The Atlantis Conspiracy

That The Atlantis Conspiracy had a great premise and Amanda Donohoe were reasons enough to check it out, though the low rating gave me a not-sure-how-this-will-turn-out vibe. And while it is far from flawless it is worth checking out. The Atlantis Conspiracy does look great, the locations are brooding and photogenic while the photography is very fluid and stylish. The music doesn't come across as a dirge at all, it does have a sense of pulse and in the more suspenseful it's very haunting. The ending song is a charmer too. The Atlantis Conspiracy is very competently directed and acted on the most part, with the direction at least showing style and a sense of knowing what he was doing and what he wanted to do. Amanda Donohoe and the late Adrienne Shelley give the best performances, Donohoe is commanding and brings out her character's conflicts well and Shelley is a breath of fresh air(but you do wish her role was better fleshed out). Though Bill Sage is not too stiff either and Danton Stone is enigmatic enough as well. Paul Calderon however didn't seem to have a clue what he was doing and Jeremy Davies overplays his character's feyness and twitchiness almost rather effeminate degree. The story is never a dull one even with the deliberate pacing, the mystery elements do have intrigue and there is suspense but parts are convoluted and not just mildly. There are some knowing thoughtful parts in the script, but also some misplaced humour and one too many logic lapses. We could have gotten to know the characters more, the actors mostly do a lot with what they had and they are far from annoying, it's just that you don't learn enough about them and some especially Shelley's and Calderon's are badly underwritten. On the whole, lacking at times but a quite decent movie. 6/10 Bethany Cox

An ecologically engaged company, Atlantis, organized and operated by three environmental activists, finds success because of its implementation of principles predicated upon a preached gospel of civic righteousness, but following deaths of two company interns following their exposure to radiation while assisting in the firm's waste site cleanup projects, litigator's expenses in addition to adverse legislative measures directed specifically against Atlantis sharply reduce the company's status and public image, with one of the partners, Jon (Bill Sage), receiving a prison sentence while another, Lauren (Amanda Donohoe) disappears from view, and it is the latter's return to the company fold that forms the germ of the film's scenario. Although a government conspiracy may in fact be afoot, the Atlantis management may also have been involved in devious doings, but a weakly constructed script is so full of holes and lapses in logic that the producers' ostensible purpose of projecting a mood of suspense is defeated early on, while Donohoe's narrow range of acting skill merely accentuates her character's failure to demonstrate the courage of her convictions. Sage is also limited in Thespic ability, but Danton Stone, as the third of the Atlantis partners, does his best with poorly written dialogue; Paul Calderon as an odd FBI agent seems to be playing without direction of any sort. This apparently is also the case with Jeremy Davies, as an ally of Lauren, and whose customary fey mannerisms are uncontrolled, resulting in a twitchy, altogether dreadful performance, certainly his worst, as this is an able player who simply should not be given free rein. Acting laurels clearly go to Adrienne Shelly for her competent turn as company counsel, an underwritten role. Visuals for the production's DVD release, titled THE ATLANTIS CONSPIRACY, are of fine quality and the camera-work and editing are top-flight.