Escape from Atlantis (1997 TV Movie) User Reviews

Pretty damn awful

[bullions27 · 1/10 · 27 March 2002]

I know it's a Power-Rangers gimmick and catered to 7 year olds but really why were they taking themselves seriously with this movie? If they are going to write a plot with crayons, at least have the decency to make it silly. It's kind of hilarious if you watch this. We have a typical family filled with cliched characters (father a war veteran who lost his wife and blames himself LOLOL), air-head children trying to hard to fill the stereotype but fails with horrendous acting, and a laughably horrid sidekick who serves no purpose to the movie but to fill camera space. Funny stuff!

However, the real great moment comes near the end when war-dad and bad-acting-villain try to work a sword fight, but then they realize none of them know how to (probably because no room in budget for choreographers), so they come up with this American Gladiator type setting to run around in. LOL.

1/10 rating because they try to treat this seriously.

yes, pretty damn awful

[stitham · 31 December 2005]

I was IN this movie--I have got the last line as the tourist--and agree it's pretty weak. It's not even on DVD. BUT just like your unfortunate-looking baby, it's got a warm spot in my heart. Basically it was made as a low-budget flick, $3 million, for Starz-Encore and they certainly got their money's worth as it's played a ton of times on Sci-Fi Channel and of course Starz-Encore. Filmed entirely on Oahu in the fall of 1996. The last scene of "Stonehenge" had some pillars of "stone" that were actually moving with the wind when we filmed! The lack of chemistry between the leading lady and man is laughable. I have not seen any of the leads in anything since.

Less than What I'd Hoped For...

[artetiegr · 1/10 · 26 June 2002]

While the overall idea of Escape from Atlantis was intriguing, I found the film to be far less than what I had hoped for upon reading the plot summery. Perhaps I am too much of a child in the technological age: the movie was made, as it is now 2002, an official five years ago --after viewing fantasy epics such as Lord of the Rings, and science fiction feats like Star Wars, as a whole it could not compare to other movies of similar line such as Dinotopia or Homer's The Odyssey.

My beef, basically, is that I couldn't relate --I am just about the same age of the children (a young adult), and have no trouble putting myself in the place of a middle-aged man if that is the character available. But the picture did not take me to a different mental plain of existence. I didn't find myself saying 'ACK! I would have done the SAME thing!'. It did not open the doors to my imagination. Even without comparing it to high-budget films or other TV movies, standing alone, certain aspects of the feature I found to be cliche: The character development in the children occurred too rapidly for my liking, seeing too much of the stereotypical selfish-teenager-bitter-after-divorce image changing into the we're-a-big-happy-family-let's-never-separate-again feel that can ultimately make or break a picture in the long run. Even the characters themselves could have undergone improvement: a typical set of one or the other stereotypes. There was the ever-present selfish beauty looking to be rebellious, accompanied by Mr. Perfect image of combining athletics, good looks and intelligence yet a brooding attitude, and lastly the smart-aleck little brother we find to be so common these days. While I know the personalities pushed the story along, I think that adding more individuality as far as nuances and more unique differences would have made it a more enjoyable --and believable (as far as character)-- movie.

I do have to raise my glass to the costume and set design --that made it worth finishing to the end for me. Don't get me wrong: all movies are worth seeing for yourself, and the opinion of one could never account for the opinion of many, but I think that with a little more depth to the script, and a little more (I cannot believe I am saying this) realness I dare say Escape from Atlantis could have been magical.

Love the cheese

[watchedtoomanybadmovies · 1/10 · 26 April 2004]

You gotta love the cheesy low budget movies. This one comes complete with bad effects, props and bad acting (really bad). Plus, every time I see Mercedes McNab (the sister) I keep thinking 'Watch out! She's a vamp!"- for those that know Buffy/Angel.

A perfect example of what happens when someone with bad taste and wants to waste money making a flick, the little that was spent of course. I don't know if I feel more sorry for the writer of the movie or the producer who didn't make back any money.

I'd say it's good for little kids in it's simplicity, but I don't know if I'd want to subject a kid to it...

umm...1/10 because that's the lowest it will go.

Too much fun to pass up

[MustardSorceress · 8/10 · 13 March 2005]

Escape from Atlantis is the best of the bad. I myself have seen it a few times just because I love it so much. Is the storyline predictable? Yes! Is the acting shabby? Absolutely! Are the characters clichéd? You betcha! Is it more fun to watch than most other crappy sci-fi/fantasy movies? Oh yeah! This is not the kind of movie you watch if you want to be dazzled by special effects or blinded by brilliance, but it is the kind of movie you watch if you just want to have some fun laughing at an incredibly shoddy piece of work. When one watches this movie, one has to wonder if the writer of the screenplay and the director deliberately made it so bad. If you don't appreciate this movie for its crap value, you don't get the joke.

hee hee hee hee

[sonobor · 18 August 2004]

My kids (14 and 11) laughed all the way through. Note: this is NOT a comedy. Some parts kind of grab you but this is really very campy. I was surprised to see this make the STARZ lineup. Still entertaining in an off sort of way.

The acting is mostly borderline amateur. Some of the lines delivered by Kristina Roper combined her hand gestures resulted in howling laughter. At times Kristina's acting was serviceable. She is stunningly beautiful. In one fight scene where Kristina is supposed to be attacking with a whip, her style looks more like she's doing a ring toss. Really great fun.

Speakman, the Dad, shows considerable prowess with swords. But most of the fight scenes are crazy low production. The action scenes being several levels below the original Lost in Space.

Better than it looks!

[joeym42887 · 10/10 · 6 January 2000]

Escape from Atlantis is a action packed movie with great story and Wonderful actors (mostly Mercedes McNab)! You really need to see it twice to really get into it!

The actors are fine. McNab is the whole movie along with Roper, Bloom,Speakmen, but Wilson is awful!

The movie is really good. The Action rocks and the blood and gore is not out of place! Pretty cool Computor effects and has a good plot and great screenplay!

See this movie!!! 8/10

The Worst Film Ever!

[Pharaoh-in-de-Nile · 13 March 2005]

This is the worst film I have ever seen in my life...it is too crap for words, its filled with dumb Nazis and various other stupid characters and the plot is just s**t.

The worst part is when they leave the captain of the ship stuck to this wall that you can never get unstuck from, and thus leave him to die in a horrible and slow way...all this with the usual 'funny' music that they always play on scenes like this in these dumb films.

Oh, and at the end they come up from Atlantis and end up at Stonehenge which is in southern England...who comes up with this crap.

Other 'scenes' include a brand new take on 'The Deerhunter' and a whole new meaning to the word 'dumb'.

I'm not even going to give this a '1(awful)' as this seems to good for this...

This film should be placed under the dictionary definitions of 'Stupid','Crap' and 'Waste of Time'....

Seriously don't waste your time watching this heap o' garbage!