Prisoners of the Lost Universe (1983)

User Rating:

4.1/10   

Director:

Terry Marcel

Writers:

Terry Marcel (screenplay)
Terry Marcel (story)

Release Date:

15 August 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Three people are transported into a parallel universe. There they find that they must use modern technology, but medieval weapons, in order to save the citizenry from a murderous warlord.

Plot Keywords:

Caveman | Future | Monster | Teleportation

Cast

Richard Hatch	...	Dan
Kay Lenz	...	Carrie Madison
John Saxon	...	Kleel
Peter O'Farrell	...	Malachi
Ray Charleson	...	The Greenman
Kenneth Hendel	...	Dr. Hartmann
Philip Van der Byl	...	The Manbeast
Larry Taylor	...	Vosk
Dawn Abraham	...	Shareen
Ron Smerczak	...	Head Trader
Charles Comyn	...	Treet
Ian Steadman	...	1st Prisoner
Bill Flynn	...	2nd Prisoner
Danie Voges	...	Giant Nabu
Myles Robertson	...	Waterbeast

Runtime:

90 min | USA:94 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 | Iceland:12 | Australia:PG | Norway:16 | Finland:K-14

Company:

Marcel/Robertson Productions Limited

Trivia:

Released theatrically internationally, but debuted on cable in the United States.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Although the opening scenes are set in Los Angeles, both leads are seen to be driving right-hand steering vehicles.

Quotes:

Carrie Madison: [Carrie and Dan are climbing a cliff, and Dan helps her up by pushing on her bottom] I am quite able to do this by myself, so if you don't mind, please take your hand off my butt!

High fun, low budget

This is by no stretch of the imagination a good movie. It is incredibly low-budget, and that leaves the OK(ish) acting badly exposed. That said, I thoroughly loved it!

To enjoy this movie you really have to be able to overlook the low budget. The "effects" are bad. Really bad. The alien dimension is an exact replica of Earth. The sets could come straight from a spaghetti western (perhaps they did). The "monsters" are people in mild fancy dress. The fight scenes are amateurish, and made more "exciting" by running the film faster. A three year old child could spot it without even trying. However, if you can accept the shortfalls for what they are – the result of an extremely low budget and an overreaching ambition – and allow yourself to ride with the tide, you will enjoy this film.

The saving graces come in the form of a fun script and Kay Lenz.

The script is not magnificently written, but the dialogue is fun and counterpoints many amusing incidents in the storyline. I won't highlight any incidents as I want this post to remain spoiler-free. However, if you relax into this movie and roll with it you will discover them for yourself when you find yourself laughing out loud – and you will perhaps be surprised that you are laughing with the movie, not at it.

Kay Lenz is also fun. If you like your heroines good looking and feminine but sparky, you will love her character. Having a female lead character in a film who looks like this, and is possessed of intelligence and verve, will always add a certain frisson for many male viewers.

I always find that one of the marks of a movie that has been particularly enjoyable is that at the ending I am surprised that so much time has passed whilst I was watching. This film met that criterion. It is refreshing to find this in a low-budget movie after sitting through some Hollywood blockbuster or other wondering how much longer it will be before the interminable film ends.

If you want to watch a fun bubblegum movie, and you are willing and able to overlook a budget so low that it hits you in the face thirty times per minute of running time, take a look at this film. You will have fun.