Macgyver: Tesouro Perdido de Atlântida

While searching for artefacts relating to the lost city of Atlantis MacGyver and Professor Atticus uncover a lost amulet that holds the key to the location of the lost ark which contains the flame of Atlantis. Looking for more funding Atticus is laughed out of town and strikes out alone with MacGyver's help. They uncover the ark but the theft of the amulet reveals that they are up against Lord Cyril Cleeve who seeks the treasure for himself to add to his riches and get him into the history books.

I watched the TV show in the mid/late 80's and was a regular viewer on Saturday evening here in the UK. However I cannot remember whether it was any good or not (I was maybe 12 when I watched it). However the name was enough to tempt me back to watch this TVM one lazy Sunday afternoon. If the series was as good as this movie then I can only assume that I had nothing better to do with my Saturday evenings back when I was younger!

The film is every inch a TV movie. There is little of quality and much that is cheap or mediocre. The plot is clearly inspired by the Indiana Jones video game where he searches for Atlantis, however it has better effects than this. The story doesn't always make sense and MacGyver's devices to help them are just ludicrous. The worst one is where they escape from a crater by using steam to fire a funnel (with a rope attached) up over the crater edge. The (plastic) funnel not only manages to stick on the crater edge but also supports their weight! This is the one that sticks in my mind but nothing really makes sense if you think about it.

The script is pretty poor but there are actually large sections of the film with little dialogue so we're spared apart from every other scene where the characters recap the plot for those of us not bright enough to keep up. The cheapness of the film can be seen in the sets. Most of the special sets are very plastic looking. Some of the locations (a volcano & the Balkans) look like a quarry and a disused industrial estate respectively. When the film does get a good location (the stately home) the film stock makes it look cheap.

The action is poor mainly due to MacGyver's stupid devices. However even car chases where MacGyver clings to the windshield lack any sort of tension – in fact that one looks like he been strapped to the front of a car as someone slowly drives it round London! There is one good twist in the middle that took me by surprise but the film never builds on it and actually manages to diffuse whatever tension was injected within 5 minutes of the twist occurring.

The cast are laughably poor. Anderson is still stuck in the 1980's with his mullet hairdo. He never convinces in the lead and has the look of a man who is waiting for someone to take control of the film – he is more suited to a good series than films I think. Blessed is having fun (and I'm glad someone did) but is very out of place. His booming voice and high spirits don't fit in at all and it occasionally feels like he's taking the p*ss. Burgress as the bad guy is woefully toothless and the only face of interest is McCormick who is more well known for his role in Casualty.

Overall this is a poor reflection on how I spent my time as a pre-teen. A real poor quality product that aspires to be an Indiana-Jones-on-a-budget film but never even manages to get to that standard of film. Not awful – but just really poor, you'll forget you saw it 10 minutes after you switch it off.

Sunday movie made for TV film with Anderson reprising MacGyver who must find Atlantis, for some reason, and gets involved with serbs who hide out in Battersby Power Station and Brian Blessard overusing his loud voice in EVERY scene.

The plot is horrible, the film is horrible, the action is non-existant and the whole thing sticks of Indiana Jones without the fun, adventure or indeed Dr Jones himself.

Probably made as a cash-in on the Amiga/PC Indiana Jones Game "Fate of Atlantis", it finds MacGyver finding atlantis and its plantium computer...or something.

Its bad. And so is MacGyver's Mullet.

I haven't watched many TV movies and don't care for them as a rule, but as a devoted MacGyver fan I was compelled to watch and tape this ABC special. I'm glad I did; this turned out to be one of the most enjoyable made-for-TV films I've encountered. I realize that this film (and TV movies in general) is one that isn't that easy to come across, and thus this comment won't be read by many, but after seeing the low rating that the film has now on IMDb, I wanted to offer my comment.

The viewer will be struck by the engaging range of settings and the memorable action sequences, surprisingly diverse for a two hour film. We go to a pair of ancient catacombs, a buzzing military depot in the Balkan peninsula, a picturesque British university, Blessed's charming and messy office, a scenic mansion estate in Plymouth, and finally to Greece, where the finale takes place around an impressive underground lagoon. All of the British scenes were shot on location in England, and it's a pleasure to watch Mac crossing the streets of London. It gives the viewer a great sense of location. In fact, it's quite a glossy production for a TV-movie. Granted, the viewer must suspend their disbelief when we see some of the technology that the Atlanteans had at their disposal (including those metallic funnel things, complete with hinged handles, that Mac blasted out of the cave with the steam :-) ). Those stalactites in the caves of "Exeter" aren't very convincing, either. But after all, as one character said, "The most important thing an archaeologist needs is an open mind!" It's all in good fun, anyway. It's too bad one bitter IMDb user couldn't get over the fact that the Balkan scenes were actually filmed in England. Were we really to expect the producers to set up shop in war-torn Bosnia?

Most important of all, there are plenty of memorable MacGyverisms. I especially enjoyed watching Mac figure out how to escape the military cell and then play around with the contents of a weapons shed. And with the familiar musical bits taken straight from the TV show and playing in the background, Mac fans will feel right at home. The tone is just like that of the show.

Even though he didn't appear in the original TV series, Brian Blessed's character proved to be a welcome presence. His performance is bombastic but he keeps the character from slipping into triteness by evoking real intellectual interest and passion. Energetic, devoted to his history, blithe, and acting erudite when he really doesn't know what's going on, he's a guy who's easy to warm up to.

Certainly, "Lost Treasure of Atlantis" owes some inspiration to the Indiana Jones series, but it's an engaging production nonetheless. And there have been many other such action-adventure flicks that have been less creative and more dull-witted than this one. If you're looking for globetrotting adventure and exciting action and entertainment, "MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis" will give you exactly that. Superior to the "Trail to Doomsday" MacGyver movie in every way. Check it out if it shows up on the Action channel.

As a fan of Stargate SG-1, I watched MacGyver to see Richard Dean Anderson. The character of MacGyver is very similar to his current character in Stargate, Colonel Jack O'Neill. He has the same sense of humour,same characteristics and the same attitude towards people. In fact the only difference that I noticed was that Mac is a whole lot smarter than O'Neill. ( More along the lines of the IQ of Major Carter than O'Neill.) Examples of this are that the dialogue was so predictable in parts for anyone who watches Stargate. Maybe it's just me but that's my opinion.

While this is not the best in class, it is a bit of a hoot when you get Brian Blessed and Richard Dean Anderson playing off each other. How could it be any otherwise? The premise is wonderfully silly and the walk through war torn Europe pointless, but over all the characters are clear and well-defined. The aristocratic baddie, the amoral professor, the smart heroine who needs rescuing, and of course MacGyver who out parodies himself with some wonderful made up solutions, it is hard to predict any of them.

Was it great? Well, it was great fun and still worth watching just to see Brian Blessed's larger than life acting. I am a huge fan of MacGyver, but those purest who whine about this being awful, really are missing the point. From the mullet hair cut to the overzealous Professor to the idea that together they are 'historians' is a bloody hoot! Great escapism that only the 90's could bring us. See it and enjoy it.