An evil magician seeks to gain power by obtaining a magic rose. A peasant boy and a prince join forces to stop him.
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Title: Arabian Adventure (1979)
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3 nominations.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Christopher Lee | ... | Caliph Alquazar | |
| Milo O'Shea | ... | Khasim | |
| Oliver Tobias | ... | Prince Hasan | |
| Emma Samms | ... | Princess Zuleira | |
 |
Puneet Sira | ... | Majeed |
| Peter Cushing | ... | Wazir Al Wuzara | |
| Capucine | ... | Vahishta | |
| Mickey Rooney | ... | Daad El Shur | |
| John Wyman | ... | Bahloul | |
| John Ratzenberger | ... | Achmed | |
| Shane Rimmer | ... | Abu | |
| Suzanne Danielle | ... | Eastern Dancer | |
|
|
Elisabeth Welch | ... | Beggarwoman (as Elizabeth Welch) |
| Hal Galili | ... | Asaf | |
| Art Malik | ... | Mamhoud (as Athar Malik) | |
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Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
An evil magician seeks to gain power by obtaining a magic rose. A peasant boy and a prince join forces to stop him.
Taglines:
FANTASTIC MOVIE MAGIC See more »Parents Guide:
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
19 July 1979 (UK) See more »Also Known As:
Majic and the Empire of Evil See more »Filming Locations:
Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UKCompany Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Sound Mix:
DolbyColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Brian Hayles, who wrote the screenplay, died before the release of the film; Keith Miles's novelisation for Mirror Books was dedicated to his memory. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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An unimaginative title is a pre-warning that this movie isn't much cop, and it even makes Kevin Connor's previous outings - which include the incredibly tacky AT THE EARTH'S CORE - look like Oscar contenders. A kiddie fantasy film full of stock characters, an overload of cheap effects work, poor comedy, and cardboard sets conspire to sink it from the start. I usually get a kick out of this genre, but everything is so by-the-book and unimaginative - did I mention cheap? - that it just doesn't offer up any interest whatsoever. Even the fight scenes are boring.
The biggest disgrace is the waste of a good cast in this dull outing. Whoever decided to cast Milo O'Shea (THEATRE OF BLOOD) as an Irish Arab needs shooting, but that's just the start of the problems that plague this movie. Oliver Tobias (COBRA MISSION) is handsome but ineffectual as the leading man, his acting weak. Christopher Lee makes one of those embarrassing latter-day performances that plague his career (POLICE ACADEMY 7 anyone?) as the evil Sultan, Alquazar, but the film doesn't stretch his talents at all - instead he just looks bored, with silly headgear, a villain distinctly lacking in villainy.
Elsewhere we have a bland love interest, an annoying cute Indian kid and his pet monkey, a before-he-was-famous appearance from Art Malik, and of course wasted turns from British character actors including Shane Rimmer. Even Peter Cushing puts in a cameo role as a prisoner (!), only two years after STAR WARS and he was reduced to this level - a sad state of affairs.
The special effects are typically appalling, the nadir being the magic carpet rides which are achieved via some really poor and unconvincing back projection. There's supposed to be a "chase" between these carpets, but they move at a snail's pace so any excitement is non-existent. There's also a sandstorm in which people supposedly fly through the air but are instead suspended by really obvious wires and a giant genie which is just a bald overweight man with his face painted blue superimposed over the background. What the?!
On the plus side, there's a cool scene in which three mechanical fire-breathing monsters appear over the top of a mountain range to menace our heroes like they're come from some Toho flick, some interesting matte work and good location scenery, and colour filters which give the setting an other-worldly look. Unfortunately these aren't enough; ARABIAN ADVENTURE is a waste of talent and money, and a sad reminder of the level British cinema had fallen to by 1979.