The Treasure of Jamaica Reef (1974) User Reviews

Boring & Slow Moving

[chris_gaskin123 · 3/10 · 22 December 2009]

I picked up a copy of this movie on VHS last year (2008) as it looked interesting after reading the cover, I was certainly wrong about that! I found this to be one of the most boring movies I've ever seen, very slow moving and poor quality too.

But, it has one good point, excellent underwater photography which kept me watching it.

Not a bad cast too, including Stephen Boyd (Fantastic Voyage), David Ladd and Cheryl Ladd.

A boring 75 minutes, worth watching only for the underwater photography.

Rating: 2 stars out of 5.

Original Title: "Secrets Of Jamaica Reef"

[web101 · 3/10 · 8 October 2006]

The original working and first release title (co-feature with "Witch Mountain") by Buena Vista was "Secrets Of Jamaica Reef".

Cheryl Ladd was credited as Cheryl Stoppelmoor, because that was her name when working on the film. She met David Ladd -=on=- this film and married (after his divorce) later! Not that the film is any better for it, but the original was almost totally filmed on location in Jamaica. It was 'spiced up' with later 'additions' such as those commented upon by the first review.

Daily'd, Sync'd and Edited in Jamaica.

JA - Production Sound Mixer

Sadly not the hidden 70's treasure I hoped for

[Coventry · 3/10 · 26 June 2010]

I honestly don't get it! How is it possible that this movie was so dreadfully boring in spite of all the indicators of pure 70's entertainment? Look at all the potentially great stuff here: we have a plot about cursed treasures in sunken galleons, the robust macho actor Stephen Boyd, marvelously exotic Granada filming locations, Jordan Ladd's equally astounding mother Cheryl in a tiny bikini, shark attacks and boat explosions! Adventure movies like this are practically a guaranteed success, yet somehow director Virginia L. Stone managed to ruin the formula entirely. How? Through a combination of inexplicably slow pacing, completely inappropriate slapstick elements and a ridiculous Benny Hill-esquire score and the overuse of irritating clichés (like villains with atrocious German accents). At the scene of a crime, homicide inspector Hugo Graham finds an ancient treasure map that supposedly carries a curse with it. All the previous nine owners of the map died violent deaths, regardless of whether they even attempted to track down the treasure or not. Fascinated by the mystery, Graham takes a photocopy of the map and mobilizes four of his friends to go treasure hunting during his annual vacation. As if the film itself isn't boring enough yet, there's also Boyd's completely unnecessary and monotonous narration. The action sequences and stunts are poorly handled, stupid and too obviously fake. All the available budget for this movie clearly went to the waterproof camera equipment and location hunters. Admittedly the underwater photography is impressive and the Jamaica/Granada locations look like postcards, with their crystal blue waters, colorful reefs and tropical sandy beaches.

"Suspense filled adventure-drama"??? You have got to be kidding!

[planktonrules · 1/10 · 18 January 2019]

"The Treasure of Jamaica Reef" is a terrible film from start to finish. It is cheap, poorly made and dull....and those are among its better qualities. The story often is told through narration instead of actually showing or doing anything and the movie just looks cheap and awful.

The story is about a search for a sunken galleon in the Port Royal area of Jamaica, a town that sank into the sea during the 17th century. Much of it filmed in nearby Falmouth as well as in the reefs nearby.

The only interesting aspect of the film was interesting to me because I got to see what diving in the 1970s looked like AND I just visited Falmouth the day before I watched the movie...and I still gave it a 1! For the average person, it would only be worse!!

Your Unborn Kids Won't Forgive You

[TheDrizzle77 · 4 May 2008]

I cannot even give this a one because it would be too high of a rating. For the exception of some serious Cheryl Ladd boobage, this thing was quite possibly the worst film ever made, and the directors/writers should be completely and utterely embarrassed. Make sure if you watch this, you have no sharp objects, a tie or rope, or a big bowl of water, because you will want to hang, drown and stab yourself to try and ease the pain of watching this.

Quite literally you could sit and stare at a wall, and that wall would tell a better story than what this movie will do for you. You can't even use your imagination because by watching this, your mind is completely dormant and you will have no thought process until you manage to summon the remote to change the channel.

Your feelings will be hurt, your kids will hate you, your friends will never speak to you again and your wife or husband will leave you for somebody else if you are caught watching this "masterpiece." Do yourself a favor and please don't watch this incredible piece of crap. It is the equivalent of going to the strip club only to watch the DJ, to try and nail jello at the wall, to pick up women at the bar with a coors cutter (non-alcoholic) beer in your hand. None of it makes sense and neither does this movie. SAVE YOURSELF!!!!

Scenes we'll never see in any movie.

[wackits · 1/10 · 11 October 1998]

It's a bad movie but It has a couple of really awful scenes:

1) Bad man get face grilled on a open bit bar-b-que grill. His face was well done in 3 seconds.

2)During a fight, a grenade explodes in the boat. Does anyone die? NO Does anyone get hurt? NO What happens? The shockwave of the explosion throws everyone into the water and the fight continues....

Pure Garbage!

[KillYourTV · 1/10 · 13 January 2007]

This has got to be, without a doubt, the worst movie I have ever seen! I tried watching it for a little 70's nostalgia....but it was just too bad (I'll stick to movies from the 40's and 50's thank you!).

The soundtrack was nothing but annoying noise...the writing bland; the story was absurd (Yeah...like this group of doofuses could even walk down a street without getting mugged, much less find a treasure!) and the acting made the Brady Bunch seem Shakespearian by comparison! If I had walked in on this movie, I would've thought it was a skit making fun of 70's movies...only it's not funny. I was wishing all the characters would just get a good case of the bends and disappear!

Painful to sit through - an unwatchable mess.

[Wilbur-10 · 1/10 · 1 February 2003]

A cobbled together non-film, which ranks as one of the most tedious 75 minutes I have ever spent.

The story, for what its worth, concerns a cop who comes into the possession of a cursed treasure map - he takes a vacation and jets off to the Caribbean to try and find the sunken treasure.

There may be more to the plot than this, but it would be impossible to tell from watching this utter shambles of a film - the increasingly random and meaningless scenes are tenuously held together by voice-over explanations. Arbitrary underwater footage is used whenever the stitched together dialogue scenes go off at too great a tangent.

The search for the treasure totters along until the spare footage runs out and we have the cop returning to his desk delivering some banal story wrap-up.

Don't misunderstand me, I am a lover of rubbish films, but 'Evil in the Deep' doesn't even register on my scale as a film in the proper sense - there is no characterisation, no dialogue of any consequence, no continuity, no token nudity, no nothing ! ! Even Cheryl Ladd (billed as Cheryl Stoppelmoor) in a bikini can't save this from sinking like a brick.

As the video cover states - "Rips your Nerves to Shreds" - too right! I was a gibbering wreck after being subjected to this water torture. I can't figure out how to quantify just how bad this film is, but 'Jaws IV The Revenge' is at least 10 times better.

jumbled garbage

[sandcrab277 · 3/10 · 18 March 2019]

It can't be a thriller because everyone on the planet knows they are treasure hunting ... it can't be a love story because there are no lovers ...someone said it was great because you got to see cheryl ladds boobage ... i've seen them in the raw and they don't look near as good as propped up by an underwire bra ... someone else said the underwater photography was fantastic, compared to what ? ... every foot of the film i saw was out of focus on land as well as in the water ... where you are diving is never a big secret as air bubbles always give you away ...if you want to see a treasure dive film that is beautifully done, see the deep (1977) with nick nolte and jacqueline bisset .. at least she has the real goods to show and you can rely on eli wallach and louis gossett to be the really evil crooks

Jumping the Shark

[wes-connors · 2/10 · 27 June 2010]

On October 15, 1971, aeronautical engineer Stephen Boyd (as Hugo Graham), computer expert David Ladd (as Joshua "Josh" Owens), and market analyst Chuck Woolery (as Victor "Vic" Spivak) receive a call from beautiful blonde Cheryl Stoppelmoor (as "Zappy"). She must have asked them to "Jump the Shark!" because they immediately leave San Francisco for more dangerous waters. In Jamaica, they hook up with blond teenager Darby Hinton (imaginatively cast as "Darby") and Rosey Grier (as "Asper"). Then, the team scuba dives for a 200-year-old fortune in sunken gold.

Insert plenty of cheesy, sleep-inducing narration with music.

It's impossible to believe director Virginia Stone approved of this consistently boring, choppy film, which looks like it was edited by a blind squirrel in a dark room. It's interesting only as a chance to see the cast in swimsuits. Mr. Boyd approaches middle-age in great form. Mr. Ladd looks model perfect (though the camera doesn't really find him much). Mr. Woolery looks thin in scenes with Rosey Greer. And, Mr. Hinton shows why he won a 16 Magazine "Adonis of the Month" page. But, the winner is Ms. Stoppelmoor, who deliciously busts out of her bikini - she and David were an attractive mix.

** The Treasure of Jamaica Reef (3/75) Virginia L. Stone ~ Stephen Boyd, Cheryl Ladd, Darby Hinton, David Ladd

A Total Waste of a Gorgeous Actress and Some Beautiful Island Scenery

[Uriah43 · 3/10 · 3 December 2020]

This film essentially begins with a small group of five treasure hunters getting together to search for a sunken Spanish galleon off the coast of Jamaica. To find the galleon they first have to locate a nearby cave that the Spanish may have used to deposit some of their gold coins and once that's found they can then use current technology to help them detect the sunken ship. What they don't know is that a couple of other treasure hunters are carefully monitoring their progress and they have no scruples when it comes to acquiring the gold all to themselves. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film had all of the ingredients necessary to be a successful picture with a decent cast, an interesting plot and beautiful scenery to work with. Unfortunately, the slow pacing, basic script and the semi-documentary manner used negated all of the good points. So essentially, the gorgeous island scenery and the beauty of Cheryl Ladd (as "Zappy") were essentially wasted. In short, this was a rather dull film and I have rated it accordingly. Below average.

A pleasant diversion

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 24 May 2006]

I own a G-rated alternate cut of this film entitled "The Treasure of Jamaica Reef;" I watched it and found it to be a very pleasant and enjoyable diversion. A motley assortment of intrepid and adventurous divers who include Stephen Boyd as the laid-back leader, a pre-"Charlie's Angels" Cheryl Ladd as the token feisty hottie chick, the hulking Rosey Grier as a gregarious steamboat captain and Darby Hinton as a brash young kid go searching in the Caribbean sea for a sunken Spanish galleon which contains a fortune in gold coins. Naturally, finding said galleon and retrieving the coins proves to be an extremely difficult and challenging task.

Virginia Stone's snappy direction, working from J.A.S. McCombie's lively, colorful script, keeps the nonstop pace hurtling along throughout, maintains a charmingly breezy'n'easy goofy tone, elicits spirited performances from an amiable cast, and stages several stirring action set pieces with considerable panache (a rousing car chase, some rough'n'tumble fisticuffs and a thrilling beat-the-clock rescue operation are the definite highlights). The lovely, picturesque widescreen cinematography (the underwater photography is especially breathtaking and impressive), the gorgeous Jamiacan locations, Christopher Stone's bouncy score, and the spectacular sight of the tiny, delectable Ms. Ladd in a skimpy bikini further add to the infectiously frothy merriment. An engagingly silly and good-natured piece of lightweight fluff.

This film is a Treasure

[robbiereilly · 5/10 · 29 August 2009]

OK, well, not really, but I DID enjoy it. Yes, I did. And I even watched it online, streaming, so the copy was even worse than the poor quality VHS hinted at in other comments. But, heck, I loved it. Sure it's clunky, silly, and ridiculous, but it's fun! So, count me in!

Cheryl Ladd, Stephen Boyd, Chuck Woolery, Rosie Grier and that hugely awkward wood barrel van! They all put a smile on my face. And maybe yours too! Don't take life so seriously. When it comes to movies, music and art, relax, take it in, and don't take anybody's word for anything. Experience them all yourself.

Would you trust another person, a stranger, to tell you what music to listen to? I didn't think so. So, you shouldn't do it with any film and not with this film, either. So, like I said, check it out. You may find yourself smiling before you know it.

HOW COULD THAT MOVIE BE SO BAD ????

[anne-marie-leblic · 9 May 2004]

I watched at that movie as a fan of Stephen Boyd, and I was also interested by the fact that he personally participated to the production. I have to be honest, the movie that I have seen is not good. I saw a new tape purchased on the web and issued by a regular company. Is it a right one ? So many tapes are recorded from TV re-issues, with a blurry picture and cuts, that I would like to get the point of view of somebody who had really attented at a performance at the time it came out. The critics of the movie in 1976 were not so bad. Where is the truth ?

The shots, under the water are really beautiful. The fact that advertising made at the time of the movie are speaking of "jaws" and that I saw just a few sharks makes me definitly think that we are facing a short version and that we have to be careful with our judgment. The VHS would have had to quote on their jackets when they are coming from TV copies and not from the original film.

Formula treasure picture

[Chase_Witherspoon · 4/10 · 30 April 2011]

Detective Boyd is called to the scene of a bloody homicide tied to the disappearance of an ancient and cursed treasure map. So, as the narrative explains, with imminent long service leave, the amateur scuba diver enlists the skills of a group of likeminded boffins to search for the elusive and dangerous cargo. As you'd expect, other more sinister interests also embark on the hunt, looking to capitalize on any discoveries the team makes. But all is jeopardized by the presence of several sharks, fiercely protective of the tainted booty.

Ostensibly a treasure hunting movie, there's much emphasis placed on the planning and execution of the hunt, moreover than effective action. The characters perform brain surgery on the task, which would be ideal if one were watching a salvage operation documentary as opposed to a feature film. In point of fact, while a large, menacing shark features prominently on the dust cover to the DVD, you'll only see two actual attacks in the movie. Fortunately, the second of these is worth the wait, for those who enjoy shark-related dismemberments. The affable Boyd is now well below the pinnacle of his Hollywood star, but appears no less enthusiastic about the dull pace and lack of momentum. Future Charlie's Angels starlet Cheryl Ladd is bright and bubbly, but can provide little in the way of depth to the laboured proceedings.

So with one cadaver and a solitary severed limb off a bad guy chalked up to the sharks, it's not the feeding frenzy you might have expected from the dust cover. Perhaps there is an as yet undiscovered longer print in which the sharks feature more prominently, such is the 104 minutes running time published on some dust covers. And then again, perhaps be thankful there isn't.

Amateurish above water, dull below water

[gridoon2024 · 4/10 · 11 February 2013]

I can think of only three demographics that "The Treasure Of Jamaica Reef" might possibly appeal to:

1) Cheryl Ladd completists. It is indeed one of her earliest screen roles, and she already has some of the qualities she brought to her most famous role, Kris Munroe: she is cute, adventurous and infectiously enthusiastic. However, she is off screen for large sections of this movie.

2) Fanatics of extended underwater sequences. They sure will get their fill here.

3) Insomniacs. This movie will solve their persistent problem!

Other than that, "Treasure Of Jamaica Reef" is a curio at best. Maybe the "Evil In The Deep" version (with sharks added!) is an improvement, but I doubt it. *1/2 out of 4.

Under water and under the radar

[georgewilliamnoble · 5/10 · 16 February 2023]

When a film needs a narration for no obvious reason you know yoou are in trouble and that is how this movie begins. Now it is clear from the first moments that this is a super low budget film wth some serious pacing issues waisting time on some humour and sub plots then when it does get to adventure part towards the end it is all very rushed. All that said and the script hardly helps this movie becomes far better when it goes under water where there is soome genuine drama as well as under sea beauty to admire. While no masterpiece thats for sure I found the fact that it had a let's make a movie while on a great holiday feel to it, I rather enjoyed it in the end,

Oh Stephen, why?

[BandSAboutMovies · 3/10 · 27 November 2023]

Stephen Boyd only lived to see 45, but the guy had the kind of life that could fill several others, what with starring in epics like Ben-Hur, nearly drowned in the Ardèche river and shared a camp with cannibals for the movie The Big Gamble, was censored for his near-nudity in GIna Lollobigida's dream project Imperial Venus and traveled the world to be in movies like Genghis Khan (Yugoslavia), The Bible (Egypt), Assignment K (Germany), Shalako (Spain), Slaves (the supposedly haunted Buena Vista plantation near Shreveport, Louisiana), The Hands of Cormac Joyce (Australia) and The Manipulator (South Africa). He was also in wild movies like The Oscar and Fantastic Voyage; was one of the first celebrities to be involved in Scientology with a status of OT 6, a position above that of Clear; was spoken of by many to be incredibly friendly and spent much of his time on sets with the crew and oh yeah, he was so close with Brigitte Bardot that one of her husbands left her. He was also married in a gypsy blood ritual to Marisa Mell, a relationship so intense that they had an exorcism to stop their passion. Boyd was also the only actor to have a relationship on set with Dolores Hart before she became a nun; they remained in contact for the rest of his life. He finally married Elizabeth Mills, who had been his personal assistant for over twenty years, in 1974. Sadly, he died of a heart attack in 1977 while golfing with his wife. He would have been in The Wild Geese had he lived.

Stephen Boyd stars in this movie as Hugo Graham, who is asked by Zappy (she's in the credits as Cheryl Stoppelmoor, but the world would soon know her as Cheryl Ladd) to join her and her friend Victor Spivak (Chuck Woolery, before he hosted game shows) to explore a wrecked ship. She even has a boat, captained by Asper (Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier).

Ladd married her husband David - also in this movie - before it was released in the U. S. And yes, that is Darby Hinton in there. And Commandant Mauser himself, Art Metrano.

This was directed by Virginia Lively Stone and written by John Walker and J. A. S. McCrombie, who also wrote Stone's other two movies, Money to Burn and Run If You Can.

Twelve months later, Jaws was a big deal. So the filmmakers brought back Boyd, added some gore, some skin and a new title, Evil In the Deep. They took what was a G-rated movie and made it R-rated and I love them for it.

It's safe to go back in the water.

[ansell-72879 · 2/10 · 11 November 2020]

Evil in the Deep is a contemporary treasure hunt pot boiler. Contemporary in this instance means early 1970s. Don't worry a unique dotage awaits us all. In my own case the decades do seem to run into each other.

This film doesn't really need another negative review but I've invested 105 minutes so have earned the right.

The film only has one plus, Cheryl Ladd, three years before 1977s Charlie's Angels. She was always the thinking man's favourite Angel and is certainly mine. Stephen Boyd, the male lead was starting to drift into Italian sagas at about this time. I'm not certain as to how the thinking woman feel about him.

The review? A wooden, clumsy, transparent production which lacks decisive direction, believable characterization, anything like production values nor a credible narrative. Of course none of this applies to Cheryl Ladd. The director, Virginia L. Stone who passed away in 1997, directed three movies all on a par with The Treasure of Jamaica Reef. Run if You Can, is about a woman who accidentally sees a snuff film via her satellite dish. Money to Burn explores the escapades of a school counsellor and two of his clients who decide to rob a bank. Stone's other area of cinematic endeavour was editing. Let's hope that she was better at this.

To make matters worse the dvd copy I have is put out by Flashback Entertainment, a discount dvd manufacturer here in Australia. The quality of the 'print' is appalling. It is grainy to the point barely being watchable in parts and the sound is what you would expect given what is appearing on screen.

I can only suspect that there was some sort of State or Federal tax right off or financial incentive for film production at this time.

Even so, it does have Cheryl Ladd in it.

Why?

[milescorn · 8/10 · 14 February 2002]

Ok I know what you are thinking, why did i give this movie an 8, I'll tell you why. I saw this film on the big screan about four years ago, a theatre I worked at owned a copy of this awful film, but the underwater shots are very good, the plot very week, and it has a pre gameshow Chuck w. in it, the last scean is good when a guy runs over someone for the map, other than the scenery, it is a poor film,hard to find, but only see it on the big screen.

More like fools' gold

[Wizard-8 · 8 April 2013]

"The Treasure Of Jamaica Reef" has some interesting attributes. It has a once in a lifetime cast - what other movie has Cheryl Ladd, Darby Hinton, Rosey Grier, Chuck Woolery, and Stephen Boyd all together in one movie? The movie also boasts an unusual musical score, mostly electronic music. Also, the narration and the direction frequently give the movie a documentary-like feeling. All this stuff does make the movie interesting here and there, but as a whole, is the movie entertaining? Unfortunately, it isn't. The best I can say for the movie is that it has some nice underwater photography. It's a real slow-moving movie, and even in a couple of instances when it realizes things are boring and adds some action, it still isn't that exciting. Another problem is that the characters are really thin, and it's hard to care about their treasure quest. Though the movie doesn't sink like a stone, it's definitely very waterlogged.

Cursed Treasure Hunt, 70's Style.

[roddmatsui · 25 July 2004]

This was released on a widescreen VHS tape by Anchor Bay a few years back, and if you're a fan of silly, slowly-paced, violent 70's films, you may find it to be fun.

This is a fairly standard treasure hunt film in which some decent people decide to photocopy a supposedly cursed map ("If there was a curse, it could hardly go through a copy machine," the narrator confidently explains) and go looking for the sunken cache of gold. Nice underwater footage of rotting old boats, sharks, coral, and various kinds of grody sea scum. It seems that the diving footage was captured first, and the script then written around it; the film subsequently made with actors wearing diving suits that matched those of the divers in the original footage. At least, that's what it looks like to me. If that is the case, it's pulled off fairly well.

Film is notable, or maybe not, for its 70's-style mean-spirited violence, which provides for some fairly graphic and shocking moments, including sharks munching on a girl, and a face burned on a barbecue. This was before sophisticated gore effects were in vogue, and so most of the violence is achieved with simple makeup and bright red opaque 70's blood poured all over the place. The intent to startle is clearly there.

As mentioned in another review, there is a G-rated cut of the film available, in case you'd like to see the treasure-hunt stuff without the gruesome, gory violence. This shorter cut isn't too bad either!

Not high art, but it's not a bad movie, really, just a bit of low-budget exploitation.

Boring, poorly acted, nice underwater photography

[vchimpanzee · 31 August 2006]

In the scenes under water, this movie came across as one of those bad films we had to watch in school--poor audio, home-movie quality video, bad new age music, boring narration. But the plant and animal life in the sea was amazing, and quite well photographed. And when the "treasure" was changed from buried gold to coffins on a sunken ship, I thought the photography of the wreck was also good.

Once we got out of the water, the underwater scenes seemed like a masterpiece. I was starting to wonder (since I arrived late) whether this was a college or independent project where someone followed around a group of friends. No, there were villains, and no documentary would have had scenes with only the villains. It was a pleasure to see some potential for conflict, because at least these people could act, unlike our heroes.

Cheryl Ladd had beautiful long blonde hair and looked good in a bikini, though she usually wore more, which was a shame. If her character was supposed to be intelligent or have special skills, I couldn't tell. For the ladies, Darby Hinton usually wore only a swimsuit.

I will say that the quality of the music improved at times, because it sometimes included fine classical piano in the style of Ferrante and Teicher or Roger Williams. Even the alien noises that usually dominated might be considered quality by the coffee house poetry crowd.

And the narration also seemed to improve. The only good writing seemed to be the narrator's, bordering on poetic at times.

I do need to single out one scene. In a James Bond movie, this type of situation is a staple and often spellbinding. Here, it was poorly executed, poorly edited, and quite confusing. I finally realized what was going on, but in a good movie it would be obvious.

This could have been quite a fascinating movie. Instead, it probably should have stayed buried.

My main problem with this movie is the sound track

[davis-9 · 26 March 2003]

My main problem with this movie is the sound track. The sound track on this movie sounds like it was recorded with a portable tape recorder. The punches sound like people slapping their hands together . Also the cheesy piano music sounds like lounge music.