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.

"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.

Virgil Vogel directed this science fiction yarn about a Naval expedition in the Antarctic(led by Jock Mahoney, William Reynolds, and Phil Harvey) along with a female reporter(played by Shirley Patterson) who land in a crater well below sea level that contains a prehistoric world containing dinosaurs(both on land and in the sea) as well as carnivorous plants and a deranged sole survivor(Dr. Hunter) of a previous expedition. Can they repair their helicopter in time to rendezvous with their ship, before they are stranded in this lethal land? Marginal film has good story but clichéd treatment and characters. Some model F/X are poor(the T-Rex) while others aren't bad at all(the sea dinosaur). Watchable as a rainy-day diversion, but little more, though is an understandable cult item.

A Navy expedition to Antartica crash lands its helicopter in a crater thousands of meters below sea level. Said expedition discovers a hot tropical landscape populated by savage prehistoric dinosaurs. Director Virgil Vogel, working from a tight and to the point script by Laszlo Gorog, relates the engrossing story at a steady pace, maintains a serious tone throughout, and stages the monster attack scenes with real flair and skill. The sound acting from the capable cast helps a lot: Jock Mahoney as the stalwart and erudite Commander Harold Robbins, the lovely Shawn Smith as spunky journalist Margaret Hathaway, William Reynolds as dashing helicopter pilot Lt. Jack Carmen, Henry Brandon as cunning, ruthless, and half-crazed sole previous expedition survivor Dr. Carl Hunter, Phil Harvey as easygoing mechanic Steven Miller, and Douglas Kennedy as the amiable Captain Burnham. Moreover, there's also a neat array of creatures roaming around the humid fog-shrouded subterranean world: A killer plant, a cute little monkey, two giant fighting lizards, a predatory lake beast, and a Tyrannosaurus rex that's obviously some poor shmoe in a laughably lousy suit. Ellis W. Carter's crisp widescreen black and white cinematography gives the picture a pleasingly expansive and atmospheric look. The robust'n'rousing stock film library score does the stirring trick. Best of all, this movie is done with a certain sweetly innocent wide-eyed sincerity that's impossible to either dislike or resist. A hugely enjoyable picture.