Warlords Of Atlantis (1978) Review

Back in 1978, the Burton Odeon was my second home. I knew most of the staff by name, and I was in there watching movies at least twice a week. This was also a stellar year for films, and one of my favourite years ever for cinema going. We had The Deer Hunter, Midnight Express, Grease, Jaws 2, Convoy, Hooper, The Swarm, Eyes Of Laura Mars, Halloween and The Wild Geese. It also threw up this classic Doug McClure fantasy action movie.

Doug McClure was pretty much a staple in these mid 70s Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptions, starring alongside the likes of Peter Cushing, star of countless Hammer films, and Peter Gilmore, better known as James Onedin in the television series The Onedin Line.

This rip roaring tale involves an expedition into the Bermuda Triangle, aboard a clipper ship known as The Texas Rose. In amongst this hunt for treasure, and an assortment of ropey old monsters, including a huge octopus, and various other mythical creatures, our heroes discover the lost city of Atlantis.

This particular movie, for me, was the best of the Edgar Rice Burroughs movies, and stands head and shoulders above The Land That Time Forgot and At The Earths Core. Yes, the special effects are a little, what you might call low budget, but what the hell. These movies are great fun to watch, well acted by some of the best performers of the day, and totally inoffensive family fare. They were also a staple of the Summer holidays in the 1970s, frequently, as part of double bills with other fantasy adventures including the Ray Harryhausen Sinbad movies. Warlords Of Atlantis was good for it’s time and I have to say, that for me, it still hold up well today. Five Stars from me….