The Land Unknown (1957) User Reviews (54)

Almost a Great Movie

[BMovieMogul · 7/10 · 24 March 2005]

A military mapping operation goes awry and lands a helicopter in a hidden volcanic crater with live dinosaurs.

This movie oozes potential. A reasonable script, decent actors, good pacing, spectacular sets, and the grandeur of CinemaScope. Then you see the dinosaurs.... oh lord, do you ever. One can easily see where their budget ran dry. The movie employs the two worst methods of portraying dinosaurs, and doesn't even do it well. However, the compositing is nearly seamless, so if it were possible, one could become convinced that the producers managed to find a 20 foot tall man to wear a full size Tyrannosaurus costume.

Aside from the special effects, the movie is quite good, nearly rising above B-movie status. The actors all seem for the most part, naturalistic. They all seem to find the line between flat and hammy. The movie never wastes much time on non-essential plot elements, and the running time works out quite well.

Recommanded for those who love the genre type, be it dinosaurs or jungle movies.

50's Fun With Nostalgic Appeal

[gftbiloxi · 7/10 · 6 May 2005]

Today's kids, raised on computer-generated graphics, will probably sneer at it, but by 1957 standards THE LAND UNKNOWN was pretty hard to beat. Drawing inspiration from 1920s silent classic THE LOST WORLD and using film shot by Byrd during his polar expedition, THE LAND UNKNOWN presents the story of a helicopter forced down at a warm-water oasis in Antartica--where the crew discovers a prehistoric world where everything seems determined to gobble them up.

The special effects are a mixed bag, ranging from live-action shots of lizards-in-combat to Godzilla-style rubber suits to full size mechanics. While I wouldn't describe it as greatly sophisticated or even consistently executed, it is all a tremendous amount of fun. The script is more intelligent than you might expect--and the story takes an unexpected turn that tempers the action-heavy plot with a certain depth. The cast is no-name, but every one plays expertly, and THE LAND UNKNOWN moves at a cracking pace. This will never compete with the likes of Harryhausen's stop-motion classics, nor will it go down in the history of film as an equal to the truly great science-fiction and fantasy films of its day. But THE LAND UNKNOWN is a fun flick, and I recommend it to fans of 1950s creature features.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT Amazon Reviewer

The Land Unknown should be better known.

[ChuckStraub · 7/10 · 20 November 2004]

I first remember seeing 'The Land Unknown' as a kid. It really left a big impression on me and I never forgot that movie. Since that time, I've seen it a few more times, most recently just the other day. Although the special effects, prehistoric dinosaurs and scenery are not up to today's standards, it is still an excellent movie. I believe this film is very under rated and 'The Land Unknown' should be considered as a classic lost land movie of the 50s. If you are a fan of horror/sci-fi movies of the 50s and early 60s, this is a must see movie. There are flaws in this movie but that's how it was back then. The movie has to be watched keeping in mind the context of the times it was shown. You will still find a very enjoyable, exciting, action, sci-fi movie. If you are caught up in the high tech, high budget movies of today, and looking for a flawless film, this might not be for you. This is a fine film, tucked away, waiting to take it's rightful place in the history of cinema. Watch it if you can. You'll be glad you did.

Willis O'Brien's "War Eagles" --- almost.

[Bruce_Cook · 5 July 2004]

This rip-roaring sci-fi adventure scores high marks in several categories. The story concerns four people whose helicopter lands in an unknown prehistoric valley, a freak temperate zone located thousands of feet below sea level in the Antarctic, kept warm by volcanically-heated water and a permanent cloud layer that traps the warm air.

The special effects are by Universal's FX wizard Clifford Stine, and even though the dinosaurs are not animated, they aren't badly done. The Tyrannosaurus Rex is a man in a suit, the flippered dinosaur is fairly convincing puppet, and the rest are enlarged lizards. All the dinosaurs are skillfully integrated with live action shots.

Stine loaded the film with wonderful scenes of the fog-shrouded prehistoric landscape, using marvelous matt shots and impressive sets, creating a Skull Island atmosphere.

In some ways, this is the perfect 1950's sci-fi film, because it proudly presents a wealth of facts about the Antarctic before it begins its fanciful story.

The music by Joseph Gershenson is extremely effective. Director Virgil Vogel ("The Mole People") keeps the action moving right along. Hero Jock Mahoney (who later played Tarzan) is a stalwart hero, and Shawn Smith (the stern lady astronaut in "It! The Terror from Beyond Space" and the luscious babe in a mini-skirt in "World Without End") makes a gorgeous heroine. Henry Brandon does a commendable job as a half-crazed survivor from a previous expedition -- and I read somewhere that he was actually a member of the 1947 Bird Expedition to the North Pole. Don't remember where I read it, so I might be misinformed.

There's Dinosaurs in Antarctica, people! Dinosaurs, I tell you!

[Coventry · 6/10 · 24 May 2008]

Long before I ever knew about the existence of "The Land Unknown", I had already seen clips of its legendary T-Rex in various TV-shows spoofing bad movies and even wannabe funny commercials promoting the strength of cornflakes. It was like THE archetypal bad 'man-in-a-suit' monster that supposedly had to look ferocious but actually couldn't even fright the smallest child. Granted, the T-Rex looks ludicrous and pitiful, but bear in mind the movie remains a product of the 1950's and – in fact – the T-Rex is the only truly weak element in an overall decent and spirited little Sci-Fi effort. "The Land Unknown" also boosts an adequate screenplay, solid performances and direction and a couple of other and far more successful monster designs, including a Pterodactyl and some kind of Dino living underwater. Heck, the imaginative photography even manages to make smaller and "harmless" animals like iguanas and lizards look menacing. The story revolves on a scientific expedition heading for the continent of Antarctica to investigate why it could possibly have warm-watered seas and lakes amidst all the mountains of ice. A four-headed crew, one woman and three men, become trapped in a sudden storm and their helicopter lowers down a crater, far out of reach of all the headquarters' radars and search parties. For nearly 30 days, they are stuck in a subtropical landscape far below sea level and – even more astonishingly – where times didn't evolve and dinosaurs still prowl around. As paranoia amongst them rises and the hope for rescue lingers, the team faces the biggest ordeals in their lives. Okay, so "The Land Unknown" is rather tacky and often tedious, but it's undeniably charming and the opening quarter is even somewhat educational, with actual footage of the historically fundamental Admiral Byrd expeditions. The footage inside the crater and amongst the dinosaurs is obviously very grotesque and implausible, but hey, so was "Jurassic Park" and yet everybody loved that. Worth watching, but probably not for nowadays Sci-fi target audiences.

The Lost World

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 12 September 2018]

While in a military expedition to Antarctica by ship, helicopter pilot Lt. Jack Carmen (William Reynolds), mechanic Steve Miller (Phil Harvey) and civilian journalist Margaret "Maggie" Hathaway (Shawn Smith) travel to investigate a mysterious oasis with hot water under the command of Commander Harold Roberts (Jock Mahoney). However a pterodactyl hits the helicopter and they are forced to land below the sea level on a foggy land with dinosaurs and other pre-historical animals and plants. Soon they stumble upon the lonely Dr. Carl Hunter (Henry Brandon), lost in another expedition twelve years ago. He offers a way out to the three military provided they leave Maggie with him. What will they do?

"The Land Unknown" is a dated black-and-white adventure with a group stranded in a pre-historical land with carnivorous plants, dinosaurs and pterodactyls. The film is entertaining and it seems that in 1947 was discovered warm water in Antarctica. The good guys are military, still a reflex of the WWII, and the lead actress has the usual female attitudes of the 50´s, fainting and screaming when in danger. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "No Mundo dos Monstros Pré-Históricos" ("In the World of Pre-Historical Monsters")

Tolerably amusing low budget time passer

[AlsExGal · 5/10 · 21 November 2018]

This is a Universal low, low budget sci-fi movie modeled after "The Lost World".

Naval classes are being held before the next expedition to the South Pole. Harold Alan Roberts (Mahoney) will be in command, and reporter Margaret Hathaway (Smith) will be tagging along with two other crew members. They reach the South Pole, but then their helicopter crashes into a subterranean valley, still tropical in climate, with dinosaurs from the Mesozoic Era (according to the film). It follows a predictable path from here. The acting varies from boringly bad (Mahoney) to amusingly bad (Smith).

The movie is full of mistakes. Watch for:

The blown takes that made it into the finished film. Apparently the actors forgetting what mode of transportation they used wasn't deemed important enough to reshoot or the goofs weren't noticed.

There is also the giant iguana's costumes being ripped in their initial fight, the zipper running down the Tyrannosaurus Rex's costume, brooms disguised as oars, and the tiny set disguised as a forest, complete with lagoon. But without all of these mistakes this film would just be a bore.

A Paradise Of Hidden Terrors

[ferbs54 · 7/10 · 4 November 2013]

The "lost world" sci-fi/adventure movie "The Land Unknown" is available today on DVD as part of Universal Studios' Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection, just one of 10 films in this impressive box set. Perhaps not coincidentally, it shares a disc with another film, "The Deadly Mantis," with which it has much in common. For starters, both Universal films were released in 1957 (May for "TDM" and August for "TLU"), both were shot in B&W, and both, strangely enough, clock in at precisely 78 compact minutes. In addition, the two films both feature prehistoric monsters, a polar setting (the North Pole for the earlier film, Antarctica for "TLU"), the use of well-integrated stock footage, some dry, scientific narration at the film's opening, and a female character who happens to be a magazine reporter. And both, happily, are as fun as can be; intelligent, well-realized films that hold up very well today.

In "TLU," a Navy scientific team heads to Antarctica to perform a mapping and exploratory mission; specifically, to explore the warm inland sea that Admiral Byrd's crew had discovered a decade before. But trouble arises when a chopper containing Commander/geophysicist Hal Roberts (future Tarzan star Jock Mahoney), pilot Jack Carmen (William Reynolds), machinist Steve Miller (hmmm, why does that name seem so familiar?, and played by Phil Harvey) and pretty "Oceanic Press" reporter Maggie Hathaway (Shawn Smith, who would go on to appear with Jock in "Tarzan the Magnificent" BEFORE Jock assumed the Tarzan role, and who here looks more than a little like the young Janet Leigh) is forced down by a sudden storm...and a collision with a pterodactyl! The helicopter lands in the titular "land unknown": at the bottom of a crater, 3,000 feet below sea level, with a temperature above 90 degrees and a sultry, humid, steaming jungle environment. Unable to fly out due to a busted rotor, the unfortunate quartet must contend not only with the terrain's prehistoric inhabitants--carnivorous plants, a T. rex, enormous lizards, and a water-dwelling, flippered "elasmosaurus"--but also with Dr. Carl Hunter (Henry Brandon), a survivor from the Byrd expedition who has been marooned in this inhospitable landscape for a decade, has reverted to savagery, and who now kidnaps Maggie so as to possess a cavegirl of his own....

Shot in CinemaScope and boasting very passable special FX, "The Land Unknown" certainly does look better than one might reasonably expect. Utilizing beautiful matte paintings in the backgrounds and lush vegetation and swirling steam to the fore, the filmmakers have succeeded in creating a fully convincing Mesozoic landscape ("...a pretty effective lost world," says Michael Weldon in my "Psychotronic Encyclopedia" bible). The dinosaurs--although only NON-stop-motion models or, in the case of that T. rex, a man in a suit--are just passable enough to avoid the dreaded "cheese factor," and the battling reptiles (actually monitor lizards in close-up, and a seemingly unavoidable convention in this type of film) are well integrated onto their backdrops. In a word, the FX in the film are adequate, and often endearing, and always artistically done. Director Virgil Vogel (who had helmed the Universal "classic" "The Mole People" just the year before) gives his film a memorable look and even manages to generate some real suspense near the conclusion, as our team of heroes races to repair that chopper as T. rex slowly advances on them. "A paradise of hidden terrors," proclaimed the original poster for the film, and Vogel does a fine job of keeping those terrors and jolts coming. In all, a hugely entertaining affair, and of course, a perfect film to watch with your favorite 10-year-old...another similarity the picture shares with "The Deadly Mantis." And as a bonus, "The Land Unknown" provides all us men with what might be the most memorable pickup line in screen history, courtesy of he-man scientist/nerd Commander Roberts: "Although I know basically women consist mostly of water, with a few pinches of salt and metals thrown in, you have a very unsaltlike and nonmetallic effect on me"!

Lots of fun...but stupid!

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 4 January 2010]

I love this sort of movie, but in good conscience cannot give a it a score much higher than 3 because it really is a BAD movie. Enjoyable, yes...but also bad in many ways.

The film begins with a bazillion feet of often grainy stock footage of Antarctica--so much so that I swear that the movie would be 15 minutes shorter without it. A helicopter is dispatched from the military on some expedition. On the way, it develops engine trouble and is forced down--into a WARM region of Antarctica where dinosaurs rule!!! Yes, it's very like the stories by Jules Verne, "The Mysterious Island" or "Journey to the Center of the Earth". But set in the region surrounding the South Pole, this is definitely far-fetched. Believe it or not, the idea was inspired by a flight in 1947 by Admiral Byrd over the Antarctic in which a relatively warmer region (due, I supposed to geothermal activity) was discovered. The press reported (inaccurately) that Byrd had found an area with "land areas consisting of mountains, forests, green vegetation, lakes and rivers, and in the underbrush saw a strange animal resembling the mammoth"!

Given that it's the 1950s, what does a group of military men need in such a situation? Yep, you've guessed it--a hot babe who seems to have an amazing wardrobe. One minute, she's dressed for the Antarctic, the next she's wearing shorts and a skimpy blouse (where did she get these considering she was just along for a helicopter ride?!?!). She also, in true 1950s form, appeared to be narcoleptic, as she fainted on three occasions!! That's a lot even for a horror/sci-fi film! In this odd region, there are tyrannosaurs, pterodactyls and other primordial creatures--all bent on eating the four stranded travelers. Also, rather unexpectedly, they stumble upon another man here--a crazy Dr. Hunter who seems far less a man of science and more a really, really horny guy who is constantly trying to kidnap the lady.

With silly dinosaurs (sometimes consisting of a man in a rubber suit), monitor lizards and crazy sets, the whole thing is very silly but high on kitsch value. The cheesy dialog adds to the fun atmosphere of the film, but don't think that it's a good film. There are just too many silly clichés, costumes and a plot that makes you chuckle just thinking about it!

The Land Unknown is a compelling '50s sci-fi flick

[tavm · 7/10 · 6 April 2007]

All I'd like to say about Universal-International's The Land Unknown is that three navy men and a woman reporter land accidentally in a warm spot in Antartica with their helicopter stuck for 30 days during which time they encounter some dinosaurs and another man who had survived there for 10 years from another expedition after his three crew members died there. Jock Mahoney is the commanding officer Harold (though I could have sworn he was called "Alan" here) who tries to keep everything together. I recognized him from the TV western "Range Rider" on America One a few years ago. Shirley Patterson (credited here as Shawn Smith) is the reporter, Maggie, he falls for. Henry Brandon (best known as Silas Barnaby in Laurel and Hardy's Babes in Toyland where he was then known as Harry Kleinbach) is 10-year survivor Dr. Carl Hunter who initially tries to make a deal for the 3 men to escape in exchange for the woman to stay with him. Great conflict results. The dinosaur scenes are a combination of actual footage of close-up lizards and a man wearing a tyrannosaurus outfit. The outfit makes this movie a little cheesy but they worked with what they had at the time on whatever budget was allowed. Otherwise, a mostly compelling entertainment for anyone interested in '50 sci-fi movies especially of the Universal-International kind. Wonderful atmospheric score by Joseph Gershenson. P.S. Jock Mahoney was Sally Field's stepfather.

too cheesy?....or not cheesy enough?

[TheUnknown837-1 · 5/10 · 30 April 2009]

Today, a little over a week from the day I saw "The Land Unknown" for the first time, I am still wrapped in the binding chains of utter disappointment. I had read and heard a lot about this film and even seen the trailers for it and I knew right from the start that it was a B-dinosaur picture. Well, I personally LOVE B-dinosaur pictures. Especially when the special effects are cheesy at best. There's a certain level of charm and humor to films like this that I, for some reason, find appealing. But still, even to the kingdom of the fans, there are entries of schlock that come across as disappointing.

The plot is pure formula—just what I expected. We have news of a discovery in the Antarctic Circle and a government expedition to be sent in to explore the area. We have verbose scientists, macho tough guys, and pessimistic mechanics along with a lone female companion (what a surprise) to explore the area. They come in by helicopter and are forced to land in a warm, tropical jungle in the middle of the ice that is populated by…gee, guess what…dinosaurs! Yeah, it's all formula, but under the right kind of treatment, "The Land Unknown" might have turned out to be a passable entry for the right fans. Maybe I'm just not the ideal fan and maybe I've become too sophisticated over the years, but this was a mediocre endeavor at best.

It was not the dinosaurs I didn't like. I loved the dinosaurs. They were just what I was expecting—and frankly hoping—for them to be: cheesy. The tyrannosaurus rex in this B-movie is one of the most notoriously bad man-in-a-rubber-suit cases ever put on film. The costume for the dinosaur is so stiff and so erect and the head so massively out of proportion and with that silly looking grin on its face and so strange when in comparison to those itty bitty little legs, that you can't resist laughing at it. There were at most, ten seconds of passable appearance from the T-rex. The pterodactyl that attacks the helicopter early in the film is an even worse effect: it looks like cardboard and is completely immobile. Along with a corny-looking elasmosaurus, there are the slurpasaurs: the graphically enlarged lizards. All fun, but not even they cannot save the film.

But what I didn't like was the plot-movers: the humans in the foreground. Instead of focusing on these laugh-raising dinosaurs, the camera stays too long on the badly-acted characters running about in the jungle set. No, I was not expecting them to be Oscar-caliber characters with Oscar-caliber performances. Of course that's not what I was expecting. But even for a B-grade dinosaur picture, the characters are flat out dull and boring. The dialogue they are given is simply put abhorrent and there's not an interesting moment at all from them. We have the typical love subplot and it fails as well. Again, if we cut away from them just a little more often, this might have been forgivable. But we don't and it's not. And what shocked me most was how calm these characters were given their situation. In most B-movies, the B-grade actors attempt a corny look of shock or awe when they see the fake monsters. It brings a grin to the viewer's face. But here there's none and we don't grin. In fact, we lower our jaws when the characters look at the approaching tyrannosaurus rex or open-mouthed giant lizards with the utmost serenity. No emotion. No attempted emotion. They look far too serious. We imagine we probably look a lot like them as we watch this simply put dully-crafted "gem." And thus, it's boring.

So ultimately, "The Land Unknown" just results, at least for me, as being a less-than-average B-monster flick with very few moments of guilty pleasure entertainment, which is what any person would venture into the film for in the first place.

What was the problem for me? Was it too cheesy? Or not cheesy enough? I'm still not sure.

A good 50's sci-fi film that demands a letterbox release

[dbborroughs · 8/10 · 28 November 2004]

Okay, I love lost world films. I'm a sucker for them. It has to do more with the monsters more than anything else. Here we a bunch of reasonably okay dinosaurs running amok.

The plot is simple, a helicopter crashes into what had, until then, been a hidden tropical jungle in the frozen wastes of Antarctica. It then becomes a race to repair the helicopter before the dinosaurs eat the entire party.

This is a reasonably well done movie with some reasonably well done dinosaurs that get points for NOT being lizards enlarged with trick photography. No they aren't the best monsters in the world and nowhere near as good as what they do today, but what monster is, aside from King Kong? Frankly its the dinosaurs in both the relative quality of what was done and the variety of what we see that makes this movie for me.

I'm hoping that the film will get a restored DVD release soon. This film was shot widescreen however the release on videotape is pan and scan so much of the composition appears to have been lost. I've seen a widescreen trailer and the dinosaur scenes looked better un-pan and scanned.

If you love old black and white, monster or dinosaur films see this film. Yes its been done before but there is something about the way its done here that lifts it up from the rest of the pack.

8 out of 10 for dinosaur/monster lovers.

Helicopter X-3 Calling Base

[retrorocketx · 7/10 · 20 November 2008]

Land Unknown is a 'Lost World' type movie, this one from the 1950s. It being a movie from the '50s, there are little scenes of scientific briefings at the beginning of the film, and even a little science film within the film. Trust the 1950s sci-fi movies to educate the viewer! As in any 'Lost World' movie, the big question is how will the explorers react when thrown into a primeval situation? Here we get a look at a very competent, post Korean War military style exploration. Several navy ships are dispatched on a routine expedition to the south pole. Three men and one woman fly around a mysterious warm zone when their cool-looking helicopter is forced to attempt a landing in bad weather. They land in deep fog. Not to worry. This group is well-trained, on-the-ball, and everyone does their duty. The woman, Maggie, is spunky, adventurous and likes hunky, competent and smart science type men. Every male in the movie looks at her wolfishly. She revels in it. The commander, as alpha male of the group, gets the woman. Period.

The next morning, the fog lifts, and what an amazing setting! This is one great looking lost world. Very primeval. The setting rivals King Kong (1933). Awesome. The dinosaurs are not great, but they are not too bad, and they are all used to great effect. The pteronodon makes a good appearance, damaging the cool-looking helicopter and is later shown dead near the lake. The obligatory giant monitor lizard fight scene is horrific in its violence. The rope-plant nearly eats the woman, and does eat her cute little mammal pet. The T-rex is clumsy and silly looking, but it is used to good effect as a threat to the cool-looking helicopter. The elasmosaurus looks somewhat like a water park kiddie ride, but that's okay because the creature is used to great effect as it patrols the lake.

The crew awaits rescue, but time is limited as the ships must depart before the ice pack freezes solid. Of course, one guy starts to crack. Not to worry. The alpha male commander sets him straight, and bucks up the woman when she starts to lose it. Clothes are soon in tattlers as the days tick off. Things get really interesting when the crew meets up with a lone survivor of an expedition 10 years ago. This guy, Hunter, is nearly insane, but has somehow learned to survive the dinosaurs and the long nights. He is able to disperse the dinosaurs by blowing a conch-shell trumpet (don't ask why, it makes no sense). Having nearly lost all humanity, he takes whatever he wants, raiding the food supplies and kidnapping Maggie! He has a spare part that will fix the cool-looking helicopter, which he will trade for the woman. It is one life for three.

What will the commander do? Forbid any such exchange of course. What will Maggie do? Of course she will do her duty and sneak off and get with Hunter to save the others. The crew attempts to rescue her, and in the scuffle, Hunter is knocked unconscious. One of the crew, (the guy who is cracking) is out of his mind and prepares to torture and kill the helpless Hunter for information about the spare part. The commander then whips out his standard-issue military .45 pistol and makes the defining statement of how this expedition will handle contact with the primeval, 'We are not going to dig our way out of here through human flesh. Not Maggie's, Hunter's, not even yours.' Great stuff! With the spare part in place, the cool-looking helicopter is ready for takeoff. Look out! Here comes T-rex (whoops, he's too slow). Now it's the scene we've all been waiting for - elasmosaurus versus cool-looking helicopter. A flare gun round to the mouth takes care of the elasmosaurus, everyone is rescued, including the survivor guy. Reunited and back in civilization, what will the commander and the woman do? Exactly what they must do, in a 1950s sci-fi movie.

Land Unknown tells a good story, does not lag, has excellent lost-world moments, and features good acting all around (the survivor guy really fits the part). This is a must see for fans of the genre. Excellent movie.

Dinorama

[threexfive · 5/10 · 19 September 2001]

One thing lacking in The Land Unknown is no one gets eaten by a dinosaur. Sure, there's a couple of close calls, but for the most part, everyone seems to stay intact. I really wanted to see someone get eaten. Oh, well. What we do get to see is three guys and a woman stuck in a tropical pit 3,000 feet below Antarctica, trying to survive long enough to repair their helicopter and leave. Since it's really hot down there, they start shedding clothing pretty quick, but only to the point that's acceptable in a 1957 general release movie. They also find a guy who's been down there for 10 years (and not wearing much, either), and although he has trouble remembering his name, he has no trouble remembering what the woman is for, willing to supply the part they need to fix the copter if he gets his way with the woman. Well, these being more galant times, and because the Commander of the team has the hots for the gal, the offer is refused, so there's sort of a stand-off. I've a feeling if this movie were made today with the same goals in mind, we'd see a whole lot more skin, and someone would have had their way with the woman. And maybe someone would've gotten eaten.

The dinos in The Land Unknown are kind of cheesy. The pterodactyl you never get a good look at. There's a fight scene between two gila monsters that you're suppose to imagine are really big. The T-rex looks like a paper-mache costume with some very uncomfortable guy in it. The underwater creature, whatever it's suppose to be, is a stick puppet.

Overall, I'm not real sure what the point of the movie is, except a chance to see some dinos in action and see some actors and an actress show off what they can of their bodies in 1957. If this is the kind of movie you like (and I do), then you'll enjoy this.

Skull Island at the South Pole

[David_Newcastle · 27 June 2000]

A rip-roaring sci-fi adventure that has quite a lot going for it: a novel premise, a square-jawed hero, a lovely blond heroine, and several dinosaurs presented in a bizarre landscape.

Universal's ace effects artist Clifford Stine did a terrific job. The sets are also remarkable. The film's explanation for the presences of a tropical prehistoric world in the frozen Antarctic is intelligent and plausible. The character don't act like stereo-types, so the plot avoids being predictable. Be kind when you view the dinosaurs; they serve the story well, despite the fact that they're puppets, men in suits, and enlarged lizards.

If at all possible, see the wide-screen version. There's nothing worse than watching a dinosaur's mid-section attack somebody off-screen because the dino's head and tail have been cut

Throw back to those fifties sci-fi creature features

[dankaser-99405 · 6/10 · 13 October 2016]

When I was young, on rare occasions my father would allow me stay up on Saturday nights and watch a program called creature feature. It was my first exposure to Hammer horror classics like Frankenstein and the wolf man. However, my favorite of all of these were the dinosaur movies. This movie is a throw back to that time.

Yes, it is black and white. Yes, the science in the science fiction is outdated and not accurate. However, in that time period, things like craters in Antarctica with tropical weather and environments lost in time were perfectly legitimate ideas. As were, martians, landing on Jupiter, and atomic mutations.

This movie is perfect for those that grew up on these types of movies or enjoy a classic sci-fi lost in time late night creature feature. I suppose I like the film so much because it brings back those childhood memories of staying up late and watching black and white horror movies. The special effects were probably high tech for the fifties. Yet, they seem to look a bit more authentic than some of the CGI products currently on the market. Yet, it simply has a feel and ambiance that I enjoy. Again, I am sure it is because of the memories it brings back when I watch it.

It is not the best of late night B cinema from the fifties. But it still captivates and holds your attention if you want to revert to a young lad with a vivid imagination glued to a TV on a Saturday night. 

Dino-mite!

[ultramatt2000-1 · 7/10 · 25 May 2014]

"The Lost World" in 1925, "King Kong" in 1933 and "Unknown Island" in 1948. For 1957, there is "The Land Unknown". A lovable trope that was used in stories, films, TV shows and cartoons. The special effects are cheesy by today's standards. No stop-motion effects, but the T-Rex is a man in dinosaur suit, the Elasmosaurus is a mechanical prop, the pterodactyl is a puppet on a string and the stegosauri are just monitor lizards (read my review on the 1960 remake of "The Lost World"). Basically, a group of scientists find warm water caused by some volcanic action and they wind up on the set of "One Million B.C." Speaking of which, there is a Charleton Heston wannabe who rules the beasts with a sea shell. So there you have it. Is it worth the watch? Yes. Do I recommend it? Dinosaur fan or not, give it a watch. Not rated, but a G would work, but PG would best apply it because of the violence, peril and monsters.

This may be a lost horizon, but it ain't no Shangri-La!

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 22 May 2018]

Magnified stock footage of lizards fighting, a tall man in a rubber suit (where you can almost see the zipper), and a cute marmoset which ends up as an h'orderve for a mammal eating plant give this entertaining but overall silly variation of "Land of the Lost" a memorable camp quotient. Unfortunately filmed in black and white (much of it overly foggy and difficult to make out what's going on in the background), this adventure is perhaps not as well known as other similar time travel movies or films set in lost continents because it isn't as technically superb as the many others in that genre. As a film historian and fan of this genre, I was surprised that I had never even heard of this, but found it fun overall in spite of obvious flaws. If there is a world out there on our huge planet, I hope it is never discovered or revealed to the public if it has been. What we don't need is a real life Jurassic Park, as the last films of that modern series have proven.

The story surrounds an expedition to the south pole where commander Jock Mahoney takes a helicopter filled with scientists and reporter Shirley Patterson and finds more than he bargained for. As we witness the cracks and crevices of the sharp snowy mountain ranges, it becomes obvious that the world beyond our reach is one not meant for human visitors, and neither is the way below sea level lost world they find themselves stranded in where the dense fog keeps out the Antarctic snow and has that world stuck in one long gone from the rest of our planet. Unable to see what's going on around her, Patterson is unaware of the vegetation branches nearly pulling her in to a fate worse than death itself, but is spared (for now) that agonizing ending. Only when they find the cute little monkey to be do they get to see the power of ancient nature, and it's very disturbing to watch this cuddly little creature pulled into the abyss of a painful ending.

When the lizards first appear, I began to wonder if this was stock footage used in other similar films, and when the T-Rex comes on, I had to chuckle by its lack of realism. A swimming dinosaur with huge teeth is scared off by the sound of a mysterious horn, and when Patterson is suddenly abducted, it is apparent that they are not alone. She ends up in the cave dwelling of the stranded Henry Brandon whose haircut does not resemble anyone who has been out of society for 10 years. Obviously, he wants a mate, and the only way he will help the others out is if she stays behind. Among the other crew is William Reynolds who calls for help but isn't about to stick around to try to rescue Patterson from Brandon if he can get out alive. This leads to fights between members of the expedition over rescuing Patterson, as well as trying to get Patterson away from Brandon or later on, going out of their way to try to get him to come back to civilization with them.

Suspenseful but not scary, this is a popcorn movie that might satisfy for one viewing but in comparison with others falls short of becoming a classic. It's obvious that this was rushed out for the teenage boy matinee crowd and possibly for drive-in showings, but doesn't really hold up 60 years later due to weak special effects, phony looking sets and the rubber dinosaur suits that expose their seams and don't even direct the person inside the suit to walk with commanding fear like a T-Rex would. I would say in spite of his modern hairstyle, Brandon comes off the best in the acting department, and in the conclusion, the theme of surviving without leaving carnage behind does have an impact on how the crew members and their leader deal with the cave-man like Brandon. It's also interesting to see how the dinosaur deals with the sharp pains it gets as it is sliced open by the revolving blades of the helicopter.

Rather Generic Sci-Fi Adventure, But Still Quite Enjoyable

[Tornado_Sam · 7/10 · 26 July 2020]

"The Land Unknown" was being shown last night on Svengoolie, and even a week ago when they advertised the promo for the episode I saw it certainly wasn't going to be anything overly special. Considering as I've seen quite a few old Sci-Fi movies on the show, I immediately recognized it would no doubt turn out to be the typical prehistoric adventure: some scientists have a journey in some special geographical location, and discover a whole bunch of extinct creatures that they have to escape from. That's exactly what this one was - but even considering the generic quality of the story, it still remains a decent film with enough charm to make it interesting.

In this case, the whole exploration has to do with mapping Antarctica - and as the viewer fully expects, the group is forced to stay in this newly discovered world due to (what else?) a helicopter breakdown. What follows is the normal madness: huge lizards and dinosaurs start showing up and causing trouble, while the one woman (of course there must only be one for the romantic side) is kidnapped by another scientist who has been living in the place for years since his own helicopter crash. (Thankfully his wreck has the necessary parts used to fix their helicopter). There is some great action and effects, which results in the typical perilous climax(s) and the usual happy ending.

The main critique I'd have to pick with the film is probably the amount of climaxes they throw our way. Plot twist after plot twist after plot twist is pulled on the audience, each one trying to be intense but not really succeeding in the exciting finale they were going for. First (SPOILERS HERE) when fixing the helicopter, the land dinosaur shows up looking for trouble, but they pull off the ground just before he can get them in a rather anti-climatic way. Then they want to save the scientist from the water beast, and manage to get him in the helicopter at the last minute without much harm inflicted. Lastly, the helicopter breaks down just before they can land, so they crash into the water, but are quickly rescued. None of these twists really give the film the big bang ending it deserves: the strongest would have to be the rescue of the scientist, while the weakest would have to be the helicopter crashing within the last couple minutes. Nonetheless, the effects are pretty top-notch with enough believable elements to make them work well (particularly the giant lizards) and despite being a fairly generic picture overall, it works as good as any other 50's Sci-Fi movie I've seen.

The 'tropical' part of Antarctica

[wbswetnam · 5/10 · 1 May 2012]

The Land Unknown is a low-budget black and white sci-fi film from the mid-1950s about an exploratory crew who stumble upon a "tropical" (and unknown) part of Antarctica. Supposedly, geothermal activity in this tiny area of Antarctica has melted through the ice cap and created this artificially warm, "tropics-like" area where giant carnivorous plants grow and dinosaurs amble about. The dinosaurs are giant lizards, a tyrannosaurus-looking creature, a plesiosaur-looking creature, some gigantic gila monsters (filmed in forced perspective), and some flying reptile things. Hmmm - no herbivorous dinosaurs? Anyway, our exploratory crew has helicopter trouble and is forced to descend into a cloudy maelstrom of clouds down 3,000 feet into this tiny "tropical" area. While they deal with their dying radio battery and hungry dinosaurs, they must find some way to contact the outside world to come rescue them. All the while, the heat and humidity cause their clothes to disintegrate, which was a delight to see on actress Shirley Patterson (a former Miss California) as her clothes gradually become more and more revealing.

Overall, if you can forgive the cheesy dinosaurs, it's a decent sci-fi / dinosaur flick, well worth watching if you like B-movies.

"We're not gonna dig our way out of here through human flesh!"

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 17 August 2014]

Scientists determine that somewhere in the frozen mass of land known as Antarctica is a body of warm water. An expedition is launched to explore the area; along for the ride are intrepid Commander Hal Roberts (later Tarzan performer Jock Mahoney), lovely blonde reporter Maggie Hathaway (Shirley Patterson), pilot Jack Carmen (William Reynolds), and machinists' mate Steve Miller (Phil Harvey). As they reach their destination unforeseen circumstances force them to land in an area that turns out to be 3000 feet below sea level - an area still stuck in the Mesozoic era, full of reptilian menaces and Carl Hunter (Henry Brandon), a traumatized survivor of a previous expedition.

As directed by Virgil W. Vogel ("The Mole People"), "The Land Unknown" is very agreeable escapism. What gives it an edge over other Universal-International product of the time is the CinemaScope aspect ratio, giving us more of an eyeful of some pretty good sets. There's plenty of vegetation and steam to add to the atmosphere. It's true that the special effects dinosaurs are on the silly-looking side, but this does add appreciable cheesy B movie charm. The script is full of the usual "science" and exposition for this type of movie. The actors all give a straight faced go at the material. Mahoney is a stalwart hero, and Patterson ("It! The Terror from Beyond Space") is fine eye candy. The standout among the cast is Brandon ("Assault on Precinct 13" (1976)), who's convincing enough as a modern man reduced to a state of primitiveness. (Look for Kurt Russell's dad Bing as a radio operator.) Enhancing all of it is appropriate stock music from such composers as Henry Mancini, Heinz Roemheld, Hans J. Salter, and Herman Stein.

This is good straightforward fun recommended to fans of "lost world" cinema.

Seven out of 10.

Slightly Revolting

[rmax304823 · 2/10 · 13 June 2008]

A helicopter with three Navy officers, led by Jock Mahoney, and the requisite woman reporter aboard, Shawn Smith, gets caught in bad weather over Antarctica and must land through a heavy cloud layer to find they are at the bottom of a volcanic valley. But wait a minute. This is not just ANY hot, steamy tropical jungle in Antarctica. This one is really old, inhabited by plants beasts that disappeared millions of years ago. It is also inhabited by the sole survivor of an earlier expedition, Henry Brandon. The half loco Brandon has the part necessary to repair the Navy's damaged helo -- a "push-pull rod" -- but he's hoarding his equipment because he wants to trade what they want for what he wants, namely the shapely Shawn Smith. And who can blame him? I mean, ten years? (The fact that Henry Brandon is reputed to have been gay adds a shiver of irony to the plot.) Well, everyone is attacked at one time or another by prehistoric dinosaurs but they all

survive and escape, including Brandon who has come to his senses at the last moment and discovered his humanity.

Brandon isn't much of an actor. He's probably best known for his role as Scar in John Ford's "The Searchers." ("You speak good Comanche. Someone teach you?") But his modest talent doesn't make him conspicuous in the context of this film. The other performers are no better. The most interesting cast member is Jock (nee Jacques) Mahoney, a stunt man raised in Iowa, and one of the best in the business. Among other memorable acts caught on film, he did the spectacular leap down the staircase onto Robert Douglas's villain in Errol Flynn's "The Adventures of Don Juan." His name ranks up there with Canutt, Eason, Perry, and Dar Robinson. Not that Mahoney is muscle bound. You don't need to be a body builder to be a stunt man. You need to be lithe, professional, competitive, intelligent, and you to be completely lacking a sympathetic nervous system. The men and women who do stunts don't have to be good actors, as Mahoney proves here. They're a proud

group -- can I generalize like this? -- but not snooty. They don't feel they're humbling themselves if they hang around with the extras, as I know from experience. Mahoney was a parent to Sally Field.

I don't like going on like this about stunt people but there's so little to say about the movie. The monsters are gaggingly cheap. The first shot we get of them is two ordinary monitor lizards, blown up to dinosaur size by photographic legerdemain, and they're tearing each other to pieces, literally. These are big animals and here they are throwing themselves around and chewing on limbs and heads. We can see the ripped skin. Nobody can claim that no animals were harmed in making this movie. I found it a little disgusting.

The other minatory dinosaur is a T. rex -- and it's a hoot: a man dressed in a flabby plastic suit dragging a tail behind him. Another monster never lived -- a kind of gigantic pumpkin with tentacles. It eats a cute little mammal. I don't think it's a tarsier, though Mahoney the expert calls it such. Still, they got the time and the animal reference right. At least, I think the Eocene tarsoids lived about 60 million years ago.

I was certainly happy to see the five humans get out of there at the climax. It meant the end of the movie.

THE LAND UNKNOWN (Virgil W. Vogel, 1957) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 23 January 2010]

This was included in Universal's second "Sci-Fi Collection" set and though it treads familiar territory ("The Lost World") still manages to engage the viewer throughout. Tellingly, the film is redolent of the probing attitude (i.e. heavier on science than thrills) which typified the genre at this time – resulting in a lengthy documentary-style exposition and rather missing out on the sense of wonder and adventure inherent in its theme (exemplified by such later outings as, say, THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT [1975])! What is interesting here is the fact that the Prehistoric tropical world our heroes crash in (incidentally, no attempt is made to rescue them from their plight!) is situated deep in the bowels of Antarctica! Anyway, for director Vogel, this was certainly an improvement on his previous brush with the genre (THE MOLE PEOPLE [1956])…but his efforts are nonetheless undermined, in the long run, by a second-rate cast (all playing stock characters – including one intrepid female reporter and the crazed survivor of a prior expedition), not to mention the less-than-special effects – obvious magnified lizards, a T-Rex that is no more than a man-in-a-monster suit (its mouth hanging open at an exaggerated angle!) and the even-more-laughable sea serpent. For the record, this was one of 12 horror/sci-fi titles (all released by Universal) to be produced by William Alland – otherwise best-known as the interviewer of CITIZEN KANE (1941)!

Caveman Style

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 24 May 2013]

Although it rarely makes the news now even in the Fifties when I was growing up polar exploration was still news. So in the context of the times the expedition that Douglas Kennedy is head of is quite congruent. Would that the story here been a bit better done.

The Land Unknown is a real camp classic. Part of Kennedy's expedition involves some map making by Jock Mahoney, William Reynolds and Phil Harvey who with reporter Shirley Patterson are taking a helicopter ride over the Antarctic. They encounter a dense fog and then the blade of the helicopter brushes against something big flying into it and a part comes loose forcing them down.

Once down the group finds themselves in the Mesozoic age like in so many of these kinds of films. But a scientist from a previous expedition that was lost has survived their among the dinosaurs and that is Henry Brandon. He's set himself up nicely in a cave and has now regressed somewhat to the primitive. And being a caveman he takes one look at Patterson and woos her caveman style.

Even among the beasts Mahoney waxes philosophical and shows off his knowledge of paleontology. Patterson outfit is getting skimpier by the minute only encouraging Brandon more. But in a camp sort of way the film is fun.

Not the fault of The Land Unknown, but ever since Steven Spielberg gave us Jurassic Park , dinosaur films from the past just don't cut it. We've moved ahead in movie magic, not like poor Henry Brandon.

Story is a bit dumb, but enjoyably bad.