Review for Warlords Of Atlantis

Chronologically ‘Warlords of Atlantis’ is the final of the four recent releases selected by Studio Canal to celebrate the 50th anniversary of UK based Amicus films, often seen as Hammer’s younger brother. Again it features the combination of Kevin Connor (Director), Alan Hume (Cinematographer) and stars Doug McClure. It’s also loosely in the vein of Edgar Rice Burroughs lost or hidden worlds works and is therefore considered by many to form part of a slightly connected trilogy along with ‘At the Earth’s Core’ (my personal favourite); and ‘The Land that Time Forgot’.


This time Doug McClure plays the part of Greg Collinson, a tough hands-on engineer who has invented an open-ended container that, rather like a cup plunged into water, can go to great depths of the ocean without ever leaking or losing Oxygen. Aboard the Texas Rose he is joined by the terribly academic Charles Aitken (Peter Gilmore doing more or less a younger version of the role played by Peter Cushing in ‘At the Earth’s Core’) to help his father discover hidden treasures and potentially a lost world way out in the ocean.


The first trip into the deep results in them finding a giant golden statue at the very depths of the ocean, much to the delight of the treacherous crew, though soon after getting it aboard the boat, they are attacked by a giant octopus. (Much flaying of rubbery tubes ensues!).


Before long all the crew are thrown from the boat and, far from drowning, they all find themselves washed ashore within a huge cavern beneath the ocean, full of air and light.


They are greeted by Atmir, who looks rather like a Roxy Music era Brian Eno, who is one of the ruling class of Atlantis. He is joined by guards who menacingly shake spears about and take the crew to ‘safety’ away from the free-roaming dinos.

(Potential spoiler alert: Well, would you adam and eve it? It turns out that the rulers are only Martians who are using their minds to shape the destiny of earth. So could they be the cause of World War 1? Which may account for why it all looks a bit 'Space 1999')


The whole crew are imprisoned other than Charles who is recognised as one of the intelligent ‘elite’ and he is taken to the temptations of a kind of intellectual paradise, with waterfalls and plenty of available totty, to try and encourage him to join in their plight – plugging his brain-power into the cause. He is sorely tempted until he gets a glimpse of the future they have in mind for earth – World War 2 and the rise of the Nazi’s. Steps towards a more prefect and elite race perhaps. If this all sounds complex then that’s entirely my fault. It really isn’t. It’s spelled out very clearly in words of two syllables that even an eight year old will understand.


Fortunately, before Greg becomes too taken with visions of a future utopia, the crew rescue him and they all head back to the diving bell. I won’t spoil the ending suffice it to say that no one gets hurt and it all ends pretty well – despite the giant Octopus’ s attempt to put pay to their escape.


It’s all great fun and despite a budget of less than $2m, and no CGI yet available, it stands up as a really great family adventure. Far more fun (and less confusing) than ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ for example, in my book.


It’s a splendid looking transfer and audio is good throughout. There are no extras here and I can’t advise on whether this has enjoyed a new transfer since its last release on DVD a few years ago – so may not be worth a double-dip if you already have that. (Unless that was cropped?).


I hope that this spate of releases from Studio Canal garner enough interest to encourage a Blu-Ray edition. If that is done with care I would certainly double-dip on all three McClure outings. In the meantime, I can’t help wondering what happened about ‘The People That time Forgot’. I guess that will is the film that Studio Canal forgot – possibly a better and more complimentary release than the oddity of the four, ‘They Came from Beyond Space’. Oh – well. Maybe that will get a release soon.