Beyond Atlantis

This was a very enjoyable film, combination of horror, action, plot and some comedy. Sid Haig was very memorable as East Eddie. Had some of the better lines to deliver. John Ashley made the transition from teen star to producer and Patrick Wayne was the perfect choice for the square-jawed hero. Leigh Christian was ....hmmmmm... and the final film appearance of George Nader...too bad the other entries "Womanhunt","Beast Of The Yellow Night",and "Black Mamba" couldn't put together the same formula.

Manuel, (The last Vic Diaz) is a fisherman who wants to trade in his pearls for cash. He goes to a pimp named Fast Eddie (Sid Haig) and gets 500 pesos in return. Fast Eddie, sees a fortune in the pearls and decides to get some men together to get some more of the pearls. He takes with him, Logan, a scuba driver, Vic (Patrick Wayne, John Wayne's son) and lady Doctor.

Fast Eddie and his crew beat up Manuel to find out where he got the pearls. He tells them that he got them from a lady as payment for taking her to an island. Fast Eddie and his crew go to the island and find tribe of people that appear to be half fish half human. They have weird raised eyeballs that look like ping-pong balls with black dots painted on them. They are led by a name, Neraus and his beautiful daughter who runs around the whole film in a skimpy bikini.

Neraus orders his daughter mate with one of the people who have come to the island for the pearls, as it's vital to the tribe. She helps Eddie and his crew find pearls, but so she can keep them long enough on the island so she can mate.

Beyond Atlantis is a very fun film as its 100% pure cheese. I laughed a lot and had a good time watching it. I'm a huge fan of Sid Haig, the actor who has made tons of great drive-in fare. It's always fun to see him. This film is only for fans of trashy campy films. Others beware.

A group of fortune hunters - diver Logan (John Ashley), pimp East Eddie (Sid Haig), and boat owner Vic (Patrick Wayne) - travel by boat to a remote island where they hope to gather a fortune in rare pearls from the seabed. Also along for the trip: sexy redhead boffin Kathy (Lenore Stevens) who is looking to make an important scientific discovery. However, with the island inhabited by strange mutants who don't take kindly to strangers, will the adventurers and the lady scientist succeed in their missions or die trying?

Beyond Atlantis opens with chubby Filipino Manuel (played by chubby Filipino cult actor Vic Diaz) arriving on a tropical island with beautiful blonde Syrene (played by beautiful blonde Leigh Christian), where the lovely lady hands over a handful of pearls in exchange for supplies. Syrene then strips to a skimpy bikini, and heads for her village, arriving just in time to witness an intruder getting a spear in his back while bug-eyed natives look on.

It's a promising start to what looks set to be an entertaining piece of trashy exploitation; however, it has been my experience that the presence of Vic Diaz is seldom the sign of a great film. Or even a so-bad-it's-good film. More often than not, he appears in virtually unwatchable junk. While Beyond Atlantis isn't the worst film he's appeared in, it definitely goes downhill after the opening sequence, with way too much in the way of boring underwater scenes, and not nearly enough in the way of a decent plot or exciting action.

After much swimming - so much swimming - things do eventually pick up for a rousing final act, in which a native is eaten by piranhas, Haig blows up the islanders' temple, and Syrene and Kathy have a catfight (made all the more entertaining by being set to a piece of library music called The Awakening, best known to UK viewers as the theme to The News at Ten). A dumb final scene sees Manuel and his men trying to make off with the treasure, the box of pearls falling into the ocean during a scuffle (like the ending of The Italian Job, Logan can be heard coming up with a plan to retrieve the loot).

5/10. Haig is always fun to watch, but it was thanks to curvaceous beauties Christian and Stevens that I managed to make it to the end without wanting to hit the off button. And no, it's never explained why Syrene and her father don't have bug-eyes like everyone else in their tribe.

Other than the babe giving the massage and numerous butt shots of the pearl girl swimming under water, there is not much here to enjoy. The big bulging eyes of the Atlantans was a bit much, especially considering this was made in the 70's not the 50's . I mean even if you are here for campy fun that's just a weird idea someone had to give them huge eyes wtf. The movie gets off track early, going in a different direction than what you'd expect and a sort of sleazy tone prevails . Not really what I was hoping for. There's not much mystery and sci-fi intrigue, well maybe a little but I was disappointed. Perhaps worth watching to see Ashley, Wayne, and Haig together.

I recently watched Beyond Atlantis (1973) on Tubi. The storyline follows a diver who discovers a rare pearl and knows where to find more. He assembles a group to retrieve the treasure, but the seemingly hospitable locals have other plans for them.

This picture is directed by Eddie Romero (Savage Sisters) and stars Sid Haig (House of 1000 Corpses), Patrick Wayne (Big Jake), Leigh Christian (The Doll Squad), and John Ashley (The A-Team).

It's quite a unique and oddly assembled cast. The storyline is pure grindhouse of the era-a mix of ancient legend, treasure-hunting, and beautiful women. Sid Haig brings his usual playful, aloof energy that keeps things entertaining, while Leigh Christian is absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, the special effects are very dated-the "eye" sequence in particular had me laughing out loud. There's little to no nudity, and the film doesn't take itself too seriously, which works in its favor. I also enjoyed the ending.

In conclusion, Beyond Atlantis feels very much like a Roger Corman-style production of its time. It's nothing groundbreaking, but fans of grindhouse will find something to enjoy. I'd score it a 4.5/10 and only recommend it with the right expectations.