Atlantis Down (2010) User Reviews (31)

Writing was bad

[twalrus1 · 3/10 · 28 August 2013]

The dialog seemed very ad-libed. Sort of as if the director didn't have any more than an outline to work with and asked the actors to ad-lib emotions. "Give me Paranoid. OK, now give me Anger". I don't think the writer or director have any sociology interest because the actions and reactions of the actors did not fit with normal human actions and reactions. It's as if a child, without the benefit of years of watching human interactions, had written the dialog. The emotions of what the actors were going through did not fit the action at the time.

Character development is missing. Generic black guy, generic white woman, generic young guy, etc. No build up of back stories. No relationships. Nothing to make you feel that you know the characters and if you don't know the characters, why would you care what happens to them?

Atlantis Down seems to be a story coaxed out of a child by a parent. "And then what happened?" "And then?" "and after that, what happened?"

A very poor film - not worth 88 minutes of your time.

[stevebelair · 1/10 · 19 January 2016]

I was so amazed at just how poor this movie was that I forced myself to sit through it to the (very) bitter end and all I could think of was thank goodness I only paid £3 for it - but the more valuable loss was 88 minutes of my life where I could have done something more constructive - like count the blades of grass on my lawn or just sitting staring at the wall - honestly, you could have had more enjoyment from toothache!

To have any success at a good film you mostly (not always) need the following: 1. A good story-line/script 2. Good actors who are convincing and comfortable with their roles 3. Decent special effects (especially with space/science fiction films) 4. A decent budget (can make 1-3 above happen)

The tell-tale was the poor dialogue and interaction between the cast right from the get-go and the kiddie-level CGI of the Atlantis shuttle which actually made me laugh out loud when I first saw it (it turned out the joke was on ME!)but the REAL cheat was the cover suggesting that it's a space-based movie - it's not and it goes downhill very quickly thereafter.

I laughed again when the movie quickly took us to a sandy and wooded area where the story-line was so bad that the poor cast couldn't make the translation of it remotely believable. And seeing as I've used the word believable I also find it unbelievable that somebody got any kind of a budget or financial backing to shoot this movie in the first place.

I'm pretty sure I could take a day off work and sit with a pencil and a blank piece of paper and come up with a better story-line than that which I've just endured.

I have never placed a review of any movie previously (and we've all seen a few poor ones over the years) but this one was so bad that it made me want to find someplace that I could vent and if I can stop just one person from watching this catastrophe of a film I'll be happy. I almost feel like going to where I bought mine and hanging out there trying to save someone from doing what I did - being stupid enough to buy it.

BUY ANY OTHER FILM BUT DO NOT WATCH THIS.

I'm about to securely dispose of mine as I would with any other hazard that I have in my house where I don't want friends or loved ones being exposed to it.

A Dreadful Film

[tomjcross · 9 November 2018]

This film is so bad it is beyond belief. The reviews on here giving it 10 out of 10 are clearly people having a laugh. I think it is simply the worst film I have ever watched in my life.

What a mess

[mike-133-359983 · 1/10 · 4 January 2015]

The film starts off quite promisingly and holds your attention as you wonder what is going to happen.

The eerie flash of light, power failure, and loss of communication with base creates some good tension. And with base station saying nothing was wrong increases that feeling.

If it had stopped there as a short, it would have been good. Sadly, it then seems that a second film was tacked on and that film is a jumbled mess. No proper structure, no continuity, absurd character behaviour.

It is hard to believe that someone actually edited this film and sent it out like this. A good start, some potential, but ultimately awful.

What makes this whole thing worse are the numerous good reviews here which are undoubtedly false. They can only have been added by people associated with the film and reflect very badly on MaXaM.

Misleading

[gazzymodo · 1/10 · 6 March 2016]

The DVD box had an image of a shuttle on fire going down on a strange planet with great words " A must see film ". So were in the film does all all this occur? Acting was awful. I am thankful i found this for a small price of £3 pounds and not full price.This spoiled a good nights viewing.The story handled a lot better by good direction and actors would have made this film amazing. The space images were like watching an early Star Trek series. It is worth reading other peoples reviews before even looking at this film.The mistake is to take just the one review you come across.Thankfully IMDb is the best place to get an honest review if you read ALL reviews

one of the worst movies I ever watched

[jma-31231 · 1/10 · 30 October 2016]

this film looks as if it was filmed on a particularly cheap and nasty "not so smart" phone. the story if it can be called that has no depth or explanation. As previously reported it seems to have been mainly a few people in overalls running around in a wood saying how much it looked like home but was so "different" in some unknown way. I do wonder if the guy left on the ship for the first part just realised how lame it all looked and refused to join in. I tortured myself by watching it to the end in the misguided belief some "reasonable" explanation to all the mindless drivel would be forthcoming. I was sorely misguided although when the movie finally just came to a sudden end I was actually quite grateful. I only paid £3 for this DVD but still feel robbed..I considered calling trading standards but feel to embarrassed too admit I actually "paid" for this!

Won the award for worst movie ever made!

[lightningmcstrongman · 1/10 · 13 October 2010]

This is the poorest attempt at a "low" budget indi movie ever. From the very beginning of the movie, this wastes no time pouring in its terrible CGI space shuttle orbiting the earth. It looks as if they went on google and typed in "orbiting space shuttle," right clicked it and saved it on their computer to use for later. This movie had no chance of keeping my attention after the horrific attempt at a Michael Scott "thats what she said joke." The first half of this movie is just various shots of nature and people running around the woods. If this movie is ever anything more than a dust collecting bookend on someones forgotten about book rack, than I will have lost all faith in humankind. Thus spending the rest of my time sitting in a bomb shelter waiting for the apocalypse. As far as the acting i would just assume that everyone involved in this train wreck would just assume that they have gone as far as their going to go in "hollywood." You want to see a good sci-fi movie check out john travolta's planet battlefield or maybe waterworld any of those will be much better then this horrific waste of bluray quality!

Just Awful Avoid at all Costs

[edwardharris515 · 1/10 · 8 April 2019]

I saw the Atlantis Down DVD in local supermarket for £7 so thought it might be worth a watch oh how wrong I was. Crew of a shuttle are inexplicably beamed to what looks like earth apart from one who's left behind then they start to die (and this is what really did it for me) remaining crew don't seem to bothered then the one that was left behind is suddenly there with no explanation! but I won't go through the whole plot. Anyway the acting is ridiculously bad I don't know where they found those actors they can't act!! The CGI is also terrible it's the kind you would have found on fairly low budget TV programs about 15-20 years ago the outside shots of the shuttle are hilariously bad. In a way it's a shame as the idea is good but please if your still reading do yourself a favour and avoid this film it's utter rubbish, I've never given a film one star before but this drivel doesn't really even deserve that. Avoid at all costs..

Worst Sci-Fi film ever!

[davejanchips · 1/10 · 31 March 2016]

I made the stupid mistaken of watching this film just over a month ago and I still can't believe how awful and very plastic this film really is!

The graphics were clearly very low budget and very poorly done. The most notable example being the unconvincing-looking shuttle at the start of the film that looked like the graphics came from a PlayStation 1 game!

The first part of the film was the best by far; when the crew was in the badly-animated shuttle and most of the crew were then transported to some sort of weird world that looks like a barren forest on Earth. From that moment on, the film started to go down hill!

Some of the worst parts for me were the ridiculously absurd character deaths that made absolutely no sense whatsoever! Most of the crew had visions/flashbacks about their greatest fears that eventually killed them off!

On the IMDb description for this film, it says "Its crew is on a routine mission, conducting experiments – little do they know – they are the experiment." Unfortunately, it does go into this any further because it does not tell us the reason why they are being experimented on! What I want to know "why or how?" because this messy plot has had me completely stumped!!!

When I first bought this film, I was hoping for them to crash-land onto some sort of strange planet full of aliens but there is absolutely nothing to do with aliens, alien spaceships or alien worlds of any kind. The only thing about it that was even remotely alien was the monster that killed Pete in his vision and even then (due to the lazy CGI of this film) it only showed its luminous eyes! If you bought this film expecting it to be a Star Wars/Star Trek type film, you were wrong, this film is anything but that!!! The most misleading thing about this film is that the DVD cover shows the space shuttle crash-landing onto some sort ruined city and on the back cover there were alien spaceships; since when did this happen in the film? Can someone please tell me?!?

This film was nothing short of absurd and illogical. The storyline was random and did not make any sense, the plot was totally unrealistic and incredibly hard to swallow and film as a whole was really weird and very surreal! I mean, this is like some sort of sci-fi version of Alice In Wonderland, but a lot more grim and much grittier! Except, at the end of Alice In Wonderland, Alice wakes up to find that the whole film was a dream, but in this film there was utterly no logical conclusion to the story whatsoever!

I mean, I could write a better sci-fi film than this because I have got some pretty good ideas in mind that certainly far surpass the plastic plot of this travesty of a film! It is clear to me that whoever originally wrote this film must have exceptionally poor taste and that the script to this was probably the loss leader to a sci-fi film writing competition!

The only thing I liked about it was the characters because they seemed interesting at first! But, sadly, by the end of the film, you realise that the characters turned to be really shallow due to the lack of character development!!! Put the characters in a completely different (and not to mention better!) storyline, then this would have been a great film! The other thing that I would that I would like to mention is that all the locations (apart from the one at the start when the crew is in the space shuttle) were plain, boring and generic, (e.g. the woodland scenes, a barn and some sort of big house with a long staircase), the acting was wooden and very bad and the directing was poor.

On the cover, it says that it is " A must see film ", which is completely ironic because it is a truly terrible film to say the least!!!

I do not recommend watching this pathetic and horrible film because it I think that it is the absolute worst sci-fi film I have ever watched, if not then the worst film I have watched ever because it is disturbing from start to finish, it has an embarrassing car-crash quality to it and it will almost certainly spoil you day! It is sad to think that there so many positive reviews of this film there are on here and that so many people actually think that this is a great film because it is a complete and utter catastrophe of a film!!!!! I was lucky that I only paid £5 for this bad excuse for a film. Do not make the same mistake I did and do not waste your money on this disaster of a film, just spend it on something better like a mars bar!!!!!!! Do not waste your time watching this atrocious film, just watch a real sci-fi film instead!!!!!!! Anything, anything but this horrible film!!!

Independent Film with a Big Studio Feel

[bravobarb66 · 8/10 · 7 October 2010]

Atlantis Down is a thoughtful and energetic sci-fi suspense thriller reminiscent of Twilight Zone meets Lost that delivers topflight production value worthy of a much bigger studio. Atlantis Down moves along smartly, tying the viewer to a shuttle crew trying to explain the inexplicable. A talented ensemble turns in a collectively compelling performance highlighted by the 11th hour appearance of the savvy veteran Michael Rooker. Rooker's intense performance brings the story to an unsettling surprise ending. As good as the story, cast, and special effects are; the artful camera work is the real star here. The startlingly convincing special effects and diverse locations portray a desperate and claustrophobic experience both in the shuttle and in the'experiment'. The audience feels the desolation, desperation, and dismay as the crew grapples with a seemingly unsolvable and deadly enigma. This is an independent film with a big studio feel that is loaded with surprises that is fully worth experiencing.

waste of time

[ger-61137 · 1/10 · 18 October 2020]

After watching this you'll never will see a worse movie in your life. Randomly stuck together pieces of footage. Nicely filmed, but no connections betwwe the shots. What a waste of resources that could have been used for an actual movie. The whole crew has left their reviews, recognizable by their positivity. Just a wate of 90 minutes of your l i fe without anythinv to show for it. Not worth thd popcorn you may have eaten while tryinv to watch this nonsense

Remarkably put together Bravo!

[charlyflanagan · 10/10 · 23 October 2010]

I don't get why some reviewers are complaining that the film is hard to follow or to understand. I had no trouble following its narrative. The filmmaker has achieved something incredibly remarkable here: not only this film has profound meanings but its technical level is unique for an independent project. The visuals are beautiful, the music and the editing are great. Each element of this film was really incredibly well put together. The story unfolds constantly keeping you wondering what's going to happen next. Usually the CGI would mean nothing if the story wasn't good, but in this case the story is good and makes this one of the best indie films have seen so far. Kudos to the cast and crew for this achievement

One of the best Independent Scifi movie I've ever seen!

[unsuit69 · 10/10 · 5 October 2010]

When I went to see Atlantis Down (which is still playing in Portsmouth, Virginia) I had no real expectations. I had read on the net it was a small and ambitious independent film, but I was not ready to see what I saw. Atlantis Down tells the story of the crew of the shuttle Atlantis being forced to face an alien entity who likes to mess around with them. The movie has a ton of incredible CGI (I'm still wondering how much it all costs), great music and a pace that keeps you on the edge of your sit for the whole duration of the story.

Michael Rooker gives an amazing performance in this movie. I strongly recommend to everyone to go to see it.

Watched it twice and it blew my mind

[gill-simpson · 9/10 · 26 November 2010]

The plot is very intricate, with a keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat type feel. It keeps you wondering what is real and what is not. It's unusual to find a movie with an emotional plot as it is unusual to find smart scifi films. I watched it twice and its shocking ending blew my mind both times. The direction, the editing, the sound and the photography are outstanding. Speaking about the cast, I've always been a huge fan of Michael Rooker, one of Hollywood's finest under evaluated actors and his performance in this film lives up to his standards. I also discovered Travis Quentin Young, his acting shows talent. I could feel his anguish at the end and wanted to root for something "more" for his character. Bottom line is: if you're looking for a night of pure "brainless" entertainment this might not be the right choice for you.

Enjoyed it very much.

[jenniferbhazel · 10/10 · 24 October 2010]

I attended the premiere of Atlantis Down in Portsmouth, VA and liked it so well, I went back to see it a couple more times. The story was riveting! It kept me on the edge of my seat. When watching a sci-fi thriller, one of the things I take pride in as an audience member is being able to figure out the twist. In the case of Atlantis Down, I wasn't able to see it coming. I won't spoil it, but it was exciting, held my interest through repeat screenings, and engaged me emotionally. I cried each time I saw it during a scene showcasing actress Mae Flores. And scenes with veteran Hollywood star, Michael Rooker, were intense; you can't take your eyes off him when he is on screen. The direction was really tight and the film looked great! The film oozed with intelligence and was very clever, philosophical at times and thought provoking. In my humble opinion, this is what independent filmmaking should be; something that makes you think and pushes the envelope of what you can do creatively on a small budget while giving the director the opportunity to introduce new talent to the world. I'll go see anything this team makes in the future.

Two Thumbs Up!!!

[dumbledoreshines · 10/10 · 24 October 2010]

I liked it a lot. It made me think, and I had no idea what was going to happen next. That's a lot of fun for me. I think that if you are the kind of person who likes a movie that is smart and requires you to use your brain that you will really dig this movie.

The story was intriguing and moved at a good pace. The actors did a fine job and I liked the fact that there were some fresh faces in the movie, although I certainly enjoyed the performances from Dean Haglund and Michael Rooker. It was put together well and was a visual feast. The director kind of reminds me of Christopher Nolan when he was getting started. If you like Christopher Nolan movies, you'll like Atlantis Down.

Brilliant and unexpected

[angiecubey · 10/10 · 18 April 2011]

I don't often see a Indie sci-fi film that I thoroughly enjoy, but this is one of the exceptions. Atlantis Down is not one of those cheesy sci-fi films you watch on Syfy Channel. There are no monsters, no big disasters here, yet the audience is engaged by the events that unfold on the screen in a quite unexpected way. I quite honestly don't know whether its originality depends on the fact that the director is not American, but watching it was a pleasant experience.

The first 3 minutes of beautiful CGI set up the frame of the story from the Alien's POV. The screenplay is well structured although I felt the need of more character development in a couple of points. As a viewer you are expected to adapt to new situations almost as fast as the characters, and the anticipation is raised in every scene. Just when you think you understand what's going on, a new twist is added. It's brilliant.

I've never been a big sci-fi fanatic, but this film delivers on suspense, and thrills.

[empiit69 · 10/10 · 13 April 2011]

I was very fortunate to attend the Hollywood Premiere of Atlantis Down at the Chinese Mann Theater last Feb 20th and the Q&A that followed it. Micheal Rooker, Dean Haglund were there with the whole cast and the Italian director/producer Max Bartoli. It was a 10.15 pm screening on a Sunday and I thought I'd have found an empty theater, but to my surprise I found a packed house for this small Indie film. What experience! I had a blast.

I've never been a big sci-fi fanatic, but this film delivers on suspense, and thrills. It's a smart, focused, and suspenseful movie. The opening with its the great CGI and score, sets up the tone of the movie. The way the story unfolds – although it feels a bit slow at the beginning - keeps you on the edge of your seat and makes it an enjoyable experience. The performances by all the actors are excellent. Cinematography is beautiful. The ending leaves us with tons of questions, but I guess this is what the director wanted the audience to feel, so it's fine with me.

If you are be lucky to find it in the theater near you or on DVD, don't miss it.

A nice movie about the possession of the Ego.

[erminiascarcella · 10/10 · 22 November 2010]

Atlantis down is a movie directed by the Italian Max Bartoli. In this movie you can see the trauma of childhood surfacing into consciousness under the form of a bursting Flash Back experiences with the possession of the Ego. The wound gets infected and takes, the one affected, away from the cohesiveness of the group destroying the individual who is unable to connect with the other members who frantically attempt to rescue him/her from the inevitable self-destruction. The individual [ who in turn is affected by the unresolved childhood wound] has an inner battle between the powerful emotional memory from the wound and the impotent Ego. This movie has also placed in evidence the importance of where the series of the events take place: the spaceship in the space symbolized an attempt to escape the Mother Earth while exploring galaxies; the unexpected landing in the nowhere zone in the Earth symbolizes the necessary return to the Earth in order to attempt to heal the wound but as often it can occurs when wound erupts powerfully in the consciousness, the individual and group have lost the connection with the real world. They are lost in the wood, they search for human life, they are separated from civilization while desperately longing for it! This can in the analytic psychology of C.G. JUNG can be seeing as the desperate journey of a single individual with his different parts represented by the others with the immersion in to the unconscious risking the loss of consciousness. The emotions from early wounds are destroying the Ego, which is represented by the main character of the movie who is in a constant dialogue with the other people representing different parts of self. The fragmentation and the weakness of the Ego bring the destruction of the individual and the separation from the world. The story, the visuals, the acting and the sound track are of very good quality and take you into the drama of human kind, where isolation, loss, fragmentation , dissolution, desperation are experienced vividly Erminia Scarcella, MD President of Jung Society of Washington DC

Original and well shot!

[afloresx1981 · 10/10 · 18 April 2011]

The story is a very original blend of thriller, sci-fi and drama, combining chess and the space shuttle is quite intriguing and it works. As the story unfolds you are taken by surprise by its twists. Things happen to the crew members without a specific reason and you keep wondering why until it all becomes clear at the end.

The sound - especially once the characters find themselves zapped on another planet – is terrific. The directing was clean, the acting believable, although some characters veered into one-note territory, like the second in command Mary Bishop. The editing keeps it togetherwith a suspense pacing. Overall, this movie is an entertaining thriller with many potential threads.

An excellent small independent movie

[franca4569 · 10/10 · 17 November 2010]

When my husband and I first heard about it, we had very little faith in this project. We live between Williamsburg and D.C. and a couple of friends strongly suggested us to check this out, so we went to Portsmouth the day of the last show. After seeing the film, though, I must confess I was stupefied and confused at the same time. The technical achievement of this movie is phenomenal (assuming it's true it was a low budget). The director, the Italian Max Bartoli, creates a unique look and directs a very eclectic cast of unknown and more experienced actors often forcing them to step out of their comfort zone and still delivering some great work. The soundtrack penned by another Italian, Rino Amato, got me involved since the beginning and deserves to be complimented. The cinematography is incredible as well as the editing and almost every other element in it. Atlantis Down is an amazing independent movie, but it's not for everyone because it makes you think a lot even after you've left the theater!

A remarkable film

[schneiderricetti · 10/10 · 8 February 2011]

"A remarkable film who brings across the contradictions of everyone's childhood, which sometimes may overwhelm us in an inconvenient moment and create difficult situations. An exciting psychological thriller with an unexpected end. A good story with perfect matching music. Solid acting and flawless direction. The cast, led by a terrific Michael Rooker (unforgettable in Days of Thunder, The Bone Collector and in JFK) and Greg Travis is really convincing. Good the performance of the younger and less known cast members, especially of the Filippina actress Mae Flores. The special effects are amazing." Ruth Schneider-Ricetti

Great cast for this sci-fi indie

[bradywilson1958 · 10/10 · 17 May 2011]

What surprised me most of Bartoli's Atlantis Down was its talented cast led by a great Michael Rooker. Rooker is present only in the last 20 minutes of the story but his role and his acting nail you to your seat until the end. His versatility - also helped by a smart editing - is really amazing here.

Greg Travis was the other surprise. His transformation toward the end was really remarkable as it was the performance of young Travis Quentin Young.

Filippina actress Mae Flores at her first feature has the most touching and dramatic scene of the film and she delivers a terrific performance. I read this flick was shot in Virginia in only 13 days, considering the result I think that must have been a typo (30 instead of 13) because I don't believe it'd be possible to get these results in only 13 days.

I enjoyed it a lot.

[alexwhite7761 · 10/10 · 9 February 2011]

I enjoyed it a lot. The director stressed the moments of personal surrender and loss of the characters and focuses on how humans connect with themselves when put through stressful and unexpected scenarios. The ways they deal with their feelings are conveyed beautifully.

Nicely acted, beautifully shot and smartly directed. CGI and score are terrific!

Greg Travis is the real surprise of the film. His acting is natural, deep and dramatic. I'd seen him in other movies (Showgirls, Starship Troopers and X-Men) but this is so far the best performance I've seen him delivering.

The entire film keeps on the edge of your seat until the final five minutes.

Atlantis Down 2 thumbs up!

[dennisthomas196188 · 10/10 · 15 November 2010]

From Veer Magazine: By Montague Gammon III The newly premiered film "Atlantis Down," at the Commodore in Portsmouth, is a memorable piece of work. While poking holes in elements the screenplay - the bits of pseudo-scientific dialogue, the contrary-to-fact assumptions about astronauts and so forth - is easy, it ignores what is important about this movie. Director Max Bartoli, in company with editor Arzu Volkan, director of photography Eric Hurt, composer Rino Amato and special effects person Adam Rote have successfully conjured up a mood and established a tone that grips even the most skeptical viewer and compels real, unbroken interest in the film and the weirdly surreal story it tells. That's a demonstration of filmic skills that goes way beyond just "getting it done." Lots of folks can fine tune dialogue. It takes a special talent to communicate intangibles of feeling visually and aurally. The acting is generally low keyed, maybe even a bit plain in some cases, but there are moments that demonstrate real range. A middle aged man reliving moments of his childhood, a leading lady who projects a strong image of mysterious and quiet self- assurance with a bit of defensive arrogance, and the overall sense that real people are going through real crises testify to the abilities of these mostly local performers. In brief, and without giving away to much, the rather bored crew members of a slightly run down space shuttle suddenly find themselves on a strange, unpopulated planet, facing unknown but apparently deadly threats to their sanity and their lives.