Atlântida, O Continente Perdido

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.

To say that you've seen an Eddie Romero film that's actually enjoyable for its merits than its inconsistencies is a lot like saying you've seen an Andy Milligan film that's just okay. Anyway, BEYOND ATLANTIS is a fond memory from the good old days of late night television viewing... before the tube was taken over by relentless ads for salad spinners.

From MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND to BLACK MAMA WHITE MAMA, Romero's films are sweaty hybrids of 1940's RKO B-adventure programmers, tinny melodrama and 1970's exploitation elements. Regardless of how bad his films get (and you can't get much worse than BRIDES OF BLOOD), they are still curiously affecting.

This entertaining, well-shot adventure-fantasy concerns some cut-throats looking for undersea treasure being protected by amphibian-like humanoids (featuring the lovely Leigh Christian). The movie is genuinely well-made, with a surprisingly energetic shootout finale, and some interestingly surreal moments, like when the troublesome brood is suddenly surrounded by the amphibian people (who wear these interesting crustacean-like things on their heads). Plus, there's a few unintentional giggles when one of the men mates with the mermaid girl underwater. In all, a totally engaging movie. I'm glad it has resurfaced in the DVD world-- it will be fun to see this again after so many years.

Three guys and a gal head off to a remote Island to harvest the peals of the local tribe who all wear swimming googles even while on shore. The first half of the movies is OK but then bogs down with too many underwater scenes.

Sid Haig is perfectly creepy and Big John's kid is adequate. John Ashley gets to play a part that is not the all American boy for a change and does a nice job. George Nader gets to Ham it up a bit and there is a lot of action with Leigh Christian looking quite beautiful while swimming underwater. With all of that said, the movie just dosn't work.

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.

In the Philippines some Americans learn of valuable pearls on a remote island and form an alliance to get the treasure, but they have to deal with the inbred tribe that inhabits the isle. John Ashley, Sid Haig and Patrick Wayne star as the venal team members along with Lenore Stevens as a scientist. Leigh Christian plays an alluring blonde member of the remote society.

"Beyond Atlantis" (1973) is an oceanic adventure that combines "City Beneath the Sea" (1953) with the women-in-skin-bikinis of Hammer's "When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth" (1970). Like the latter, it has a barely-a-B-movie vibe, but it's more entertaining due to the superb location shooting and quality cast. The director knows how to tastefully shoot women (no pun intended) and it's one of the flick's highlights.

This could've been as good as "City Beneath the Sea" or "Mysterious Island" (1961), but more time needed spent on strengthening the (obviously) loose script. That takes time and time means money, which the producers regrettably didn't have. While this is a "bad movie," it's entertaining enough to check out.

The film runs 1 hour, 31 minutes, and was shot in the Philippines.

GRADE: C/C-