(Note: I've also seen this title appear on the Sci-Fi channel, but they have edited some scenes outas well as most of the creditsto make more room for advertising time. Regardless of the movie, this is not fair to the artists who worked on it, or the viewers who wish to see it. It unfortunately seems to be an increasingly common practice in the industry.)
I'm not going to try to defend this movie on objective grounds from the criticism that I'm not surprised to see it has received. It certainly has its share of corniness, clichés, questionable acting performances, and low-production values. And while I can certainly understand those who brand it as a laughably bad movie, it does have a few things going for it. The musical score, while weak in parts, actually has a few strong numbers in it; much of the natural scenery is very beautiful; and a couple of the acting performances were overall very well done. But these things aside, I would imagine that most viewers would think this movie to be a poor one.
Despite its flaws, though, this movie is without question my all-time favorite out of all of my cinematic experiences (which are both quite plentiful and quite broad). Granted, this is largely (if not wholly) due to the fact that I first saw it when I was four years old seventeen years ago, and thus carries with it both nostalgic value and perceptions that have not left me since. I watched it frequently (sometimes every day) for a number of years. In the eyes of a childat least in my casethe corniness, low-production values, and general execution of the directing didn't matter. The movie possessed a magical sense of adventure and exploration. It was thrilling, otherworldly, and full of risks and discoveries.
In response to some of the others who've commented here: To suggest that the movie approaches any racist undertones is, I think, misunderstanding the movie and needlessly politicizing it. The character of Carefinatu and the tribesmen are indeed cliché and exaggerated. But as the true manner of the plot becomes apparent towards the end of the movie, such characterization and setting is clearly understandable. Besides, it's just part of the nature of the movie itself.
As an interesting note, I believe that the audio samples used for the 'whistling caterpillar' monsters were actually taken from recordings of a certain species of monkey.
I'm not going to try to defend this movie on objective grounds from the criticism that I'm not surprised to see it has received. It certainly has its share of corniness, clichés, questionable acting performances, and low-production values. And while I can certainly understand those who brand it as a laughably bad movie, it does have a few things going for it. The musical score, while weak in parts, actually has a few strong numbers in it; much of the natural scenery is very beautiful; and a couple of the acting performances were overall very well done. But these things aside, I would imagine that most viewers would think this movie to be a poor one.
Despite its flaws, though, this movie is without question my all-time favorite out of all of my cinematic experiences (which are both quite plentiful and quite broad). Granted, this is largely (if not wholly) due to the fact that I first saw it when I was four years old seventeen years ago, and thus carries with it both nostalgic value and perceptions that have not left me since. I watched it frequently (sometimes every day) for a number of years. In the eyes of a childat least in my casethe corniness, low-production values, and general execution of the directing didn't matter. The movie possessed a magical sense of adventure and exploration. It was thrilling, otherworldly, and full of risks and discoveries.
In response to some of the others who've commented here: To suggest that the movie approaches any racist undertones is, I think, misunderstanding the movie and needlessly politicizing it. The character of Carefinatu and the tribesmen are indeed cliché and exaggerated. But as the true manner of the plot becomes apparent towards the end of the movie, such characterization and setting is clearly understandable. Besides, it's just part of the nature of the movie itself.
As an interesting note, I believe that the audio samples used for the 'whistling caterpillar' monsters were actually taken from recordings of a certain species of monkey.