Forensic Science Movie Reviews

I think of the word 'alien' in the same sense that we now think of the word 'oriental' as compared to 'asian'. The word "alien", by its nature, presumes outsidedness, or a thing that is to be feared in some way, something illusive and deceptive. It is kind of odd to me that a film with a message of understanding and respect for the Earth to have alien in the title, and it is somewhat representative of the mentality expressed by the writers.

Let me say before I pick some of this apart that I really enjoyed the film and would recommend it to anyone who perhaps enjoyed "Koyaanisqatsi". Sadly, I think the people who are the intended targets of the message will be unwilling to examine this work. It is kind of preaching to the choir, but the photography combined with the dialogue makes for a compelling story.

I suppose the idea of the "she" character not wanting to be on Earth at the beginning was to show her transformation and how humanity has a likable side. However, any civilization that has the consciousness to be capable of space/time (4th/5th dimensional) travel would certainly show if anything pity and mercy on us, rather than anger and spite. There are, in fact, many ETs contacting and trying to contact us about these exact issues, and their access is not limited to fanciful movies or NASA.

One reviewer suggested that we are already doing some of what is suggested in the film. I am sorry to disagree with this optimistic appraisal of our current global situation, but let's be realistic in our evaluation of the relative power between multi-national corporations and the EPA. Invite your own extraterrestrial experience and see what happens . . .

If you are looking for a movie that reaffirms our age-old grandiose claims of being the superior life force, then this is not the movie for you. This movie dares to make you think, and dares to go against the grain. The visitor is a female who gets assigned to earth; the dregs of the universe, to try and convince us that what we are doing on this planet will cause us to become extinct. She uses the frog in a boiling pot analogy. If you place a frog in a pot that has boiling water it will leap out. If you place a frog in a pot of water and then start the fire under it, the frog will stay in the pot until it dies. The Earth, according to her, is the boiling pot that we are in. Like the frogs we are content to stay in the pot until we die. The alternative it to take drastic action to change how we use the Earth's resources and stop taking them for granted.

She chooses to approach a surveyor in the Australian outback. She decides that he will be the one she will attempt to convince and in turn he will carry the message to others. The movie then focuses on her efforts to convince the earthling of the urgency of her message. The bluntness of her message and its humbling nature will offend some viewers, which I think is a good thing. The fact that the alien character is a female will offend others who may think she needs to be "put in her place" as one reviewer stated. This is a being that can manipulate time, zip through distances covering millions of light years in a matter of seconds, so it is obvious that she knows her place. I love the fact that this movie offends some people. Indeed I felt uncomfortable in some parts, and that is the beauty of this movie. It dares to make us feel uncomfortable.

The movie also makes other points such as our inability to handle pure honesty and how we play games. At one point she is point blank honest with the human, and he is offended. So she goes away, manipulates time to go back to the moment and this time she strokes his ego, which is effective. I love this movie because it is unpretentiously honest.

If you want action, or if you are not into thought provoking movies then this one is not for you. If you want a creative, sensitive and thought provoking experience, then see this movie. This is great science fiction the likes of which Asimov would have been proud of.

Alien Visitor is a rare opportunity to view a well acted, brilliantly scripted and directed film that raises more questions than it answers. Alien Visitor is NOT (as it's title suggests) a science fiction thriller. It is the story of a woman from Epsilon who is abandoned on Earth - how and why is somewhat unclear. She meets a surveyor in the remote Australian outback and the story unfolds from there. Alien Visitor's themes revolve around relationships and our place in the universe, themes not often seriously explored in modern film. There are only five actors in the film, an elderly woman narrator, her two small granddaughters, and simply She and He - another rarity in film.
There are so few movies with an ecological message for the planet - this one resonates in a quiet yet powerful way. Readers of Daniel Quinn's book Ishmael will relate with the themes explored here. 5 stars!!

This is a fun movie, I agree. However, I was disappointed with my VHS video, as only certain scenes are shown in 3D, NOT the entire film. (Robot Monster was entirely in 3Din this series.) My coverbox is exactly the same as the one pictured, but I'm wondering if Rhino put out more than one version. The analglyph 3D is unbearable, due in part to the fact that the up/down convergence is way off. I've seen segments of this film in Field-Sequential format on the Encounter in the Third Dimension DVD and it looks beautiful. If only someone would give it the treatment it deserves and put it out on DVD in both 2D and 3D field-sequential formats. If you don't know what field-sequential shutterglasses are, you haven't seen 3D video!!! See: The Ultimate 3D Collection. Now! Go look!

CAT WOMEN OF THE MOON is a delightful piece of [edit]; schlock was never this funnier or so awful. This film is right up there with PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE and THE WASP WOMAN as one of my favorite B-grade cult flicks. Like most B-graders, it was made during the paranoia of the Cold War years.

These women should only stay on the moon....

The whole adventure begins and ends in an hour, and concerns a group of astronaughts (including Sonny Tufts, Victor Jory and Marie Windsor) who are on an expedition to the dark side of the moon. When they get there, the exotic lovelies try to de-flower the male members of the crew and generally waffle on like little clones of Germaine Greer. Before you know it, there is a dramatic love triangle between the female co-pilot and two of her workmates, and many more impossible plot twists. There is also the laughable way that the crew discovers 'air' on the moon, when Marie Windsor decides to light up a cigarette!!!

Marie Windsor is the main standout in the cast. A perfect scream-queen, she chews up the scenery like an old pro, and would be a shoe-in for the Joan Crawford look-alike contest (complete with "Mildred Pierce"-style hairdo!).

Yes, there are few B-grade horror films that so perfectly embody the best (or worst) aspects of the genre that CAT WOMEN OF THE MOON.

Weak Points, We'll Take Care of the Rest..."

This is the finest film ever made.

I must take issue with those who continue to assert the superiority of PLAN NINE and BRIDE OF THE MONSTER over this obviuosly transcendental and significant tale.

It is not a reliance on popular cat imagery that rescues this film from oblivion.

It is the obvious importance of a voyage to a lost vessel of a planet, populated entirely by Cat-females, which must somehow be rectified or modified by earthlings, that launches this stretch of celluloid into the immortality it deserves.

..and don't think it was easy for Victor Jory and Co.! These cat-women put up one heck of a fight !

So truly, a reorientation of prioirities in the film-world is in order. I have not yet seen the famous DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS. I am, however, familiar with the Ed Wood, and cognate, creations. Few connect up with CAT-WOMEN for sheer relevancy in our day.

Where would we be without the catharsis of dive-bombing spiders frightening the likes of Mary Windsor? Or the specter of evil she-demons speaking through her as though through tongues of possession?

Can we honestly admit to a seperation of soul from the desire of the sweeter Cat-Women to date earthmen, and sip coke by the seashores of earth, itself?

Who has not felt the frustrations of an amorous Jory, who must ride his affections for the alluring yet troubled Ms. Windsor over the quaking, surging plot of this mighty film?

I can, nor need, speak no more.

You can surely begin to sense now, why this film is a necessity, and why it transcends other cinematic efforts.

CAT WOMEN OF THE MOON has stood too long in the shadows of strong, but lesser efforts such as ROBOT MONSTER. Surely it deserves to stand along side of them.

Buy either edition now. I long for the DVD to surface, that I might always have an extra on hand when travelling.

Not a bad sci-fi thriller. Imagine if you could exchange bodies with another, your mind in their body and vice versa. That's the premise behind this futuristic thriller. The movie starts off with with a corporate business man in New York having to attend a meeting in LA on short notice, so he must exchange minds with another. He is hesitant, as he doesn't care for the technology, but he is given no choice by his superior. Once his mind is in another body, he sort of enjoys the benefits, but then finds out the person who is now inhabiting his body in New York is really a corporate terrorist and has stolen his body by not returning at the predesignated time for transfer. Seeing as how the body that he now inhabits was stolen from someone else, he must vacate it and inhabit the body of a clone (Stephen Baldwin). The clone bodies are used for dangerous work, and are extra strong but only have a very limited life span, so if he is unable to find his own body and transfer his mind back, he will perish. I thought this was pretty well done, the plot lines, the intrigue. The story is of a much higher caliber than you would usually see in a lower budget movie like this, and all the actors seem to perform very well in their parts. That being said, there were a few of parts in the movie that were unnecesary. The car chase scene near the end where they are racing along the docks and knock over some poorly positioned yet highly explosive barrels seemed to have no reason for being there whatsoever. Also, the couple of scenes showing the guided missle flying around above the city were not needed, and only took away from the element of suprise when that particular thread of the story came to fruitition. A few weaknesses, but I thought overall the movie was well directed and the story moved along nicely with thought given to the characters and plots. Given some of Stephen Balwdins past movie roles, Fled, Bio-Dome, The Flinstones In Viva Rock Vegas, Slap Shot 2, I wasn't expecting much from this movie, but I plesantly suprised. I would probably give this movie 3 1/2 stars had I had the option.

Director Allan Moyle who helmed "Pump Up the Volume" directed this sci-fi blast. It's an interesting film that keeps us mostly engaged. The film opens with a "smart bullet," a weapon that looks like a missile that can hang in the air seeking its target, that swoops down and takes out one corporate executive, an internal body explosion. Stefan Toller is the character who is played by three actors. He starts out as Kim Coates who has appeared in "Waterworld" and "Black Hawk Down." Toller is called into his boss' office who is "floating," which is the term used when a body transfer is done. Toller sees his boss in the body of the hunky trainer lounging behind the desk while the trainer sweats and strains on the exercise equipment in the boss' body. Toller gets told that there's a meeting in San Francisco in two hours which he must attend. Despite Toller's objections to "floating," he heads off to Xchange to be projected into Kyle MacLachlan's body. Now Toller as MacLachlan heads off to the corporate meeting where we find that the son of the corporate exec who was killed as the film opened is about to take over the company. MacLachlan has to stay overnight in San Francisco, reminding us of some airlines' travel restrictions, which is enough time to head to a pick-up bar and have wild crazed sex in another's man's body. "So, is that your full-time body?" the nymphomaniac asks at the bar. As fate would have it, when MacLachlan returns to xchange back with his own body, he finds that it has been taken by a terrorist and that if they can't find it within a week, he'll die. Brave guy that he is, he gets to the clone room. Numerous clones work around the cities and all look like Stephen Baldwin. Baldwin, who as an actor has worked in more so-so flicks than most would in a career (Friends & Lovers, Slap Shot 2), then becomes the Stefan Toller's 3rd host, but only has 2 days before the clone disintegrates. Baldwin, of course heads back to New York to find his body. In the process we encounter more cool devices like the monofilament, a string that can cut through anything, including Balwin's own finger. Canadian actress Pascale Bussieres does a nice job. While certainly not a perfect movie by any stretch of the imagination, Xchange has enough originality to keep you entertained. Kim Coates does a particularly nice job of playing Toller and the terrorist at different points. Enjoy!

As long as you can keep pace during the first 10 minuets, as long as you can remember who's body has been Xchanged to who's and which one was stolen..this unique Sci-Fi action flick is smart and interesting. Kim Coates (Who I remember most from his supporting role as 'Gronky' in 'The Client' (1994) and Lethal Tender (1997), has his best role yet as the rich corporate leader who becomes the evil character when his body is exchanged with another to facilitate a buisness trip to CA. Toffler (MacLachlan) who in his new body on the West Coast panics when learning of the theft and misuse of his exchange in NY. He steals a deactivated clone (Baldwin) and then runs from police and the corporate terrorist (Coates) who has control of his body. The movie does'nt produce any Academy Award winning performances, but its' no surprise to anyone who willingly watches it..who cares. The film is full of cool and odd special FX usually involving dangerous weapons that are an impossibility in real life. The scenerio is interesting in it's originality, when the characters can be tracked by the XChange program through the use of computerized ID tags that every human in this era must carry. One of my particular favorite things are the advanced computer systems in people's homes that can do anything by voice command, but are still glitched in comical ways. Along with the sexy big B* who heads the XChange corporation and finds time out of her corporate kill-and-mangle schedual to get wildly (loved and adored) in her bed, while discussing plans at the same time with her evil boyfriend...the movie produces 5 or 10 interesting characters with unique motives and strengths to carry it's futuristic story and suspense through the usual 'good guy runs, bad guys get killed and good women who have sex with them' scenerio. XChange is a better movie than ANYthing else Stephen Baldwin has done, belive me his movies are aweful. Most are the just the common Patrick Bergen-Like B-Movies that can't be taken seriously because of there cheezyness, predictability and ultimately their explicitness which knocks them out of the mainstream and sends them right to the Blockbuster Video rack. XChange though is a good thrill ride thats' sexy, smart, action/filled (I would'nt say packed) and certainly well-casted.

Two schlocky sci-fi movies for the price of one? I certainly give MGM credit for releasing these low end movies in this two for one format.

Let's see, Invisible Invaders...I would call this a mix of The Day The Earth Stood Still and Plan 9 From Outer Space, with the end result leaning much closer to Plan 9. Apparently, aliens have been living on the moon for the last 20,000 years, and have decided the time was ripe to take over the earth. Thier timing had something to do with the the fact that the earthlings were just beginning to harness the power of the atom. They decide the best way to do this is by inhabiting the bodies of the recently deceased and sabotaging earths' ability to fight back and basically annihilate all earth men unless they surrender control of the planet to the aliens. A small group, two scientists, the daughter of the older scientist, and an army major secure themselves away in a bunker in order to devise a plan on how to deal with the alien invaders, specifically for a way to make the aliens visible...I think....anyway, it's all hokey stuff. John Caradine gets top billing, but he's only in the movie for about 4 minutes. John Agar was the real star in this goofball movie. The earth is coming to an end, and he still finds time to put the moves on the scientists daughter. Funny stuff, a bit slow at times, and lots o' stock footage. In the end, humanity prevails, and the aliens get their cumuppence.

Journey To The Seventh Planet...another Agar classic. The movie starts out with a bit of narration telling us how it's the year 2001, there is no more war, and the earth is governed by the UN...make your own jokes. Anyway, an international group *cough cough* of astronauts have been tasked to explore the Seventh planet, Uranus. On arriving, they discover the planet is very much like earth, atmosphere, trees, grass, etc. , and it is all quite puzzling until they discover that a giant, pulsating space brain is manipulating them for it's own nefarious purposes. Once the astronauts discover what's going on and what the Giant Space Brains' plans are, they try to come up with a scheme to destroy it before it destroys them. All of it is rather goofy, but I kinda enjoyed some of it. I did like the stop motion on the rat monster. It was nowhere near the level of Harryhausen, it was nice to see, especially in this era of CGI. John Agar is the star of this, and he plays a really [frisky] astronaut. I mean, he seems like he is always taking about getting women or coming on to women (yes, the Giant Space Brain creates space babes from the astronauts memories). Well, stuff happens, and the Giant Space Brain trys to destroy the astronauts with their own worst fears turned into reality. You see, now that the Giant Space Brain has learned about earth from the minds of the astronauts, it wants to make the earth it's new home, and plans on hitching a ride with the astronauts or something like that. In the end, humanity prevails, and the Giant Space Brain get its' cumuppence.

I may be making these movies sound better than they are, but don't be fooled. With both of these movies I had to take numerous breaks while watching because they made my little earth brain hurt, but I did get quite a few laughs from them. Both movies are prime candidates for Mystery Science Theater 3000 (RIP).

A two-for-one send up of silly b-movies. Alien invaders and space exploration make up the themes of these tales of exploration and caution.

Invisible Invaders si about some aliens who have made themselves and their stuff invisible. Atomic testing on Earth has pushed them to wanting to take over the Earth from their nearby base on the moon. They will use the bodies of the dead to further their plans. Either Earth must surrender or they will destroy all humans. John Carradine is excellent as an animated corpse. Although he is only on screen for a short time, his voice is used for most of the alien communications. A small group in a scientific bunker must find a way to stop the invaders before all humans are killed.

Seventh Planet has a UN exploration team in 2001 traveling to Uranus to search for life. None has been found on the nearer planets. When the arrive they find themselves in a small region of German forest complete with village and beautiful women. But the real answers lie on the real surface of the planet. It was funny to see then traipsing though a forest and claim they still had not found any life (talk about not seeing the forest for the trees). The pseudo Earth history is laughable at this time and sexism is very strong. But it still has its moments with monsters, special effects, and outrageously bright color added because its in color (I love the spider with mustard and ketchup for blood).

B-movie fans should rejoice to get two movies for a reasonable price. The only disadvantage of this DVD is that each film is on a different side so you can't watch them straight through. But it does mean that the picture quality is very good. The only special features are subtitles and the original trailers.

man i love old and crappy 50's sci fi films like these.bad acting, crappy special effects.A great film to watch with friens on a friday or a saturday night.

In the future, Aliens that looked like Humans land on earth in Peace and they becoming a society mixed with the Humans. When a cop (James Caan) is teamed with his new partner, which is a Alien named Samuel 'George' Francisco (Mandy Patinkin). Together, they are teamed to ferrot out the Prepetrators of a Series of Mysterious Murders among the aliens.

Directed by Graham Baker (Omen:The Final Contact) made This familiar but fascinating Sci-Fi Thriller has it`s good moments. Terrific performances by Caan and Patinkin. This film didn`t do too well at the Box Office but it gained a Cult Following on Video. Followed by T.V. Series and Two made for T.V. Films, based on the T.V. Series. Super 35. Grade:B+.

Alien nation is so novel and clever that its already over before you realize that it is the same basic buddy cop theme that's been done to death in Hollywood. The "murder to cover up a drug conspiracy in high places" plot is more than a bit familiar, but the writers came up with a fascinating science fiction premise that made the end product entirely worth while. Nothing in the performances apart from the special effects is earth shaking, but the screenwriter did a magnificent job in creating a film that holds the attention and engages the interest. This was a very worthy project and never seemed hackneyed, although there are a lot of similar films that do so almost effortlessly. I recommend it heartily.

Excellent movie, possibly overlooked by many people. The aliens have landed, and thank God they are not the Aliens from LV-426. They come to live here and try to get along. They are smart, they work themselves hard, they are an employer's dream. And, they are not always well liked by the earthlings. We just don't always seem to like these "beings". Outstanding movie about a xenophobic cop and his alien partner investigating a series of violent crimes in the alien areas. It's hard to compare this to a buddy-cop movie, or something like Brother From Another Planet. Either way, this movie is very well done, and is a great film for sci-fi or any other class of film.

sci-fi is a good vehicle to make a movie about something most people 'haven't' experienced. in the context of a simple story that has nothing to do with the reader, an author can hide a lot of clues, words and metaphors that trick the user into remembering something he forgot when he was born. everything, EVERYTHING, about eXistenZ, from the way the actors talk to the lines to the fleshy living portals to the fast cuts, it's all reminder text. if you can trace back half of it, you remember more than i do. this movie is destined to go WAY over most people's radar, like naked lunch, because they've never played with anyone in this life and they don't know how to trace back a metaphor until it becomes relevant. this movie is a serious trip for serious explorers, it has a lot of -info- packed into it, it's medicinal. do you know what i mean? this reality is only a practice round! love each other and shine your eyes!

here's a riddle: what lasts for 'twenty minutes' and causes you to completely leave this body?

If you thought "Dark City", "The Matrix", "The Thirteenth Floor", and "The Game" were the ultimate Gnostic examinations of what True Reality is and which life...or lives...or reincarnation...or half remembered-half forgotten former life you might be accessing again...then move over... "ExistenZ" is the FAR OUT experience of a lifetime... actually of several lifetimes...or of two different lifetimes...at the same time. These films all "appear" to be science-fantasy or suspense...but don't let that fool you... actually Gnosticism attempts to do that very thing...fool you...but for you own good...so you will see the Truth, but not KNOW it immediately for what it actually is...for in the phoney world that most people call "real," appearances themselves are deceiving! Who is the "enemy" of life and the world? Is it "corporate" buyers and sellers -- or is it the demonic nature of the whole "world system" of matter and materialism itself that is ultimately seeking to do us in? Do you have free will -- or are you a manipulated puppet and slave? And WHO is manipulating you ...and giving the orders? All of these questions pop up and down and up again...rearranged in multiple guises and different lives; and different identities are switched at the drop of a consciousness in this fantastic film! Nothing is always what it seems...and he who is friend one moment, may very well turn out to be he who is enemy is just a split second of soul/mind switching. There aren't many films like this one (even though "Dark City" is still the most poetic and allegorically/symbolically stylish)! Buy this...experience this...scratch you head over it for an eternity...or maybe two...or three. It's worth every penny!

I saw thirty minutes of this movie and at the end of this movie the two main characters kill the creators. I found this movie a great film that shows how violence in video games may influenced people to use violence in real life.

I have seen two of what I have heard are three versions of this movie.

The versions being:

1)The 2.5 hour Theatrical Release
2)The 4 hour TV/Directors cut (The one everyone is looking for but has not been released to own on US soil for some strange reason)
3)A Japanese edition that incorporates elements of #1 and #2

I recently saw that #2 has made it's way to DVD in several otherr countries. England and Australia among them. I am personally watching the DVD market in Canada for a copy of #2 there since Canada is also a Region 1 country. However if you have a region free dvd player feel free to order Dune Version two from the other countries. Also remember that there is no complete version of Dune. Dino DeLaurentis shot somewhere in the neighborhood of five hours of footage for this film and there were still scenes that were either never shot or effects added beyond that.

Personally even though this version of Dune has been slammed I personally feel that this movie captures the feel of the Novel a whole frellin heck of alot better than the SCI-Fi miniseries. Frank Herbert's own words described that DeLaurentis's film was entirely close to his vision. He especially felt that Kyle Maclachlan was an excellent choice for Paul. Kyle Maclachlan also had stated that he had read the original novel "Dune" at least once a year since he was fourteen, thus he was very familiar with the material. I felt that the SCI-Fi miniseries downplayed the religious aspect too much and up played the political, falling more in line with Frank Herbert's son's sequels and prequels. Then again it is only an opinion, and someone else may disagree it is all a matter of preference. I only gave this version three stars because I will give the four hour version five if and when we ever see it on DV in the US.

I love the books and really enjoy this film. However, some people have told me they find this film a bit confusing. Perhaps because I've read all of the books, I can make sense of this shortened version.

For those who find it hard to follow, and haven't read the books, the 4-hour version of the movie makes a heck of a lot more sense! Let's keep looking for it; it's got to come out sometime...

In the meantime, this is a very enjoyable film, and I find it much more enjoyable and more true to Herbert's work than the more recent production.

Sorry to all those who are eagerly awaiting the 4 hour version of Dune, but having a copy of both versions I can say without reservation that the theatrical version is vastly superior.
I disagree with those who say it strays from Frank Herbert's vision of Dune: it is suitably dark and full of atmosphere.
Yes, it is complex and, being so ambitious, it is at times difficult to understand (for those not familair with Dune), but not impossible (and for me it was reason to read the book in the first place).
The production and sound qualities are first rate. If you have a good surround sound system then the DTS sound is sure to impress (or even a good stereo system will do the trick) - to me it is what makes this movie so powerful.
The extended version (here in Australia at least) is not in DTS and has very inferior sound. In addition it is an "Allan Smithee" production, meaning that David Lynch wanted nothing to do with the butchered end product. It is not, repeat, NOT a Director's Cut, and boy does it show. Stock scenes are used again and again, and very crudely inserted in an attempt to add more detailed story telling. Even the Guild Navigator's voice has been redubbed, and lacks the threatening undertones which make it so ominous in the theatrical release.
The extended version was crudely put together to satsify a television audience, and relies on an overkill of exposition.
So...if you want a good movie with high quality sound and picture, then buy the theatrical version!!
(PS Do not be misled - the miniseries is equally enjoyable - just a different interpretation of a complex story).

You can definitely see the Austin Powers roots here. But unfortunately, much of the gadgetry is only alluded to in events presumably happening off-screen (i.e. several references to the main character flying around in an F-4 jet). Was this for budgetary reasons?
I laughed at the end when I spotted the credit listing the person responsible for "continuity" since this movie had very little. And at only an hour and 15 minutes it is no wonder--all the transition scenes were cut. But perhaps wisely, otherwise it would have been criticized for being "plodding" among its other faults.
Really more of an action/spy flick than sci-fi. I guess this is why sci-fi movies had such a bad image before Star Wars. When I think of sci-fi, I think of what is more accurately called "hard" sci-fi, rather than this mildly apocalyptic-themed movie.
Campy and wacky in a dated, 1970's British way. My favorite scene is the sloppy fight with "the Greek guy" (gotta love the plaintive, "help, I think I'm losing..."). Oh, and the black fingernail polish. If you like that sort of thing, this is good for you.

"The Final Programme" is an adaptation of Michael Moorcock's first book in the Jerry Cornelius series. Like Elric, the Jerry Cornelius stories, an epic in themselves, comprise a subset of his Eternal Champion epic, inspired in part by Jungian psychology and the theories of Joseph Campbell. Of all of Moorcock's books, the Jerry Cornelius stories are the most experimental and are by far those which lend themselves the least to movie adaptation.

Robert Fuest, who was a set designer and director of the Avengers TV series and the Dr. Phibes movies, makes an admirable, and visually entertaining, attempt at adapting the first novel, however what he creates is ultimately flawed. This is most noticeable in the ending (which I won't spoil) which comes off as purely pretentious camp in the film, although it works well in the novel.

One of the things which makes the Jerry Cornelius series most interesting is that each novel takes place in a slightly different world with slightly different characters with similar names, reliving the same dramas over and over again. For example, there is the love triangle between Jerry and his brother and their sister, which is barely developed in the movie, perhaps for censorship reasons. As you progress through each book, the themes become reinforced and the series' exploration of archetypes becomes stronger. The love triangle, for example, becomes more profound and takes on mythic tones, like the legends of Osiris, Isis and Anubis. By adapting only the first novel, the movie loses most of its impact and its focus on the themes in the novel becomes quite surface. So instead of an amazing intellectual journey, you instead get what appears to be an especially campy, bizarre and racey episode of the Avengers, with secret agents and spies in fancy dress racing to retrieve a mysterious microchip in a psychedelic and decadent age.

Another weakness of the movie is that it gives only a bare glimpse at the End of the World, something that is wonderfully portrayed (in different manners) in each of the Cornelius books. The largest indication of the movie taking place at the end of the world is a speech about the approaching end of the current Yuga (or "age"). However, it is preferable that the movie is a bit too subtle in this regard instead of hitting you over the head with it.

Someone who has read the Cornelius books will likely have greater appreciation for this film than others, recognizing what it accomplishes in attempting to adapt an impossible to film book. But all should find at least the first half an enjoyable trip with great, creative visuals and avant garde late 1960s fashion and architecture.

This film is based on the original Michael Moorcock story of the same name. I have read the Moorcock version and I genuinely have to say that the film seems to be better. It is an existential romp through conscienceness. It takes you to a weird alternate reality of planet earth. In the end it leaves you with more questions than it answers (what can be better than that). You get to sit back and decide. A film that really makes you think.

I was always fascinated with the original Dr. Who TV show, which had a lot of surprisingly interesting, thought-provoking ideas underlying its low-budget sets and costumes. But this movie doesn't match the TV series' depth. It's clear that this movie was made "just for kids." The exaggerated acting, slapstick humor, and tweedle-dee soundtrack make this a big disappointment if you watch it in the wrong mindset. As a movie for kids, it's colorful and fun. But if you go into it expecting the same quality as the show, you'll find it very disappointing and more than a little cheesy. Save your money.

Great stuff to watch with the kids! This is not really "hard core" science fiction or even up to par with later Doctor Who TV episodes but its got enough action and a little sillyness to keep even todays kids interested and give the adults a satisfying smile.
The disc has good chapter navigation and the extras are acceptable - the product placement/ad campaign info provided in the extras show were interesting.

This movie is good, simple to follow and adventurous. It has in it time travel, aliens, robots, spaceships, humor and action. It does look cheesy but that is another good thing in this movie, don't ask me why. Overall: VERY GOOD.

I purchased this not expecting a lot, and I wasn't disappointed. Loosely based on the writings of Edgar Rice Burrows, The People That Time Forgot (1977) is actually the third movie in a trilogy, the other two being The Land That Time Forgot (1975), and At the Earth's Core (1976).

The movie starts off on a ship cruising around artic waters. We learn an expedition has been mounted to locate Bowen Tyler (Doug McClure) who went missing from a previous campaign. The team is made up of your fairly standard expedition team members, including the somewhat chauvinistic and handsome leader, Major Ben McBride (Patrick Wayne, son of John Wayne), his comic relief, boozy (he calls it 'nerve tonic'), smart alecky co-pilot/mechanic Hogan (Shane Rimmer), a beautiful and spunky photographer Lady Charlotte Cunningham (Sarah Douglas), and finally the crusty, brushy mustached anthropologist type (you know what I'm talking about) Dr. Edwin Norfolk (Thorley Walters). Once the boat arrives at a certain location among the icebergs, the team sets out in a rather goofy looking amphibian aircraft. Now I'm no aeronautical engineer, but I credit the fact that this thing could fly more to Hollywood magic than to its' soundness as an aircraft.

After flying for about, oh ten minutes or so, the snow-capped mountains give way to a tropical landscape (some lost land). This sets up the first encounter with a dinosaur, a very amorous yet lifeless, wooden pterodactyl. After the flying creature tries to mate with the plane, the amphibian aircraft suffers some damage and must land. Once on the ground, Ben decides that he, Lady Charlotte and Dr. Norfolk will go searching for Bowen Tyler, while Hogan will stay behind and make the necessary repairs to the dubious aircraft.

During their search, the trio runs into a rather busty cavewoman named Ajor (Dana Gillespie) clad in typical, skimpy, barely there cavewoman attire. I have to say, Ajor is one of the most well groomed cavewoman I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of them. Turns out she knows Bowen, as she came from a tribe that he's been living with for the last two years. She also states (she learned to speak English from Bowen) that another tribe wiped out her tribe out of jealousy and kidnapped Bowen. Apparently, competition to evolve within the cave dwelling community is pretty fierce, and Bowen would certainly provide and advantage.

Okay, so Ajor leads the group to the ancient City of the Skulls. See that really bad matte painting? This must be the place. On approaching the city, a group of samurai soldiers comes out to greet and escort them into the city. Once there, we get to meet the leader, Saballa. Oh man, this guy's a treat! Imagine the Jolly Green Giant only shorter, uglier, and extremely out of shape and you've got Saballa. I kept expecting him to produce a can of corn niblets. Anyway, seems Saballa doesn't want to be friends, and throws the men into a cell, while keeping the women with the intention of sacrificing them to the mighty volcano god.

While in their cell, the two men found out Bowen Tyler is in the next cell, and they push their way through the wall (some cell) and we get our first look at heavily bearded and unkempt Bowen (Doug McClure). The men escape, mount a rescue for the women, which leads up to a final confrontation with Saballa and some of his goons. I have to say, those samurai outfits looked pretty good, but seem very much out of place in a movie about a prehistoric land. The group escapes, but now the volcano god is angered (I guess), as all hell breaks loose. I had to wonder if the studio had a surplus stash of explosives they wanted to get rid of, as the last ten minutes or so of the movies is laden with the landscape blowing up, blowing up real good. Do they all make it? Does everyone survive? Do I really care at this point? No, and you won't either.

Basically this movie played out like an hour and a half version of the TV show Land of the Lost. Looking for a good, or even passable adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs's book? Stick with the book. This isn't a completely awful movie, as there's plenty of laughs, and a little eye candy, but I'd be hard pressed to recommend anyone run out and buy this one.

Another reviewer mentioned the appearance of David Prowse as the executioner in this movie and his going on to play Darth Vader in a little movie called Star Wars...another tie in to that movie is the hairstyle Sarah Douglas sports is exactly the same as Princess Leia's except Sarah's cinnibuns are a bit smaller.

"The People That Time Forgot" is a 1977 sequel to the 1975 film "The Land That Time Forgot." In between these two there was the 1976 film "At the Earth's Core," which is mentioned mainly because all three films star Doug McClure, are directed by Kevin Connor, and are based on novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Ironically, the tag line for this film makes it sound like the films are a trilogy, although "At the Earth's Core" is based on the Pelucidar series. This film is definitely the weakest of the three, which is not all that surprising because it is based on the second book of a second rate series of potboilers by ERB. Once you get past Tarzan if you are looking for an ERB property to turn into a film you should be looking at the Martian novels about John Carter first, and then maybe Carson of Venus series or "The Outlaw of Torn." But this Burroughs rehash of "The Lost World" is not the place to go looking first.

The basic plot reminds you a lot of "Return to the Planet of the Apes. Major Ben McBridge (Patrick Wayne) leads an expedition to Antarctica to find his friend, the American adventurer Bowen Tyler (Doug McClure), who is marooned on the lost continent, Caprona, a.k.a., the land that time forgot, where there are dinosaurs and cavemen. McBridge has a plane, but it crashes and his little expedition has to survive until they find McClure (where they can break the good news that they are there to rescue him!). McClure had to deal with Germans from a U-Boat but McBridge has to put up with Lady Charlotte Cunningham (Sarah Douglas), who goes from royal pain to damsel in distress pretty quickly once things start happening, Dr. Edwin Norfolk (Thorley Walters), who fortunately knows everything about dinosaurs and cavemen, and Hogan (Shane Rimmer), the faithful side kick who is the obvious first choice to be dinosaur food.

"The People That Time Forgot" provides the same sort of lousy special effects that plagued "The Land That Time Forgot," but without the non-stop action and adventure that redeemed that first film. Besides, Tyler has ditched Lisa, his paramour from the first film and replaced her with Ajor (Dana Gillespie), a cave woman who probably took the pretty English biologist apart with that big knife. There is no need to watch this sequel out of a sense of completeness to the "story," because you are not going to be happy to the ending. However, pay attention to the Executioner, who is played by David Prowse, who came to this set after having wrapped up a little film called "Star Wars."

A few years after the happened in Land That Time Forgot, and the navy have returned to the lost world of Caprona to find the missing survivor from the previous film. This carries on its predecessor's trend of strong characters and good storylines - and the monsters are good considering the low budget. It also develops things mentioned in Land, such as the lost island being a living thing with creatures as cells moving through its bloodstream and a volcanic self-defence against any invading viral strains. Certainly well worth watching.