By Patrick Luce Dec 11, 2005, 18:18 GMT
The movie, which comes from director Leigh Scott and The Asylum Home Entertainment, is loosely based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World novel, and follows a group of survivors from a plane crash that find themselves trapped on a mysterious island.
Fans of Asylum films will recognize some familiar faces in stars Rhett Giles (Frankenstein Reborn) and Jennifer Lee Wiggins (Shapeshifter), and the movie also stars Bruce Boxleitner (Babylon 5), and Steve Railsback (Devils Rejects).
The movie quickly follows the group of survivors as they begin a search through the Amazon jungle for a section of their plane that might have a radio so that they can call for help. They quickly learn that this is no ordinary jungle as they run across giant spiders, man-eating vines, dragons, and one very angry giant ape.
If that weren’t enough, the survivors also have to deal with some local natives (made up of brainwashed victims of past crashes) that are looking to feed some of them to the flying dragons as payment for protection from the ape.
Although the film has some problems, it is face-paced action that rises above some of the budget constraints, and delivers a fun “popcorn” movie. The film captures the spirit of the genre, and seems to combine elements of past Lost World adaptations along with other action arc types – such as King Solomon’s Mines.
Scott, who is best known for his horror films, handles the action/adventure genre nicely, and brings a movie that is a lot of fun to watch – even though it has some flaws. The director helped write the screenplay along with producer David Latt, and the film has his trademark sharp and often funny dialogue.
Although it is an action genre, the director makes sure to spill enough blood on screen to meet the expectations of his fans. The movie is a bit of a departure in tone from other Asylum films, but also is a step above other past productions from the studio. It illustrates that the studio is getting better with each new film made.
The actors all do a good job in making their roles believable, and their performances keep you enjoying the movie in some of the slower moments. Boxleitner, who portrays a military man on a special mission, brings some intensity to his role, and seems comfortable as the veteran among some of the younger actors. Giles, who has been in more than five Asylum movies, also does a good job in his short role, and shows why he is a favorite actor of the studio.
The film has some problems that might distract the audience or even take away from the overall enjoyment of the movie. The special effects are good at times, but suffer during other parts of the movie. Like the studio’s version of War of the Worlds, the effects are extremely good for a smaller budget movie, but at times seem a bit dated or don’t really mesh well with the movie.<!--page-->
Another problem with the film are parts of the plot. The film has a fairly straightforward story, and follows a classic action/adventure blueprint. It goes astray from time to time with fight scenes between Boxleitner and natives and the final fight between the survivors and the mean ape. While this doesn’t ruin the movie, it does give a chuckle from time to time where there shouldn’t be one.
The DVD comes with some decent special features including a look at the making of the film – which includes interviews with the actors and Scott; a visual effects feature – where they discuss bringing the creatures of the film to life; and a blooper reel – which shows just how much fun the cast and crew had making the movie.
By following past formulas for the action/adventure genre, King of the Lost World is a fun adventure film that delivers some “popcorn” enjoyment and a pretty good time.
Scott and his actors have fun with the movie, and the film is a nice addition to past movies that have come from the Asylum Home Entertainment studio. I would recommend it to any Asylum fan or anyone just wanting a movie that is fun to watch.
King of the Lost World is available for pre-order at Amazon for a Tuesday, Dec. 13th, release. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
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