The Land That Time Forgot

The survivors from a U-boat attack turn the tables on their would be killers and hijack the submarine after it has surfaced to recharge batteries. A gentlemen's agreement between the crews doesn't quite go to plan, and next we know it they are surfacing in a land that is full of dinosaurs and primitive human beings. Will they get home? Well that's down to a rather wooden but entertaining Doug McLure and John McEnery to fathom out. The monsters and other special effects are fine given the budget, though you do glimpse the odd bits of string now and again! Like a few others who have reviewed this, I too saw it at the cinema when I was but a bairn, and I cannot help but look back on this (and "Warlords of Atlantis") with a fondness maybe not quite due to the production. Still, it's a jolly adventure lark and still worth a watch.

This has everything for a budding boy to enjoy. There's monsters, the struggle against evil, a submarine and the stunningly beautiful Susan Penhaligon. I was lucky enough to see this when it came out and it enthralled me. I still watch it on television when I can, with fond memories. It is not aging well. CFXs have left it looking quite poor in places. However, for a B-Movie it is very well done. The acting, storyline, direction and editing are all well controlled. I agree that a remake may be justified, as long as the inherent innocence of it all is not lost.

It is good family fun which will keep boys glued for an afternoon. And Susan is as beautiful as ever :-)

Fun dinosaur movie with a solid British cast headed by suitably lantern-jawed Doug McClure.

Respected SF author Michael Moorcock adds a dash of intelligence to what might have been just another Sunday matinee pot-boiler, and the downbeat ending (slightly different to the book) is a change from the norm. The decision to turn the U-Boat captain from the stereotypical dastardly Hun in the original book to a philosophical man of science is also a good one.

The submarine is suitably claustrophobic and the jungle suitably clammy, just a shame that some of the dinosaurs couldn't have looked a little more than just as if they'd been borrowed from episode of "Doctor Who". Fans of which should be suitably impressed by future 'Master' Anthony Ainley's nasty performance as the treacherous German first officer Dietz.

"Auf weidersehn, Mr Tyler!"

I loved this movie as a kid. Can't recall how many times I watched it on the late show in my early teens, but it was more than a few. I hadn't seen it since about 1982 and was pleased TCM ran it recently, so I recorded it and watched it last night.

The scenes came back to me by rote though I definitely needed the refresher after all these years. Seeing it now at 40, it of course has become a little more quaint in the wake of the Jurassic Park series, but it still held my interest as it WAS a very good effort in 1975 with limited resources at bringing to the screen an intelligent Sci/fi adventure with old fashioned heroics reminiscent of King Kong etc.

The script, though certainly not as good as it could have been, stays true to itself, and even though the SFX at times look primitive (they still kick the snot out of the FX in Logan's Run}, the story is poorly paced after the U-Boat reaches Caprona, and the Neanderthals and the obligatory volcanic eruption are more than forced, the film never becomes kitschy or laughable, or outright uninteresting like dozens of other films like this made on the cheap. My only wish is it would have been a bit longer and included more thoughtful dialogue about nature and evolution and survival to give the story and characters more depth. And Ray Harryhausen could have done much more with the dinosaurs in the technical department.

As far as leading men go, Doug McClure is good in this and will always get my sympathy as that likable, two fisted action star who had the misfortune of looking too much like Lee Marvin and sounding too much like Glenn Ford to ever get the kind of roles he deserved in bigger pictures. He was good in these Kevin Connor adventure flicks in the 70's, and is eternally one of my favorite actors as a result.

Lots of details about the U-Boat and what not are probably inaccurate, and the story itself is more than too similar to Verne's Mysterious Island with shades of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but overall, while I wouldn't call it great or even good, it is definitely worth a look and still a nifty little piece of entertainment for the budget it had. Surprising a remake hasn't appeared in this age of CGI. Could be a dandy. Are you listening, Peter Jackson?

I first saw this film when I was a child, it had always stuck out in my mind and I was lucky enough to see it again recently.

Although the effects are not spectacular, they aren't terrible. In fact they are pretty good considering the era.

The characters are well written and likable, the dialogue is not over-complicated with technical terms but remains clever and enjoyable to follow.

A real empathy is established for the characters who find themselves in a seemingly fantastic but dangerous situation.

All in all I find the film enjoyable for anyone to watch and recommend it highly.