Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Released in 1974 and directed by Kevin Connor, "The Land that Time Forgot" is an adventure flick based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' book: A German sub during WWI sinks a British ship, but some survivors commandeer the U-boat whereupon there are tensions amidst the two factions. After taking a wrong turn, the sub comes to an unknown land, which they discover is Caprona, a land where dinosaurs and primitive people dwell. Can they ever get back to civilization? John McEnery plays Captain Von Schoenvorts while the English girl, Lisa, is played by cutie Susan Penhaligon, a biologist. The two have an interesting discussion over the German conduct in the Great War. Lisa observes that Von Schoenvorts is a sophisticated, respectable man, which sparks her to inquire of his brutal war actions. The Captain's Germanic contention is that Lisa is naive considering that "life is founded upon killing and destruction" and "the sea is teeming with living things that prey upon one another to survive." Say what you will about the dinosaur puppets, but this is some pretty heavy stuff for an adventure flick appealing mostly to youths. The Captain's second in command, Dietz (Anthony Ainley), more fits the stereotype that Lisa projects on Von Schoenvorts. Actually, the Captain is the wise father figure.The British are portrayed in a diplomatic, pragmatic manner (Keith Barron, amongst others). But it's the American, Bowen Tyler (Doug McClure), who's the brash, masculine hero. He's essentially boorish but Lisa can't help but be attracted to him even while she has more mental affinity with Von Schoenvorts, the suave, but maybe-too-old sophisticate.This was a British production and the dubious dinosaur effects are noticeably inferior to Hammer's stop-motion effects used in 1966's "One Million Years BC." But if you can embrace their quaintness or ignore their cheesiness, "The Land that Time Forgot" is a surprisingly decent adventure, almost in the same league as 1954's "20,000 Leagues under the Sea," at least as far as ship-going adventure and worthy mindfood go; plus it lacks the hokey Disney-isms of that movie.The film runs 90 minutes and was shot at Canary Islands and Scotland with studio work done in England.GRADE: B-/B (6.5/10)

Yay! THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (forget that sappy cartoon THE LAND BEFORE TIME with which it is often confused) is an ALL-TIME favourite of mine which I first saw on TV when I was a kid. After that, I always made a point of watching it whenever it was on, and now, some twenty years since I last watched it, I got hold of the DVD to find out whether it would live up to my memories of it – or whether my enjoyment of this film was simply a matter of nostalgia! I'm delighted to report that this excellent fantasy flick from Britain's Amicus studios is every bit as good as I remember it: a surprisingly strong movie that can be enjoyed by adults as well as kids.Of course, this film and those that came after it were the JURASSIC PARKs of their day: fun-filled spectacles of humans fighting dinosaurs in a prehistoric landscape. Comparing the two, I think this film has the EDGE over Spielberg's effort any day: there's no sentimentality here getting in the way of the danger and death. Had Spielberg directed, good old Ahm would have escaped that evil pterodactyl and there would have been a couple of annoyingly cute kids along for the ride, so yes, I think this movie has the edge.Watching it brings back all kinds of great memories and I realise now how much influence it's had on my life. The creepy fog-enshrouded setting is atmospheric in the extreme and has given me a life-long love of fog, I still get a shiver whenever I see it. The early fight scene on top of the submarine is a masterful set-piece of two-fisted action and I'm sure this scene alone is responsible for the huge enjoyment I get from seeing guys slugging it out on screen. Then, of course, there are the dinosaurs. The first sight of that Pleisosaur through the periscope is still chilling and I've loved these mammoth-sized beasts ever since. Yes, the prop and model effects are poor in the extreme – Harryhausen would have done a good job, but he would have taken too long and cost too much – but as a kid you don't notice stuff like that. As an adult, I actually enjoy the craftsmanship that's gone into these creatures, much more appealing than a computer-created leviathan.What I loved most about this film was Michael Moorcock's script, taken from the original Edgar Rice Burroughs story. There's no pandering to the kiddie audience here, but instead a surprisingly intelligent story with engaging, fleshed-out characters. The first half of the film has no dinosaurs at all, instead showing the power struggle between the Allies and the Germans and very good it is too: taut and suspenseful, like a claustrophobic sea-bound thriller should be. When the gang arrive at the titular 'land', intricacies are forgotten in favour of all-out dinosaur action and adventure, but it's a fine, worthy pay off. The truly downbeat conclusion is still chilling to this day and the intercutting of the volcano footage is done superbly – kudos to the editor for his fine abilities. Meanwhile, director Kevin Connor clearly has the right sensibilities and works hard to achieve his aims in this, his best film.Then there's the cast: hammy Doug McClure, excellent as the lantern-jawed hero who fights first and thinks later; this cemented his reputation as a B-movie hero and he's still one of the best. He went on to appear in many other fun flicks, although none are quite as good as this. Susan Penhaligon is the damsel in distress, and lovely with it, but Moorcock is careful to make sure we know she's an intelligent, capable scientist in her own right. John McEnergy is my favourite character in the film – he could have been a sneering German villain, but instead he's an articulate, sensitive scholar caught up the horrors of a world war. Anthony Ainley, later to play The Master in DR WHO, does well with the 'sneering German villain' duties and it's worth noting that every actor in the supporting cast was established in his own right. Steve James, an American action star who appeared in the likes of THE EXTERMINATOR, is unrecognisable under cave-man makeup.Anyway, this is a lovely little film with great attention to detail. If you've never seen it before, you'll probably find it cheap and twee, but compare it to the other kinds of movies released during the 1970s and you'll realise what a gem it is. Long live Doug!

I used to watch this with my friends when it was on TV in the eighties. I'd seen a fair few war films and, back then, the prospect of Germans and Allied forces teaming up seemed pretty freaky and intriguing to me.The Land That Time Forgot follows the exploits of a German U-boat crew who get overpowered by a lifeboat full of civilians who they actually just sank (no, seriously they do… just go with it – it's worth it). Anyway, the U-boat gets lost and ends up in a secret land of dinosaurs and cavemen. There, they must work together to escape.I'd forgotten how much of the film actually takes place before they arrive on the island. Maybe I only watched the second half with the dinosaurs? But it doesn't matter. It sets the scene perfectly – displaying the tensions between the two crews.Then they get to the island and generally ravaged by dinosaurs. Only they're not really dinosaurs, they're large rubbery monsters. Hey, it was pre-CGI and Jurassic Park – what do you expect? But, again, don't let that put you off. If you can get past the dodgy special effects and just immerse yourself in the story, you'll find that it's actually quite a tight and tense little number.What with all the films of the seventies being remade and Hollywood working its way through the latter end of the eighties and even into the nineties, I'm surprised this one never got the remake treatment. It's probably ripe for one, but, once again, that's not a detraction from the original. If you have a couple of hours to kill and can forgive a little bit of ham, just go with it. There's worse about, even with realistic dinosaurs!http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

After their ship is sunk by a German U-Boat, a few survivors manage to take possession of the WWI submarine when it surfaces in the dense fog. Unfortunately, due to various reasons the boat heads south until the passengers and crew reach a volcanic island in the antarctic. Once ashore they encounter prehistoric creatures and people in which they must contend with in order to survive. But in order to do that both the English and the Germans will have to put their differences behind them and work together. Having said all of that, this film was essentially tailor-made for a family night out at the local drive-in. It contains plenty of action and special effects and there are no risqué scenes or rough language to worry about. However, in all honesty the action was rather standard and the special effects were somewhat uneven. Along with that the acting was also a bit mediocre. Still, it was entertaining enough for the time spent.