Atlântida, O Continente Perdido

A fisherman (the always amusing Vic Diaz) heads to the big city to sell some rare pearls to the local pimp/dealer/criminal of all trades East Eddie(trash cinema king Sid Haig). Smelling more money where that came from, Eddie rounds up a crew for an expedition to the source of the gems. Fence Logan (John Ashley), scuba diver Vic (Patrick Wayne) and a lovely lady scientist Katherine (Lenore Stevens, who is quite beautiful) head off in search of this island for fame, career advancement(Katherine) and a small fortune in pearls (everyone else).

The island is populated by some laughably bug eyed villagers(their "eyes" are masks/headdresses that look like they belong in a primary school Halloween parade) ruled over by the slinky blonde Syrene (Leigh Christian)who spends the entire film amply filling a brief bikini. They are accommodating of the outsiders initially, because they need Syrene to mate with one of them to insure the survival of the fish/half mer people/whatever.

Folks get greedy, natives get suspicious and betrayal, mayhem and general silliness ensues.

The underwater photography is of better quality than you'd expect, both female leads are attractive in skimpy sunwear, John Ashley is kept to a minimum of stinking up the joint, and Sid Haig gives us his usual delightful scene stealing.

In addition, for a PG film, "Beyond Atlantis" manages to hit a lot of exploitation touch points ( abundant skin showing, a Syrene vs. Katherine catfight, some piranha action, explosions, a giggle inducing underwater "mating" scene and Sig Haig's sleazy heavy delivering goofy machismo camp with style).

Lightweight and by no means a classic with a rather unsatisfying ending, "Beyond Atlantis" is still a fun little trifle of the drive in era, and worth watch if you have a few hours to spare.

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.

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.

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-

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.