The Land That Time Forgot

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Cast & Crew

Doug McClure
Bowen Tyler

Susan Penhaligon
Lisa Clayton

John McEnery
Captain Von Schoenvorts

Keith Barron
Bradley

Anthony Ainley
Dietz

Godfrey James
Borg

Bobby Farr
Ahm

Declan Mulholland
Olson

Colin Farrell
Whiteley

Ben Howard
Benson

Kevin Connor
Director

John Dark
Producer

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Critic Reviews for The Land That Time Forgot

Audience Reviews for The Land That Time Forgot

• Jul 05, 2013

  Welcome to Jurassic Pa...no wait. The first fantasy film that Mr McClure starred in which lead to him starring in three more out of this world flicks that are all slightly similar...in visual style at least. Why are they similar? because all but one are British Amicus productions, this film was a surprise success and lead to the sequel plus another Edgar Rice Burroughs fantasy novel adaptation. The plot is that usual spin, bunch of people get lost somehow (usually at sea, under the sea or in the air) and end up in some mysterious uncharted land. This time we start in the past (again), WWI era, on a German U-boat. The nasty krauts have sunken a ship which just happens to have McClure and an attractive blonde on it...oh and some other blokes. When the U-boat surfaces near them they take it by surprise, seize control, lose control, the radio gets smashed, realise there isn't enough fuel, food or water to get them back to allied territory...oh and they've been going in the wrong direction too. This all leads to the gang reaching the mysterious massive island of 'Caprona'. Its funny because the film actually starts off as quite a decent war flick, everything that happens on the sub is pretty neat really, in that silly gung-ho all American 'Dirty Dozen' type way. To be honest you do start to wonder if they will ever get to the land that time forgot, they spend so much time at sea fighting each other. This film is definitely a bit of a classic really, everybody has heard of this I think, and to be frank its not too bad although not as good as I recall. Once we get to the lost land its as you would expect with jungles, swamps, volcanoes, primitive tribal men and lots of big rubbery dinosaurs...yeah this is McClure territory right here people. All the dinosaurs are based on real known dino's but of course there is much artistic license. Some are clearly bad models on wires that don't move at all (Pterodactyl), some are puppets that rise from the water, whilst most are men in rubber suits lumbering around with some truly awesome roaring monster sound effects. It looks terrible but I just adore those shots of the actors in the foreground and the dinosaurs/creatures/monsters bluescreened into the background, its dreadful but you gotta love it, staple diet of these flicks. Put it this way if you don't like mega cheesy stuff like that then you're watching the wrong type of films. So once its decided or discovered that there is fresh oil on this fantastic bountiful island everyone goes off to find it with the help of a local primitive man (looking suspiciously like a neanderthal). Long story short they find oil and manage to build their own little military base at the same time including some kind of machinery, pump for the oil I think, nice. The film then wraps up with the predictable volcanic eruption that threatens to destroy the whole island scenario...or so I thought. Turns out it doesn't and I'm not too sure why the volcano goes off either, or why we get this dramatic finale when all they had to do was leave that particular area. Its at the very end we discover this lost island is actually gigantic with its own massive range of snow capped mountains that go on for some distance, how the hell has this place not been found over and over?!. So yep the film is utterly stupid, makes no sense and things happen simply so you have an action fantasy film to watch. The hook is its a Doug McClure flick and its fudging awesome, that's the bottom line my friends, you watch this because you know what you're gonna get, McClure kicking some prehistoric ass baby!.
  Phil H Super Reviewer
• Nov 12, 2012

  From The MGM Midniote Movies Double Feature collection, I've watched this a million times on TV over the years and might have even seen it in the drive in when it first come out, made when here in the US and Britain the Germans were still not to be trusted. A cargo ship is sunk by a German U boat and when it surfaces the crew in life boats take over the German sub, they end up lost and in the Land that Time Forgot, a land with dinosaurs and cave men. Nothing outstanding a good Sunday afternoon film. 3 stars 11-08-12.
  Bruce B Super Reviewer
• Jul 22, 2012

  There's a glorious period of naivety in your childhood before your skull hardens and you develop the ability to distinguish a quality film from one made by hacks. During this period I put Doug McClure on equal footing with Harrison Ford and at the age of eight this movie was just as good as "Raiders of the Lost Ark". It had pterodactyls, something missing from the Indiana Jones movies (though if George Lucas got his way...). I'm no longer eight years old and my skull is significantly harder. With hindsight I can most definitely say McClure is no Ford and Kevin Connor is no Spielberg. The movie gets off to a pretty good start as a British ship carrying McClure is sunk by a U-Boat. McClure, being the lucky git he is, ends up in a rowboat with Penhaligon, an actress who is cute in a seventies children's TV presenter kind of way. They come across the crew of the sunken vessel and band together to capture the German submarine using the old "stand behind the door and grab 'em when they come out" trick. If this move had been taught in military schools perhaps the allies could have wrapped the two wars up a lot more quickly. McEnery makes for an effective German officer with his Aryan blue eyes and a somewhat convincing accent. He actually goes on to be one of the film's more sympathetic characters despite torpedoing countless women and children. His english speaking captors lock him up but forget to check his person for keys so he regains control of the craft and they all end up off course in the title destination. Once there they encounter the least threatening "dinosaurs" ever to grace the screen. These creatures just lope about while the humans riddle them with bullets like rich aristocrats on an elephant hunt. They also come across two tribes, one group resembling neanderthal man and the other slightly more evolved . It all ends badly with the island napalmed in what may be a cheeky Vietnam allegory by Connor, but I doubt he had such lofty ambitions. If you're under the age of thirty I doubt you'll be able to get through this in one piece but if you grew up with McClure gracing the screen every bank holiday afternoon you'll feel a warm glow of nostalgia. Fans of cheesy special effects will want to check it out for the pterodactyl kite alone. It was followed up by a sequel "The People That Time Forgot" which dispensed with dinosaurs but added Dana Gillespie's cleavage.
  The Movie W Super Reviewer
• Oct 11, 2011

  Pretty good adventure B-Movie, that lags a bit in the middle but makes up for it with an unexpected but much appreciated pessimistic ending. The set up was good. Not believable but for the purposes of the movie, I'll let it pass. I did think in the storytelling department the film began to lag in the middle, which really shouldn't have been the case, as it is only then that they reach 'The Land that Time Forgot.' At the same time we get great cheapie special effects and plastic dinosaurs and such, so I was still entertained through this portion, even if I think the set up at the begining and the downer ending were the best things going for this movie. I fucking hate Doug McClure more in everything I seem him in and this time around was no exception. Most pompous, arrogant and douchey 'hero' ever captured on film I think. One star lost for his prescence. Half a start given back for the ending though. Leading up to the ending I had my finger crossed that something terrible would befall McClure. While I would have prefered if the film entered Cannibal Holocaust territory, I was still satisfied when the end credits began to role. Either way good times for sure. Recommended.
  Ed Fucking H Super Reviewer

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