Monday, June 14, 2021

The Land That Time Forgot (1974)

One of many films in the 1970s when Doug McClure ends up punching lots of men and monsters. During World War 1 a German u-boat torpedoes a British freighter. Bowen (McClure), Lisa (Susan Penhaligon) and Bradley (Keith Barron) amongst the few survivors. When the u-boat surfaces Bowen leads his small band of men to capture the u-boat from the command of von Schoenvorts (John McEnery).

Due to sabotage the u-boat is sent off course and ends up at a strange uncharted island in the Antarctic. The crew discover that beyond the icy cliffs there is a lush tropical paradise inside... inhabited by cavemen and dinosaurs! Bowen and team have to try and survive in this strange world, mostly by shooting anything which moves...

This is a fun monster romp with good use of stop motion animation and models. The effects are only let down by the pterodactyls which fly around without moving a muscle. While the submarine scenes can drag a bit once we get to the "Land That Time Forgot" the action and excitement really picks up. Reflections on the morality of war and the nature of civilisation elevate this film over the average monster film.