Atlantis: The Lost Continent

John Chard

Incontinent or Lost Continent? It's a George Pal film, who around this time in his career was playing fun with fantasy adventure films, even bringing some cartoonery and science into his equations. Atlantis, the Lost Continent is not a particularly good film, but it is a fun one if you have any sort of idea what to expect from this sort of production. Plot basically pitches a Greek fisherman to the task of bringing an Atlantean princess back to the supposed mythical city of Atlantis. He does, and soon wishes he hadn't since he is not welcomed and Atlantis might be coming to the end of its existence. It starts off pretty badly, cheese acting and scenes looking dreadfully cheap. Yet once we get to Atlantis things perk up, with an array of weird inhabitants and nutty religion marrying up with some nutty science. It's colourful, while the effects work ranges wildly from good to bad; which is the same as the screenplay come to think of it (studio interference and writers strikes hamstrung Pal no doubt). It's more "Z" grade than "B" schlock grade, and as has been noted by critics, it does indeed look like a cheap Roman adventure dressed up under a mythical name. Yet it is still pleasant enough of a viewing experience, with some nifty action scenes and the brisk finale ensuring that is the case. 6/10