The Lost Continent (1968)

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The first must-see film of the year.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Oddball Hammer Studios picture about a proverbial ship of the dammed, a group of disparate passengers on a dilapidated cruise liner on their way to South America are struck by a storm that leaves them stranded on a dangerous uncharted island containing all sorts of dangers. Those dangers include various prehistoric monsters and even some remnants/descendants from the Spanish Inquisition who think that's still a thing (OMG, that's so 1478!). It's not terrible, but it is entertaining enough if you're in the mood for prehistoric monster, pirates, and Jules Verne/Rudyard Kipling- like adventures.

I remember seeing this flick many years back on TV; it kept my interest for the first hour and twenty minutes , right up to when the colossal creatures appeared. They were so laughable I was FORCED to tune out.After becoming a fan of Dana Gillespie (see her in "The People That Time Forgot" to learn WHY), and finding out she appeared in this pic, I ended up buying it on DVD. An open-minded second-look reveals a fine adventure yarn capped off by a very moody, surreal climax.Quite a few reviewers state that there is no lost continent in the picture; this is not true. When the cast are in the Sargasso sea area you can clearly see mountainous land in the background; in fact, a character even proclaims at one point, "Look -- land!" Some of the cast even end up walking on the "lost continent" which is where they run into the laughable monsters (giant crab, giant lobster, etc.).WHAT WORKS: There's lots of action and adventure; Eric Porter as Captain Lansen is strong; the human-eating seaweed is a plus; the surreal sets for the orangey Sargasso Sea of shipwrecks are fantastic; Dana Gillespie is incredibly beautiful; the balloon shoes & harnesses are creative; and the plot keeps your interest even though much of the writing is weak. The distinctive 60's theme song is also pretty cool.WHAT DOESN'T WORK: Except for Dana Gillespie (Sarah), the characters are all rather unlikable and the biggest flaw is that the creature F/X are horrible (did I mention that already?).FINAL ANALYSIS: "The Lost Continent" is not hailed as one of Hammer's masterpieces, but I think the main reason for this is the lousy crustacean monsters. The flick gets extra points for its high adventure and its undeniably mood. The film will certainly be enjoyable for those of us who are attracted to "lost continent"-type adventure flicks (just bear with the relatively short crustacean sequence). And Dana Gillespie doesn't hurt.The film runs 89 minutes.GRADE: C+ or B-

Watchable late Hammer flick with a so-so cast. First half deals with dramatics on board a cargo ship with various and sundry characters, leading up to the mutiny of the crew. This is all rather ho-hum and forgettable. Business picks up after the ship becomes lost in the Sargasso Sea and the passengers must deal with killer seaweed and giant mutant crabs & scorpions. Oh did I forget that there's also an island of conquistadors who don't realize the Spanish Inquisition is over? It's all pretty cheesy with poor special effects and no scares are to be had but it's fun to watch at times. Neil McCallum has his hair dyed Twinkie yellow for some reason. Ben Carruthers (who?) is supposed to be playing some kind of suave character but it's a poor fit. Suzanna Leigh and front-heavy Dana Gillespie provide the required amount of babe to fill Hammer's quota. Love the cheesy title song. I believe this movie also inspired an episode of DuckTales.

The lost continent is perhaps one of the most unusual movies I have ever seen. It begins with the captain giving a farewell speech, and the camera makes a dolly shot we see this bizarre people dress as Spanish conquistadors in a foggy atmosphere then we fade to the past introducing the characters each showing hardly no respect for one another even the ships crew don't trust the captain. We have a captain that is smuggling explosives, a doctor escaping from the past, a daughter that wants to see her father dead and a variety of characters that don't know what there in for. Through the film we see a dramatic change of the character but we never see the captain change. Going from deception to murderer, the movie takes a totally different turn. After the boat is in the middle of a tropical storm the captain and some of the crew escape in a small life boat then they confront sharks, hunger, and even them selves. Somehow they manage to find the cruise intact but they are trapped in a strange weed looking island, and then the fun really begins, giant monsters, killer weed, and Spanish conquistadors are the order of the lost continent. This film is not one of HAMMERS best but is sure one of the must bizarre and entertaining movies. In a Saturday night order a pizza and a couple of beers and you on for a good time.