Strictly average movie

Absolutely brilliant

Absolutely amazing

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

You've never really seen a series hero run around in tiny shorts until you've seen "Crash" Corrigan in Atlantean battle garb, I can tell you that for free... I've seen several of the old Republic serials over the years, and this one is my favorite. It's got plenty of spectacle and just enough "Flash Gordon" appeal to hold up even now. And the dashing hero (with an amazing physique for an actor from that era) has maybe the best nickname ever: "Crash" Corrigan. Seriously, "Crash" Corrigan!! I ask you, how can you not love it? Another plus: The plot for the series doesn't have the irritating repetition and circularity of some of its rivals: It actually progresses in a linear, well thought out manner and even picks up steam, until all kinds of hell is breaking loose by the last chapter. It's not perfect, of course. Goofy crap abounds. My favorite gaffe is the cliffhanger ending where Crash and his companions are flying in a plane that is shot down ; the plane spirals in to a crash landing. Usually, the film makers will begin the next segment that by repeating the cliffhanger but including a shot that was left out (ie, they all parachuted out or something.) But in this case, they show the plane crashing violently into the ground with enough force to turn everyone on board into puree...and the next scene, Crash just gets up and dusts himself off and wakes everyone else up (and of course, no one else is hurt.) Apparently, "Crash" is so called because he is immune to crashes. Or the plane just crashed on some very soft rocks. On the other hand, "Crash" finally defeats the mad tyrant in the final chapter by doing the only logical thing: Jumping in the the "power room" that powers all of Khan's lethal devices and ripping out the wires. And the Navy then proceeds to blow the tyrants "rocket tower" to bits (yeah, it's stock footage, but it's well integrated stock footage). It's one of the most satisfying bits I've ever seen in a Republic serial. If you can't lay your hands on "Flash Gordon" you might be able to make do with "Crash Corrigan". I wouldn't pay money to see these, but if a collection falls into your hands, you might enjoy it. Or check out the entire serial available for free viewing or download at www.archive.org. (That's where I finally was able to view the last three chapters).

"Undersea Kingdom" is fast-moving and exciting, better than most serials...with the added fun of seeing how the cliffhangers are impossibly resolved. One of my favorite superheroes who's never been filmed is Namor, the Submariner and this serial comes closest to rendering him on film. It's amazing how a very ordinary looking guy (Ray Corrigan) with an admittedly great physique can be transformed into a thrilling superhero just by donning a costume. This is the best example of the transformation by costume...Corrigan doesn't look anywhere near as imposing without that great sort of Aztec-looking helmet, the best flowing cape (far better than Superman's) and those nifty fish-scale briefs that turn transparent when the lighting hits them just right. Fortunately, our hero wears this impressive outfit throughout most of the series, and you will notice how much his presence is diminished just by removing the helmet from time to time. Despite the robots that look like lumbering water heaters and a sardine-can tank that announces its presence with an ambulance siren, this is a classic serial adventure that should surely please most action-hero and serial fans. It's a very ambitious and largely successful product for its times, with the added bonus of little of the tediously long previous chapter replays of later efforts in the genre. Highly recommended!

This serial is just howlingly fantastic. Bonkers and almost pornographic in its butch antics. I used to show this in a cinema in the 1970s and the audience would just go berserk. As the credits started they would almost scream the roof off...the title comes on over a shot of a phallic submarine entering a seaweed encrusted cave. Our hero, "Crash" DOES only wear his fish-scale pattern underpants with a cape and big silver boots....and a very groovy helmet with a big fin. There is a lot of leftover BEN HUR and NOAHS ARK props to be seen from silent epics pressed into squeaky service at Republic for their first sci fi serial spectacular and I am sure this was a big fat hit with the kids in its day as it was 50 years later. A exact remake of the 1935 Mascot Pictures serial PHANTOM EMPIRE inherited when Republic absorbed Mascot, This one even has the tin can robots and a big metal Volkswagen they hoon around in. Wait until you see the part when Crash is tied spread eagle on the bonnet and his pubic hair is showing..A real crown pleaser if ever there was!. A must for every collection.

Republic Pictures 12-chapter serial, Undersea Kingdom, borrows many elements from the Flash Gordon story: a "yellow menace"-type villain, a scientist and his futuristic craft (this time a rocket submarine rather than a rocketship), a vanquished foe spared in combat becoming a staunch ally, and finally the heroes name Crash (rhymes with...). You can see the beginnings of the great serial factory Republic was to become, with decent fights and excellent special effects for 1936. Pacing is sluggish and it contains some horrendous cliffhanger cheats. For example, when Crash is SEEN plummeting down an elevator shaft and the next episode begins with his falling through the open elevator doors, reaching out and clutching the edge of the doorway preventing his fall. I would not recommend seeing this serial in one go because the cheats would be less abrasive if the chapters were viewed with some time in between. I rate this serial a 7.0 (Review: 1; 11/2002)