War Gods of the Deep/At the Earth's Core

Description

Disc 1 Side A: War Gods of the Deep WS Disc 1 Side B: At the Earthâ??s Core WS

Customer Reviews:

Subterranean hokum at it's finest!.......2007-02-12

War-Gods of the Deep aka The City Under the Sea scared the heck out of me me as a very small kid, but then I did live in a coastal town that was rumored to have it's own sunken town... Vincent Price and his immortal band of smugglers living in a somewhat mislocated Babylonian city under the Cornish stretch of the English Channel didn't have the same effect this time, but Jacques Tourneur's vaguely Poe-inspired subterranean/underwater adventure is still a fun romp thanks to superb production design which makes the film look ten times more expensive than it probably was and great Scope photography with a good use of color from Zulu's Stephen Dade. It's not a masterpiece, but it's a brisk and enjoyable period adventure with more than a passing nod to both Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Plus it has David Tomlinson sharing a diving suit with a chicken while pursued by gill men, and not many films can say that.

Aside from a couple of moments of negative damage the 2.35:1 widescreen transfer is surprisingly good. The only extra is the US theatrical trailer.

At the Earth's Core is an inspired companion piece, catching just the right tone for the appropriately named Burroughs' pulp adventure about Victorian inventor Peter Cushing and the inevitable Doug McClure ending up in the underground world of Pelucidar and battling its evil telepathic fighting dinosaurs. It's men in monster suits time, which is a lot more fun than stop-motion or CGI if you're willing to suspend your disbelief, and if you're not there's always Caroline Munro's cleavage to look at. Aside from what may well be Peter Cushing's worst performance, an irritating but dottier rehash of his movie Dr Who ("You can't mesmerize me, I'm British!"), it's easily the best of the John Dark-Kevin Connor-Doug McClure fantasy adventures, surprisingly well directed and boasting an atmospheric use of color. Never especially good at exterior scenes, Alan Hume's photography gains immensely from the control a studio set gives him (the film was shot entirely on soundstages) to paint a luridly vivid world worthy of a pulp novel cover. Not high art but definitely great Saturday matinee fun.

The only extra is the US trailer - which sells it as a horror film! - but the film has a very good widescreen transfer, although there is briefly a slight tramline in one scene at the end.

Price, Cushing and McClure!.......2005-11-12

This Beneath-The-Surface themed double feature from MGM is pretty mediocre. Neither film is really bad, but neither are anything to write home about either. War Gods Of The Deep starts things off. Basically Tab Hunter(who looks like an early prototype for Casper Van Dien) and David Tomlinson(with a pet chicken in a picnic basket) go searching for Susan Hart, who has vanished from her bedroom. Finding that old reliable secret passage behind the bookshelf they find themselves going deeper and deeper into a cave til they end up in a city beneath the sea ruled by Vincent Price. Price kidnapped the girl coz she looks like his late wife(how's that for original?) and I'm assuming he wants to get jiggy with her. He's also stressed coz an underwater volcano is a ticking timebomb that will destroy his beloved city. Price sees our heroes as meddling pains in the ass, so he decides to execute them though he doesn't keep them very well guarded coz they seem to just venture out whenever they want to. The first hour's a bunch of scenes of Price talking about his civilization and such. Finally are heroes are let out into the ocean with scuba gear and are hunted by Price's soldiers as well as the gill men that lurk around the city. These horrifying gill men are nothing more than guys in torn clothes and obvious rubber masks. The Creature From The Black Lagoon is much more believable. Price does alright with what he's given. He's always a decent villian even if the movie isn't all that decent. Hunter is typical tough guy and Tomlinson and his rooster are the comic relief characters. Not bad but far from good. Actually, kinda boring. The second feature, At The Earth's Core, is the better of the two, but that's not saying much. It's another collaboration between director Kevin Connor and star Doug McClure(The first being The Land That Time Forgot). McClure and Peter Cushing have one of those neato machines with the giant drill on the front that allows you to burrow through the earth. Well, somewhere in the middle, they get stuck and find themselves in a prehistoric kind of world very similar to the "Before Time" films. The center of the earth is pretty much a jungle with a red/pink sky and a cave. Lots of red lighting and lots of lava in this film. The primitive humans(that speak english) are slaves to evil pterodactyl men who control an army of neanderthal type goons(who have a bizarre way of speaking. You know the sound it makes when you are listening to a cd and you hit the FF button?). The visuals and monsters in this movie are at about Godzilla level. The arrival of the badazz McClure sparks a slave revolt and soon everyone's had it up to here with these pterodactyl schmucks. It may sound like cheesy B movie fun, and it is, but it's also a bit more boring than it should be. Cushing is the comic relief this time as an absent minded english scientist. He's got that "Oh, My!", "Oh, Dear!" reaction to everything. A very far cry from his Frankenstein portrayal for sure. Caroline Munro is there just to look hot like she always does. Not bad if you're a fan of rubber monsters and lava. Though I'm sure Edgar Rice Burroughs would want the negatives burned if he saw it. Both films are 2 and a half stars at the very best, but they both beat watching infomercials at 4am.

Average customer rating:

Sometimes cheesy is GOOD!
Cheesy, But Worth Watching
How can you NOT love this movie???
Awesome - if you're a B movie scifi or Terry Farrell fan
Meanwhile, back in the 60s.

Deep Core
Starring: Craig Sheffer , Terry Farrell , Bruce McGill , Harry Van Gorkum , and Wil Wheaton
Director: Rodney McDonald
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00005BCK5
Release Date: 2001-06-26

Customer Reviews:

Sometimes cheesy is GOOD!.......2004-05-23

I liked this film! Honest! It was great fun, and quite exciting too. Okay, so I liked most of the actors, such as Wil Wheaton as Rodney and Terry Farrell as the scientist Allison

It reminded me greatly of the film The Core in various parts, in fact I think that The Core took a great deal from this low budget sci-fi than people are willing to admit.

The plot is quite simple, it's a save the from destruction movie, with your obligatory bad guy who finds his conscience at the last minute and saves the others by sacrificing his own life, the gruesome death of a likeable crew member (Rodney) and the exciting ride in the bowels of the earth by the survivors trying to make it to the surface in one piece!

Of course there are other baddies in that the Deep Core Machine they are using has been built and funded by the Chinese who want to use it as weapon at some point and the sleazy American bad Daryl guy played with gusto by the dead pan actor James Russo gets his just deserts at the end.

It is nothing spectacular but it is good fun to watch! The special effects aren't all that brilliant though they do have their moments, the finding of a huge diamond cavern is one of them, the lasers on the Deep Core machine another, and I thought the lava flow was pretty good too!

All in all this is quality cheese, and I really enjoyed it and I'm not ashamed to admit to it online!

Cheesy, But Worth Watching.......2004-04-18

Deep Core is one of those Sci-Fi movies that you almost wish they didn't make. The premise is good, about half of the actors are good, there are even some interesting scenes of the ship that aren't half-bad. That's about all that can be said for the movie.

Deep Core is based on the same basic premise as 2003's The Core - Man has screwed up the earth and has to tunnel down into the earth to fix it. The Core is clearly the better of the two movies. Deep Core, on the other hand, has all of the same elements: a ship (The Core's is a lot better looking), a crew, a few nuclear warheads, a person that gets killed by lava, and a person that sacrifices themselves for the rest of the group. Once you get passed those basic similarities, Deep Core is but a pour precursor to the later film. It has three good actors: Wil Wheaton, Terry Farrell and Bruce McGill; the rest are generally overly dramatic.

There are a few special effects that don't look all that bad (such as the cutting scenes). All of the earth-quake-type scenes look rather fake and the ship looks poorly suited to the type of work that it was designed for. Overall, its not a bad film, but if you have a choice watch The Core, not Deep Core.

How can you NOT love this movie???.......2003-04-13

This is the ultimate sci-fi geek movie... we have Ms. Terry Farrell of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Jadzia Dax) and the infamous Wil Wheaton of Star Trek: Next Generation (Wesley Crusher) and current Internet fame. I can't honestly believe the trekkies can stay away. This one scores WAY higher for me than Free Enterprise.

It was recommended by Wil on his site (see url below) yesterday so we hopped down to the video store and rented it. It's cheesy and fun and a great movie.

Nice death scene, Wil....

Awesome - if you're a B movie scifi or Terry Farrell fan.......2002-01-17

Anything with Terry Farrell in it rates Five stars in my book, she is one of the,(if not thee), most beautifull and sexy women alive, not to mention a very intelligent, talented actress, I wish she had the confidence (she has the talent) to do more quality movies. (she'd be awesome in a romantic comedy) What can I say I'm a fan. But to be honest this is a Sci-fi B-movie action adventure, Probably low budget, but the special effect are good. I gave it 3 Stars for having Terry in it, her acting is very good (considering the script). If it had a bigger budget, a better plot and script it would earn the 3 stars or more. But still it is a fun movie to watch and I enjoyed it. But you have to be a B-movie, SCI-FI fan to really enjoy it. (or a Terry fan) I'm both. The cast is good and the acting, I think they had a lot of fun making it, and some of you will watching it.

Meanwhile, back in the 60s........2002-01-06

This is just like an updated B movie from the sixties and I enjoyed it. It's real comic book stuff. The effects are not bad, the pace hardly flags and the cast seem to be enjoying themselves so it's easy viewing. I enjoyed this more than big budget films such as Evolution or Jurassic Park 3. But I think the absence of big names will put people off, not that it matters because the cast here do a fine job. And if big names don't matter to you then you could do a lot worse than watch this.

Average customer rating:

Sometimes cheesy is GOOD!
Cheesy, But Worth Watching
How can you NOT love this movie???
Awesome - if you're a B movie scifi or Terry Farrell fan
Meanwhile, back in the 60s.

Deep Core 2000 [Region 2]
Starring: Craig Sheffer , Terry Farrell , Bruce McGill , Harry Van Gorkum , and Wil Wheaton
Director: Rodney McDonald
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00005QX96

Customer Reviews:

Sometimes cheesy is GOOD!.......2004-05-23

I liked this film! Honest! It was great fun, and quite exciting too. Okay, so I liked most of the actors, such as Wil Wheaton as Rodney and Terry Farrell as the scientist Allison

It reminded me greatly of the film The Core in various parts, in fact I think that The Core took a great deal from this low budget sci-fi than people are willing to admit.

All in all this is quality cheese, and I really enjoyed it and I'm not ashamed to admit to it online!

Cheesy, But Worth Watching.......2004-04-18

How can you NOT love this movie???.......2003-04-13

It was recommended by Wil on his site (see url below) yesterday so we hopped down to the video store and rented it. It's cheesy and fun and a great movie.

Nice death scene, Wil....

Awesome - if you're a B movie scifi or Terry Farrell fan.......2002-01-17

Meanwhile, back in the 60s........2002-01-06

Average customer rating:

Sometimes cheesy is GOOD!
Cheesy, But Worth Watching
How can you NOT love this movie???
Awesome - if you're a B movie scifi or Terry Farrell fan
Meanwhile, back in the 60s.

Deep Core 2000
Starring: Craig Sheffer , Terry Farrell , Bruce McGill , Harry Van Gorkum , and Wil Wheaton
Director: Rodney McDonald
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000065KG6

Customer Reviews:

Sometimes cheesy is GOOD!.......2004-05-23

I liked this film! Honest! It was great fun, and quite exciting too. Okay, so I liked most of the actors, such as Wil Wheaton as Rodney and Terry Farrell as the scientist Allison

It reminded me greatly of the film The Core in various parts, in fact I think that The Core took a great deal from this low budget sci-fi than people are willing to admit.

All in all this is quality cheese, and I really enjoyed it and I'm not ashamed to admit to it online!

Cheesy, But Worth Watching.......2004-04-18

How can you NOT love this movie???.......2003-04-13

It was recommended by Wil on his site (see url below) yesterday so we hopped down to the video store and rented it. It's cheesy and fun and a great movie.

Nice death scene, Wil....

Awesome - if you're a B movie scifi or Terry Farrell fan.......2002-01-17

Meanwhile, back in the 60s........2002-01-06

Average customer rating:

Sometimes cheesy is GOOD!
Cheesy, But Worth Watching
How can you NOT love this movie???
Awesome - if you're a B movie scifi or Terry Farrell fan
Meanwhile, back in the 60s.

Deep Core 2000 [Region 2]
Starring: Craig Sheffer , Terry Farrell , Bruce McGill , Harry Van Gorkum , and Wil Wheaton
Director: Rodney McDonald
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00005NSJ6

Customer Reviews:

Sometimes cheesy is GOOD!.......2004-05-23

I liked this film! Honest! It was great fun, and quite exciting too. Okay, so I liked most of the actors, such as Wil Wheaton as Rodney and Terry Farrell as the scientist Allison

It reminded me greatly of the film The Core in various parts, in fact I think that The Core took a great deal from this low budget sci-fi than people are willing to admit.

All in all this is quality cheese, and I really enjoyed it and I'm not ashamed to admit to it online!

Cheesy, But Worth Watching.......2004-04-18

How can you NOT love this movie???.......2003-04-13

It was recommended by Wil on his site (see url below) yesterday so we hopped down to the video store and rented it. It's cheesy and fun and a great movie.

Nice death scene, Wil....

Awesome - if you're a B movie scifi or Terry Farrell fan.......2002-01-17

Meanwhile, back in the 60s........2002-01-06

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