Prisoners of the Lost Universe (1983)

Must See Movie...

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Admirable film.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

This movie is fun. It is not Ibsen's Prisoners of the Lost Universe. It is on the other hand, a fun rollicking romp into a sideways universe. If you loved Battle Beyond the Stars you'll love Prisoners of the Lost Universe.If your lens only focuses on high budget looks (I hated Avatar BTW) then this movie is not for you. I have watched this movie many times and I own it.I love the sword work of Richard Hatch (especially with the candles!) and the believable kind of "Indiana Jones" masculine but not mindlessly macho. Kay Lentz really brought just the right balance to the whole ensemble. She played great against the sinister (but also deferential) John Saxon as well as Richard Hatch's every man ala Harrison Ford (and Glenn Ford too!). Peter O'Farrell as Malachi is a wholly lovable character in this scamp of a thief.If you enjoy a bed time story you should enjoy this.Cheers!

I know it's not very clear how I could enjoy a movie and also rate it 3/10, but my system puts movies so bad or goofy that they are really funny under the 4 threshold. This is exactly that kind of film.Imagine a female reporter, blonde and sexy and a little clumsy, getting together with a manly no bullshit trucker and an arrogant and egotistical scientists, then getting lost in a land of green men, dwarf thieves and mute giants. It's all like that, stereotype after stereotype, in a world of low budget and bad acting.Yet the film didn't really take itself seriously and, as long as I watched on my second monitor while doing my job, it was kind of fun. A piece of cinematographic history. Even better, you can see it on YouTube, as I think it is now a free film. Not linking here, but you can easily find it, full length.

None seems to at least have noticed that this is comedy; one for grown—ups, though, despite the mindless fantasy plot. Now here is a movie that will likely change your world-view. Kidding, of course. It most certainly won't. POTLU at least begins as a lighthearted romp with a female lead, blonde—none other than Kay Lenz. From the very first scenes you have the assets—crazy science, danger, sexiness; the music plays like STAR WARS for the fair. The ground is shaken by an earthquake; the blonde fears a proposed spanking, the mad scientist she then meets looks a bit like the apologist and don Lewis. The flick is '80s; which, basically, means sloppy, vulgar and funny, replete with goofiness—where '70s would mean vulgar and unfunny, suffused with sentimentality. When talking about goofiness, it doesn't matter whether its use is deliberate—but whether it's clever. In POTLU, the use of the goofiness isn't particularly clever. Yet psychologically and humorously, it's sound—even transported in another dimension, a guy needs to feel a lady's ass. (The lady's crisp reply is a bit popular among fans of such C flicks.) So, the basic human drives abide. A blonde and her sidekick slide into another dimension, in a Conan world where they meet strange races, various attackers, and the blonde is kidnapped by a warlord. So that, after the first several minutes, the movie gladly switches to fantasy, and the Sci—Fi is over. After dropping this promising Sci—Fi intro, 'Lost Universe' goes on as a silly comedy, aimed at undemanding adults. (2) The mean guy is Saxon, a cult—actor, the mean son of a bitch, the missing link between Reynolds and Ironside (all three came in Connery's footsteps, as it has been said about Stallone and Brando; from the trio, I enjoy Ironside, I occasionally watch Reynolds, and I dislike Saxon—save for an Italian western he redeemed himself with, once …); to enhance his barbarity, Saxon wears some red trousers. Saxon is mainly mean, dull, and _charmless. The fights are mostly slapstick. It's a goofy comedy, so they all behave like crazy buffoons. It's so mindless, and it's basically not for kids. (3) The main reason for a guy to see 'Lost Universe' is Kay Lenz; but the girl next door, if you can get her, is a lot better than Kay on the screen. Kids might enjoy the adventures of the three sliders, as well. It's a movie people like; a silly comedy, careless and goofy, with a handful of slapstick. And for fans, like myself, of sexy starlets, this flick provides a chance to enrich their shrine (I began with Drew Barrymore, Lara Flynn Boyle, Shannon Tweed, Lysette Anthony, Tanya Roberts, Joan Severance, Patsy Kensit, Penelope Ann Miller—and Jessica Lange, probably not fitting that label, though!)—I mean, Kay Lenz. (4) The IMDb writers I'm reading now are Nuschler (who seems to have ceased writing …) and Gridoon (who's a bit dismissive at times, a bit unfair—but please read him on PILLOW TALK, THE SALTON SEA, PRISON SHIP, etc.)—so make this a tribute to them. (5) So, have a nice time watching 'Lost Universe', or thinking about it. Yet, instead of focusing vainly on Kay's ass, check out the girl next door!

Prisoners of the Lost Universe is a remarkably underwhelming fantasy/adventure film that offer very little in the way of thrills or excitement. A brief plot synopsis: A couple is accidentally transmitted to an alternate reality and quickly become separated. The woman, Carrie (Kay Lenz), has been taken prisoner by a vicious warlord named Kleel (John Saxon). Her new beau, Dan (Richard Hatch), with the help of a ragtag band of misfits, sets out to free Carrie and find a way home.I'm not sure how many South African made movies I've actually seen so I can only hope that this isn't an example of that country's film industry. Prisoners of the Lost Universe plays a bit like a cross between one of those cheap sword and sorcerer movies so popular in the 1980s and something like Romancing the Stone with a bit of cross-dimensional time-travel thrown in for good measure. None of it works, mainly because the whole plot is terribly tired and has that "been there, done that" feel to most of it. The quirky characters that pop-up throughout the movie aren't interesting enough to care about. And the relationship between the two main characters, Carrie and Dan, is handled in such a ham-fisted and forced manner that it provides nothing in the way of a spark for the movie. The relationship between the two main characters exists only because in these kinds of movies there is always a relationship between the two main characters. The lone bright spot for me was John Saxon. His over-acting in every scene, even when doing nothing but lying on a bed, was a joy to behold. However, I could have done without the orange MC Hammer-inspired pants he wore during much of the movie. In the end, this one's a real dud. A 3/10 from me.One last note - I knew I was in trouble right from the start when I noticed that both of the vehicles the main characters were driving had right side steering wheels. This wouldn't be so unusual, but they were supposed to be in California.