The film does actually have a few moments near the beginning where it seems possible that there's a glimmer of intelligence in the script, but these impurities are swiftly crushed by the stupidity, which charges in ferociously and takes over the film. If you liked Escape 2000 and Warrior of the Lost World, you might find some entertainment here.
Demian Katz, katz@netaxs.comThis film excells in badness on a variety of fronts, but its greatest offense is that the director Took Himself Seriously. You know, Indulged his Artistic Passions to Make a Profound Statement. Which means we have a lot of truly Awful shots of hospital fan-blades cross dissolving into propellor blades. There is a bit of the Troubled Young Anti-Hero who has Problems with his Mother. This along with about 40 women whose chest measurements about equal their I.Q's.
A planeload of American fighting men crashes on No-Name Island. Guess What? It's inhabited by Druids even though it is (a) in the middle of the South Pacific; (b) is very visibly populated with birch trees and park benches; and (c) the girls speak the 'thee-and thou" Hollywoodese old timey talk while wearing Daisy Mae Scragg outfits and doing calisthenics to a small drum.
I should point out that this one takes the biscuit for the Single Worst Special Effect Shot Ever Created. Our heroes are thrown to a Giant Lizard. We know this because they yell, "Look! A Giant Lizard!" We then cut to the aforementioned shot. The men run around at screen left, dodging the obvious papier-mache boulders that occasionally are tossed from offscreen (from the center.) There is a huge black line down the center of the screen (on a movie screen it must be nearly 4 feet wide.) On Screen Right is a closeup of a small lizard in a terrarium, occasionally sticking out its tongue but otherwise not moving in the slightest degree. There is a reflection on the glass and a few pebbles under the lizard.
I always figured this one was made for the days of driveins when no one went to watch the movie. If only the director hadn't thought he was making Citizen Kane. There is some 'psychological' material when a young man who seems rather constipated is finally approached by the John Wayne-knockoff 'hero.' This kid has not had a single line in the movie and has a truculent expression in every scene. "What's the trouble, son--it's a woman, isn't it?" he says.
"Yeah---MY MOTHER!" the heretofore speechless young man says, and complains about how she was always telling him to wear his rubbers and dress warm in winter. Why, he got a complex! "Well, you'll get over it, son," The Hero says, and leaves the shot. Our young man then takes out a picture of his grey haired mom, throws it dramatically to the ground, stops and reconsiders, goes to pick it up--and a GIANT STUNTMAN HOLDING YESTERDAY'S NEWSPAPERS (ostensibly a 'maneating plant') grabs him around the waist.
I should not fail to mention the wisecracking kid from Brooklyn who fortunately falls into a volcano. I remember my sister sat through this to the end and came out of the room looking like she'd eaten a box full of lemons (I left when Brooklyn announced that the island reminded him of the Fulton Fish Market.) This movie has been a running joke in our family for years. It deserves inclusion in the list of All Time Greatest Turkeys because--well, it's so damn SERIOUS about all this!
Nancy Beiman, peachdog@mindspring.com