The best word to sum up Hammer Studio’s The Lost Continent is strange.  From start to finish it is a strange film being one thing when it starts and an entirely different entity when it ends.  The first half of the film finds a number of passengers on a ship with a mysterious cargo, arguing all the way and eventually headed into a hurricane.  Due to the fact that most of them are probably insane, they decide to continue on course and as you might have predicted, the worst comes to pass and they have to abandon ship.  It is not too long after when they find themselves in a land of impossible creatures both gigantic and small, a country ruled by a despot boy king whose court looks like it is made up equally between pirates and Conquistadors and an absolutely crazy priest.  As previously stated, pretty strange indeed.

Overall the film is quite entertaining, the latter half of the movie more so than the first as it is during the second part of the picture where things take a turn for the worse for the travellers from the ship.  It is also the part of the film where the creativity of the filmmakers really comes into play and essentially goes off the rails.  There is hardly another Hammer picture that comes to mind that features the sheer madness within, like a psychedelic dream come to life or something straight from the mind of Terry Gilliam.  For the most part, you have no idea what is going to happen next and the sheer unpredictability of this ‘lost continent’ keeps you glued to your seat and your eyes on the screen.

The Lost Continent is a visually stunning film and what we are witness to, again more in the latter half than not, is what keeps us interested.  Whether the battle between the giant crab and the enormous scorpion or the men and women with their balloon-wear, there is always something to keep your eyes fixated upon.  That brings us to the cast and except for the captain of the boat played by Eric Porter and Dana Gillespie’s character Sarah; you really do not care whatsoever if the rest of the crew take the big sleep.  They are thoroughly unlikeable for the most part and even by the end of the film, just because they came through the other end of something a little traumatic does not automatically make them good people.  On the flip side, you end up really liking the villains of the film because not only do you know where they stand, they are so corny and flamboyant that you cannot help but love them, especially El Supremo.  You would not want to be on the receiving end of their attentions, but they make life just a little more exciting, what with the threat of death by sea monster and all.

This film will definitely not be to everyone’s tastes as it is quite a strange beast from Hammer Studios, but it is a lot of fun, especially if you are in the mood for something a little different.

3 out of 5

2015 Edition

First Entry – Trapped in the… – Valley of the Dragons (1961)
Second Entry – Can You Feel the… – Tremors (1990)
Third Entry – Beauty and Danger Collide in… – Viking Women and the Sea Serpent (1957)
Fourth Entry – Dance the Night Away in the… – Village of the Giants (1965)
Fifth Entry – It Was a Time… – When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970)
Sixth Entry – Do Not Fall Into the Grasp of… – The Giant Claw (1957)
Seventh Entry – Who Knew They Could Give Birth? – Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996)
Eighth Entry – So Many to Choose From – The Loves of Hercules (1960)
Ninth Entry – Should Have Stayed Down Below – Up From the Depths (1979)
Tenth Entry – Snakes On a Boat! – Anaconda (1997)
Eleventh Entry – Think Twice Before You Cheat – Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958)
Twelfth Entry – Back to the Trough – Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001)
Thirteenth Entry – Past and Present Collide in… – Mega Shark Versus Mecha Shark (2014)
Fourteenth Entry – Mating Season – Anacondas: Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004)
Fifteenth Entry – A Land Before Time – One Million Years B.C. (1966)
Sixteenth Entry – Battle of the She-Titans – Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader (2012)
Seventeenth Entry – Look Out for The Hoff! – Anaconda 3: The Offspring (2008)

Last Year’s Creatures…

Giant Monster Gamera (1965)
The Monolith Monsters (1957)
Gamera vs. Barugon (1966)
Tarantula (1955)
Gamera vs. Gyaos (1967)
Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)
Gamera vs. Viras (1968)
The Cyclops (1957)
Gamera vs. Guiron (1969)
Monsters (2010)
Gamera vs. Jiger (1970)
The Killer Shrews (1959)
Gamera vs. Zigra (1971)
The Deadly Mantis (1957)
Space Monster Gamera (1980)
King Dinosaur (1955)
Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)
The Black Scorpion (1957)
Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996)
Them! (1954)
Gamera 3: The Revenge of Iris (1999)
The Giant Gila Monster (1959)
Gamera the Brave (2006)
Frankenstein Conquers the World (1966)