Tuesday, May 07, 2013

Overlooked Movies: Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold

You don't have to hide your sneers. I know what you're thinking, and I don't blame you a bit.  You're thinking that anybody who'd watch this movie after having seen King Solomon's Mines with the same two stars is crazy.  I'm not disagreeing.

I do, however, have an excuse or two.  For one thing, I just can't resist movies about lost cities and lost civilization, no matter how bad they are (and make no mistake, this one is even worse than King Solomon's Mines).  Also, this one has Cassandra (Elvira) Peterson in it. That alone would be a good reason to watch, right?  

Don't ask me what James Earl Jones is doing here.  He must really have needed the money.  And then there's Henry Silva, who pretty much steals the movie (as if he'd want it) as the over-the-top nutjob ruler of the lost city.  The special effects are even worse than the ones in King Solomon's Mines.  Laughable, in fact.  If I didn't know better, I'd think Ed Wood, Jr., had been sitting in the director's chair for this movie.

So this is a good movie to overlook.  On the other hand, if you're in the right mood, you might find it perversely amusing.  Silva is fun.  And there's Elvira.  Maybe I should . . . no, never mind.  You watch it.  I'll watch something else.

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