You have to admire Cannon films for this mid 1980s effort. They really tried hard to make a blockbuster in to tap into the Indiana Jones effect and make a competing franchise based on a classic Victorian era action/adventure story. A great cast headed by Richard Chamberlain, a pre-stardom Sharon Stone, the great Herbert Lom and John Rhys-Davies (who also appears in Raiders of the Lost Ark) as well as a veteran British director, J Lee Thompson, a man with many critically acclaimed action movies to his name, this film pulls out all the stops to try and rival the Spielberg classic.
However, despite the set-up, the film falls short. It bears little resemblance to it's source material (since when has Quartermain had an American accent?), in places there are some shonky visual effects indicating budget restrictions, some cringeworthy dialogue said by Chamberlain & Stone, and superficial character development that feels a bit hollow. Chamberlain and Stone try hard but the chemistry between them does not feel natural.
There is still some fun to be had, the film moves along at a decent pace, in part thanks to a terrific orchestral score, and youngsters may enjoy the action sequences (some of which border on absurd) and Herbert Lom is always fun to watch and seems to be enjoying his comic book villain role. The film is competently directed but it is possible to see that the film was hampered by a tight budget, especially in post production. In fact Cannon film productions were known for cost cutting and whilst this film had ambition, it is hampered by compromise and a script that could have done with another polish to tidy up some of the rough edges and occasional clumsy, if unintentional, racism.
If you take the film on it's own merits there's fun to be had but it is still a pale imitation of what it had hoped to emulate. Richard Chamberlain is likeable enough but he doesn't quite have the same movie star magic that Harrison Ford carries, the star in waiting Sharon Stone is quite watchable and would go on to do bigger and better things as we all know, Rhys Davies plays a less likeable version of the 'Salah' type character he played in the Spielberg film and Herbert Lom is the reliable, solid character actor he always was.
Watch it for what it is and you may enjoy it but it is very hard to avoid the comparisons with what it is trying to copy.
However, despite the set-up, the film falls short. It bears little resemblance to it's source material (since when has Quartermain had an American accent?), in places there are some shonky visual effects indicating budget restrictions, some cringeworthy dialogue said by Chamberlain & Stone, and superficial character development that feels a bit hollow. Chamberlain and Stone try hard but the chemistry between them does not feel natural.
There is still some fun to be had, the film moves along at a decent pace, in part thanks to a terrific orchestral score, and youngsters may enjoy the action sequences (some of which border on absurd) and Herbert Lom is always fun to watch and seems to be enjoying his comic book villain role. The film is competently directed but it is possible to see that the film was hampered by a tight budget, especially in post production. In fact Cannon film productions were known for cost cutting and whilst this film had ambition, it is hampered by compromise and a script that could have done with another polish to tidy up some of the rough edges and occasional clumsy, if unintentional, racism.
If you take the film on it's own merits there's fun to be had but it is still a pale imitation of what it had hoped to emulate. Richard Chamberlain is likeable enough but he doesn't quite have the same movie star magic that Harrison Ford carries, the star in waiting Sharon Stone is quite watchable and would go on to do bigger and better things as we all know, Rhys Davies plays a less likeable version of the 'Salah' type character he played in the Spielberg film and Herbert Lom is the reliable, solid character actor he always was.
Watch it for what it is and you may enjoy it but it is very hard to avoid the comparisons with what it is trying to copy.