Hottoceame The Age of Commercialism

Nonureva Really Surprised!

Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

thestarkfist Wow! Here's a movie that really really breaks the goofy meter! This Italian epic chronicles the madcap antics of Yotar, king of fabled Atlantis and power-mad science maven. Thru the misapplied use of the advanced Atlantean technology Yotar is able to control the wills of almost everybody on the continent. At one point in the movie it is claimed that Yotar rules the entire planet! Amazing that he would still have time to make babies what with all the responsibilities that running the world must incur, but apparently that is the case because Yotar has a young son that he is determined to make immortal, no matter what the cost. Yotar future is looking so bright he has to wear shades at the beginning of the flick, but things are about to drastically change, for journeying across the vast wasteland that is Atlantis is steroid-popping Obro and his family, who are on their way to Metropolis, the capital city, to warn Yotar that his egregious scientific folly will bring down horrible destruction on them all! You can read more about the plot in the other reviews of this bizarre little cowflop of a film. I'll just offer a few observations. First, Atlantean science. These guys are so far advanced that they are able to generate a magnetic death ray that strips the flesh from the bones of men, and yet gunpowder seems to have eluded them. Once inside the walls of Metropolis the palace guards have to wield absurd looking spears and daggers with many twisted looking blades. Not a Colt 45 or hand grenade in sight! Kinda silly, eh wot?Second, the production design. Some of the other reviewers have praised the sets, etc. in this spunky little number, but here again, silly rules the day. The interiors of the city are little more than long hallways dotted with many pointy arches. There are no windows of any kind except in the room where the king keeps his young son prisoner, so most of the movie features these dark and airless interiors that are so depressing that it's surprising that most of Atlantis hasn't committed suicide long before Obro's arrival! The costumes are even more of a hoot. Obro, of course, is clad in a tight miniskirt with a thick belt, as befits any third rate Hercules clone. The Atlantean nobility wear these bizarre quilted fashions that are bunched and gathered in absurd places. They look both uncomfortable and impractical are sure to raise at least a snicker if you watch this thing. Yotar sports not a crown but a skull cap that bulges out from the back of his head enough to make you think that he might be a human-alien hybrid. I suspect that many of the initial designs for this production were rejected because they just weren't goofy enough.Thirdly, Gordon Mitchell. Apparently some of the other reviewers are familiar with the man and his cinematic efforts. This was my first experience with one of his movies. His physique speaks of many long and strenuous hours in the gym, as well as many painful shots in the buttocks. His face, on the other hand, tells a different story. He looks a lot like Eric Roberts after an all night bender. He spends a lot of time grimacing in this movie. He manages to look either pained or exhausted most of the time. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether or not that's enough to constitute "acting" or not. He never manages to achieve even a fraction of Steve Reeve's on- screen charisma.The fight scenes, and there are many, never rise above embarrassingly lame. I suspect that they were choreographed by William Shatner. In the last third of the movie the filmmakers decided to shroud the pointy hallways of Atlantis in a low-lying mist. Too bad. If they hadn't squandered so much of their budget on dry ice they might have been able to afford a decent model of a continent to blow-up when the destruction of Atlantis occurs. I can't finish my review without mentioning that, at the end of the film, Obro begins to wax philosophical about the divine spirit that his people worship and obey. According to him Yotar's allegiance to science has blinded him to the truth of the great guy in the sky and that is why the continent must be destroyed. I'm sure if he'd had a little more time he might have launched into a dissertation on Creation Science, but alas, the movie has to save time for endless shots of people drowning and being crushed, etc. etc. Take that, Richard Dawkins!

Red-Barracuda In the year 20,000 B.C. on the continent of Atlantis, in the city of Metropolis King Yotar rules a very scientifically advanced, yet inhumane, civilisation. A muscle bound hero Obro arrives there to attempt to put an end to this reign of terror.This sword and sandal flick is a little different from most in the peplum genre in that it is set way before the Roman or even Greek times. Not only this but it's one of those specific entries in the genre, like Hercules Against the Moon Men, which incorporates a sci-fi element into its fantasy scenario. In this case a super-advanced scientific civilisation and a King who conducts crazed experiments on his son in a manner similar to a mad scientist. He also puts the hero Obro through various tests, such as a gladiatorial fight with a murderous giant and an encounter with a group of hairy savages. But in essence this one is still basically very similar in feel to the other strong man peplum movies featuring the likes of Maciste and Hercules. As such, Giant of Metropolis is one which drags a lot of the time and gets quite tedious on occasion, yet is interspersed with memorable scenes, while its sets and costuming ensure that it will always have enough production value about it to ensure it will always retain some watch-ability and kitsch value.

BA_Harrison On paper, this epic 60s sci-fi peplum sounds really cool: it's got astonishing set design, Bava-style art direction, outlandish costumes and weaponry, an insane tyrant, a doomed empire, beautiful women in distress, and strongman Gordon Mitchell battling it out with numerous armed guards, a massive hairy troglodyte, and five flesh eating pygmies.In actuality, it is far from impressive...Although the film looks great at times, with particularly good use of light and shadow (and a legendary amount of dry ice), it is severely hampered by a dreary, repetitive script, terrible dubbing and poor performances: star Mitchell's physique might have made him perfect for the genre, but he clearly spent much more time developing his pectorals than his acting skills.Speaking of magnificent chests, The Giant of Metropolis does at least benefit from the presence of drop dead gorgeous Euro-babes Bella Cortez and Liana Orfei as Princess Mecede and Queen Texen, both of whom have va-va-voom to spare; neither woman seems to be a particularly good actress, but when they're built like that, who cares?

TheVid Get out the popcorn, junior mints and sodas for this Italian-made grindhouse spectacular. It's ripe with just about every conceivable fetishistic delight that you could get away with at a Saturday matinee or drive-in double feature. There's sword-and-sandal thrills, sci-fi funk, lots of male and female pulchritude, and a wildly sado-masochistic tone that really carries it over the top (as these things go). Only the tightest of asses couldn't enjoy this kind of late-night exploitation sleaze, so check it out and have a groovy movie party! See the terrors, the tortures, the tantalizing lust and all the other sleazy stuff that makes a lost empire cool!