The Land That Time Forgot (1974)

"Is plesiosaurus a common dish in the British Navy, Mr. Olson?", 18 April 2017

I've always enjoyed all three of the Doug McClure / AIP adventure films. I think that At the Earth's Core might be favorite of the bunch, but this one is also very enjoyable. Is it good? Probably not by most modern standards. But I first watched it in the late 70s and loved it. It still provides a lot of entertainment for me today.

McClure plays Bowen Tyler. Unfortunately for Tyler and the rest of his fellow shipmates, it's WWI and a German U-Boat sinks their ship. Only Tyler and a handful of others survive. They float aimlessly on the ocean until, as luck would have it, the very same U-Boat surfaces and Tyler and Co are able to take control of the submarine. The Germans and non-Germans are in a constant struggle to control the ship. Running out of fuel, they all agree to head to an unchartered island – known as Caprona. Caprona is full of vegetation, desperately needed oil, primitive people, and vicious dinosaurs. Everyone agrees to work together if they're going to survive. But how long will this truce hold and how long before the many dinosaurs and bloodthirsty tribes get the upper-hand on our heroes?

By today's standards, the special effects in The Land That Time Forgot are pretty primitive. My kids would no doubt laugh at them. But that's part of what makes it so enjoyable to me – there is a real artistry to the whole thing. These are practical effects that someone put their heart and soul into. Sure, they're puppets, but they do an amazing job of bringing them to life. The battle between the Allosaurus and the Triceratops (I think) is especially cool and bloody. I loved the effects 40 or so years ago and I still get a kick out of them today. I also appreciate the fact that the one primitive the group meets never learns to speak English. Too often in this kind of movie, a primitive caveman is taught, unrealistically, to speak some sort of broken English in a few scenes. The acting is good. McClure gives a solid performance. He's especially good in his fight scenes. The rest of the cast, including John McEnery, Susan Penhaligon, and Bobby Parr, give workman like performances. I suppose my biggest complaint is how long it takes to really get things going. It seems that just as soon as they finally get to the island and run into the dinosaurs, it's time to wrap things up.

6/10