The Land That Time Forgot

I love this movie! It proves that it is not special effects that carry a movie, but a good believable story. That is proved because most of the effects used in the film are not good. However the acting is and so is the story! None of the characters appear "cartoonish" with maybe the exception of the pre historic man. But heck, we don't know what pre historic men were like so it doesn't hamper the story. Doug McClure is a very solid lead with the submarine captain in a superb supporting role. The other German officer makes a great villain. This is one of my favorites of all time! Even it's sequel, "The People Time Forgot" wasn't bad. **** out of 5.

I saw this movie as a kid in the late 70s at the cinema and loved those dinosaurs. I have now watched the restored version (91 min. instead of 78 min.) on DVD and still love those dinosaurs. There are few movies that I still enjoy as much as I did a quarter of a century ago, so this obviously must have something `classic' about it, though it's hard to put the finger on it. Maybe it's just the naïve charm that was lost when computer FX spoiled fun to a certain degree in Jurassic Park and later on. No actor is a candidate for the Academy Award here, the monsters look about as deadly as your daughter's puppets, but nonetheless – more sense of wonder in the forgotten land of Caprona than anywhere else.

Fantastic and amusing adventures full of monsters in lost continent by Kevin Connor and based on a novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs . At the beginning of the film , during World War I , a German submarine sinks a Brit boat and takes the survivors on board. The submarine takes them to the unknown land of Antartica called Caprona . At the sub are reunited the U-boat German captain (John McEnery) piloting his ship along with Owen Tyler (Doug McClure) and Lisa (Susan Penhaligon) , among others . The group takes a wrong turn and descend over a barren land and meet some primitive men , Neardentals and prehistoric animals . They have to deal with numerous risks, dangers, endure torrential landslide, shakesands, volcano, cavemen warriors, dinosaurs and discover a lost tribe .

This engaging adaptation is a special version of the Edgar Rice Burroughs adventure yarn . There are rip-roaring action, spirit of adventure, derring-do, thrills, and results to be quite entertaining. It's a brief fun with average special effects , passable set decoration , functional art direction and none use of computer generator. This fantasy picture packs thrills, action, weird monsters, lively pace and fantastic scenarios . The monsters are the real stars of this production and its chief attribute. The tale is silly and laughable but the effects and action are quite well. Among the most spectacular of its visuals there are a Pterodactilus roaring menacingly towards the camera, a little tableau comprising attack of a giant monsters and the colorful backgrounds of the lost land . Some monsters are clumsily made but movie is OK . Highlights of the adventure includes a roller-coaster trip towards unknown land in South America , and appearance of prehistoric reptile such as Pterodactilus, Stegosaurius, and Tiranosaurious . In addition the final scenes where appears breathtaking volcanic eruptions and thunderous explosions . Some illogical parts in the argument are more than compensated for the excitement provided by Roger Dicken's monsters, though sometimes are a little bit cheesy. Filmed in glimmer cinematography by Alan Hume on location in Santa Cruz De La Palma , Tenerife(Canary Islands) and Shepperton studios , Surrey England . Adequate and stirring musical score by Douglas Gamley. This one turns out to be an acceptable collaboration between producers Milton Subotsky , Max Rosemberg and director Kevin Connor who also made in similar style : ¨All the Earth's core(76)¨, ¨Warlord of Atlantis(1978)¨, mostly starred by Doug McClure and with Dicken as the monster-maker. It's followed by ¨People that time forgot¨ in which an expedition undergoing a trip in search for Tyler (Doug McClure) who has been missing in that region for many years . The film will appeal to kids who swallow whole and sit convulsed in their armchair.

I was too young to see 'The Land That Time Forgot' when it originally premiered in the cinemas in 1975 but I saw it several times growing up and loved it. It had everything that a young boy/teenager wanted in a fantasy movie - gargantuan monsters, pre-historic tribes, active volcanoes, punch ups and a sense of wonder and amazement.

Putting aside the rubbery monsters and glaring plot holes, ''The Land That Time Forgot' is an enjoyable romp that keeps your attention from start to finish. It takes you on a thrilling ride of danger and excitement with a potent sense of fantasy. The film doesn't overstay its welcome at a running time of 91 minutes and at no point loses it's way. It also takes some time to develop some semblance of a story before arriving at Caprona, the land that time forgot, whereas other movies would have got you there as quickly as possible. This helps to add just a little extra anticipation.

Many of the characters are there to add to the bodycount, which is high, but some of the leading characters add a little more depth. Doug McClure's hardman Bowen Tyler shows surprising pathos in one of the film's later scenes whilst John McEnery's Captain Von Schoenwarts inverts the usual German stereotype to play a fair minded man with an interest in the origins and development of life. Considering this is a British made film with an almost entirely British cast (the exception being American Doug McClure), made thirty years after WW2 ended (this is set during WW1 though), there are surprisingly good sentiments towards the Germans, although there is still room for Anthony Ainley's duplicitous Dietz to give us someone to be wary of other than the monsters and pre-historic tribes.

The film's unusual ending also gives the audience a welcome change from the banal endings that usually conclude most movies and it allows that childlike sense of wonder and amazement to stay awake a whole lot longer.

Fun dinosaur movie with a solid British cast headed by suitably lantern-jawed Doug McClure.

Respected SF author Michael Moorcock adds a dash of intelligence to what might have been just another Sunday matinee pot-boiler, and the downbeat ending (slightly different to the book) is a change from the norm. The decision to turn the U-Boat captain from the stereotypical dastardly Hun in the original book to a philosophical man of science is also a good one.

The submarine is suitably claustrophobic and the jungle suitably clammy, just a shame that some of the dinosaurs couldn't have looked a little more than just as if they'd been borrowed from episode of "Doctor Who". Fans of which should be suitably impressed by future 'Master' Anthony Ainley's nasty performance as the treacherous German first officer Dietz.

"Auf weidersehn, Mr Tyler!"