Beyond the Bermuda Triangle

In BEYOND THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE, the paranormal phenomenon of the title is at work once more. When a plane and speedboat disappear mysteriously, Corporate zillionaire Harry Ballinger (Fred MacMurray) gets involved in solving this enigma. Also, a little girl (Dana Plato) seems to be having psychic dreams about her missing mother.

Cue the woo-woo music.

This made-for-TV movie came out when the Bermuda Triangle was all the rage, along with Bigfoot, The Loch Ness Monster, and other esoteric creatures and occurrences. As such, it's a bit on the tedious side, with a lot of talk, but little real action.

MacMurray is good, but could have been given more to do with his role. Donna Mills and Sam Groom spend most of their screen time on their soap opera-like relationship instead of anything suspenseful or mysterious. It's very easy to forget that you're watching a movie about unsolved disappearances.

Still, it's watchable enough, just don't expect too much excitement...

Although barely under an hour and a quarter Beyond The Bermuda Triangle seems an eternity sometimes with Fred MacMurray and his cast doing a whole lot of palabering about just why people get lost in the patch of ocean known as the Bermuda Triangle.

ABC did not invest a whole lot into this film with location shooting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida standing in for Bimini in the Bahama Islands. One harbor is as good as another.

Fred and a bunch of friends are in those southern waters for a bit of a holiday when some of those legendary disappearances occur. When it happens to young Dana Plato's parents Fred shows some concern. In fact the only thing that gives this nicely photographed film any excitement is when Dana claims to hear her mother calling. So where does she go? Not out to sea, but into the Everglades.

Nice characters, nice photography, but a dull story.

Back in the 70's people believed anything - Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, UFOs, Basil Brush - you name it. Everyone believed in The Bermuda Triangle back then as well, so its not in the least surprising that there was a TV movie about this subject. It has to be said though, it's a pretty half-hearted effort. Not a whole lot happens and it relies far too much on the unexplained. I usually don't mind the unexplained in movies but you've got to earn it. This film doesn't do enough, meaning I wanted sea creatures, aliens or even a cameo appearance from Barry Manilow singing 'Bermuda Triangle' but we don't really get any of that.

A classic example of a film which sadly fizzles when it really ought to sizzle. The basic premise is certainly intriguing enough: a handful of folks in planes and boats alike mysteriously vanish in the legendary Bermuda Triangle located just off the coast of Florida. Alas, William A. Graham's blandly by-the-numbers direction crucially fails to provide any much-needed suspense, vitality and spooky atmosphere. Instead the movie gets bogged down in a tedious surplus of dull talk, with precious few scares or action to alleviate the general boredom. The cast do their best with the meandering story: Fred MacMurray gives a typically robust and amiable performance as an affable retired wealthy businessman while both Sam Groom and Donna Mills are solid and engaging as an estranged young couple. Plus future "Different Strokes" TV sitcom star Dana Plato pops up as a spunky little girl whose mother disappears in the Devil's Triangle. Gayne Rescher's pretty, picturesque photography and Harry Sukman's suitably shivery'n'sinister score are likewise up to par. But only at the very end does this largely lethargic snoozer finally come to life and deliver some excitement with a fairly creepy zinger of a surprise ending, but by then it's way too little much too late to redeem this mediocre timewaster.

Let me get this right out in the open, because I, and probably you, can tell there's no way this hit the big screens back in 1975. The version I recently watched was broadcast on CBS in the spring of 1978, and I have to admit that I have an affinity for CBS movies, usually from the late 70's to early 80's. It's too bad most everything is reality garbage today, but there was a time when watching a TV film was special. I'll try not to give away too much, because oddly enough, not that much DOES happen at all, although there are some solid acting from Fred MacMurray, Donna Mills, someone named Sam Groom, and a very young Dana Plato. This is Mac Murray's second to last film, and it appears that it's Plato's first credited role. Anyway, I was never a huge fan of special effects, but in this case, I feel it could've been warranted, as we're left to assume that folks simply go missing, but we're not treated to anything visually stimulating, other than a ship's compass going haywire a few times. It's only 74 minutes long, and it's worth watching at least once, especially if you're interested in the mystery of the real Bermuda Triangle. Watch it online for free, rather than spend money on it, and maybe you'll enjoy it more that way. The ending was perhaps a tad predictable, but it certainly didn't hurt the film overall, especially the solid performances by all.