The People That Time Forgot

Amicus' 1977 direct sequel to 1974s 'The Land That Time Forgot' returned us to Edgar Rice Burroughs' dinosaur riddled antarctic island, 'Caprona' where Doug McClure's 'Bowen Tyler' had been stranded at the end of the previous movie.  Last seen trudging over snowy mountain peaks in the company of Susan Penhaligon's 'Lisa Clayton' to throw the message in a bottle into the sea that has spurred his chldhood friend 'Ben McBride' (Patrick - son of John - Wayne) to mount a rescue mission.  Accompaying him into the unknown are photographer 'Lady Charlotte 'Charly' Cunningham' (Sarah Douglas - 'Ursa' in the first 2 'Superman' movies), paleontologist 'Norfolk' (Thorley Walters), his mechanic 'Hogan' (Shane Rimmer) and, along the way, a cave-woman named 'Ajor' played by singer Dana Gillespie.

Directed, as was 'The Land..', by Kevin Connor - who also sent McClure to both Atlantis and 'The Earth's Core' - this one is every bit as flawed and fun as it's predecessor.  The story is flaccid, the dinosaur effects are risible and the cast are poor (except McClure - I won't have a word said against McClure) with Wayne being boorish and bullying and an unlikeable lead, Douglas overplaying her role, Walters and Rimmer acting as comic relief and Gillespie providing the cleavage. 

Written by future 'Amtrak Wars' author Patrick Tilley it's a pretty by the numbers adaptation that was the last gasp of the Amicus studio but when I was a kid Doug McClure was my absolute favourite and to this day his three Amicus monster movies rank amongst my favourites although I'll admit this one is solidly in third place.

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At the Earth's Core

"This cannot be the Rhondda Valley.  I've never seen anythng like it."

As a result of the disasterous first test of their Iron Mole drilling machine Dr Abner Perry (Peter Cushing) and David Innes (Doug McClure) find themselves lost in the subterranean world of Pellucidar. A land of rubbery dinosaurs ruled over by the lady eating, telepathic pterodactyl-like Mahars.  Luckily though the nicer locals - including Princess Dia (Caroline Munro), Ghak the Hairy One (Godfrey James) and Ra (Cy Grant) - speak English and so David sets about uniting the tribes to defeat the Mahars.

"They're so excitable. Like all foreigners."

Based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, scripwriter Milton Subotsky and director Kevin Connor go all out for silly fun with this technicolour adventure romp.  The cast spend much of the film running around a fiery set made entirely out of health and safety nightmares while battling beaky dinosaurs and their piggy henchmen to a soundtrack from ex-Manfred Mann woodwind player Mike Vickers.  Cushing - a year away from playing a Moff in his slippers and scolding the Green Cross Code Man - looks especially frail here but is channelling his Dr and playing his part entirely for laughs, gets all the best lines and has great chemistry with McClure who seems to be thoroughly enjoying Cushing's performance.

“You cannot mesmerize me. I’m British!"  

Even on it's original release 'At the Earth's Core' was ridiculed for it's effects (and pretty much everything else) and it must be admitted it is spectacularly cheap looking and primitive even for the time it was made but personally I'll take wobbly sets, rubber monsters and a bow-legged Peter Cushing over slick effect every time and I bloody love this film.

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They Came From Beyond Space

'They Came From Beyond Space' is a cobbled together sci fi movie from Amicus studios. With a set apparently left over from the Doctor Who movie 'Dalek's Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.' (UK / US) and a Milton Subotsky script made up of vague memories of various 1950s alien invasion movies like 'Quatermass 2' (UK / US), 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' and 'It Came From Outer Space'.

Mind controlling moon rocks come to Earth to recruit slaves to help them rebuild their crashed rocket.  Up against them is action scientist Dr.Curtis Temple (Robert Hutton) who as well as being a rocket scientist is an expert at hand to hand combat, a crack marksman and a metallurgist who can make fashionable anti alien headgear at the drop of a, well, a hat. In charge of the now corporeal moonies is 'Master of the Moon' Michael Gough in a very fetching pink cape.

It really is a load of old tosh. The story is dull, bitty and anticlimactic, the direction from the usually reliable Freddie Francis is pedestrian at best but I suppose he could only do so much with what he had and thanks to his cinematographers eye in parts it does look quite nice.  Truthfully there's nothing here to recommend to you other than if, like me, you have a liking for really bad sci fi movies then all of the above because this is a really bad sci fi movie.

Oh and just to add to the experience the video embedded below isn't a particularly great copy.

 

Buy it here - UK / US - or watch it below.

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If you enjoy what we do here on Wyrd Britain and would like to help us continue then we would very much welcome a donation towards keeping the blog going - paypal.me/wyrdbritain

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