, serious monster flick then they're certainly not going to find it here. It's obvious the studio gave the producers very little money and this is easily seen with the monsters. The dinosaur creations are all very cheap and it's clear that they're made out of rubber. At times the monsters don't "move" as they should and especially during some of the scenes where they're being shot yet they really don't show any movement. The most embarrassing effect are the Pterodactyls, which fly through the air without any movement at all. Their wings never move so one really wonders how they can move at all. Oh yeah, we see how they move because the wires holding them are constantly in view. I still really enjoy this film because as an adventure I think the story is good. I found the scenes in the underwater cave to have some nice atmosphere and I liked how the story tried to make the human take over the island or at least adapt to it to where they can live there. I'm certainly not going to ruin the ending but it's really not what you'd expect from this type of film. The bad cavemen make for a good set of villains and the entire German-British-American subplot that kicks off the film was entertaining too. The characters are also quite likable and we're given some good performances with Doug McClure standing out as the hero, John McEnery as the German captain and Susan Penhaligon as the only female. THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT isn't a masterpiece of the genre but as long as you don't take it too serious you should have fun.

In 1916, Germans destroy a ship off the English Channel, leaving two survivors adrift in a lifeboat. Then, dauntless Doug McClure (as Bowen Tyler) and pretty Susan Penhaligon (as Lisa Clayton) are rescued by British seamen. They go after a German submarine and take control. After additional fighting, the mixed crew is carried along the Atlantic Ocean, into uncharted waters. Finally, the lost group arrives at "The Land That Time Forgot" which they identify as the lost continent of "Caprona". There, they encounter not only prehistoric people, but also living, breathing dinosaurs! This Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptation is fondly remembered by youngsters from the 1970s. In the ensuing years, the special effects have aged poorly, and the once intriguing plot has evolved into absurdity.**** The Land That Time Forgot (8/13/75) Kevin Connor ~ Doug McClure, Susan Penhaligon, John McEnery, Keith Barron