The People That Time Forgot!

The People that Time Forgot is a sequel to The Land that Time Forgot logically enough, but aside from the setting and the similar titles there's little actual sameness in these flicks based on Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novels. There was a rugged sense of reality in the first movie which is replaced by dashing bravado in the second. That's not a criticism but merely an observation about the differences in tone. Once the viewer figures out this is not a movie in the same style as the first one, I think it can be more fully enjoyed on its merits.

Caprona is a complicated place where the very process of evolution is on display, or at least that was the intention of ERB and also of the first movie. This movie couldn't care less about that in any real way, it just wants some monsters and some exceedingly odd and dangerous people to pit against the stalwart heroes. The heroes are folks in search of the protagonists of the first movie having learned of Caprona from the message in a bottle. The expedition  was sent specifically to investigate and rescue and to that end a large bi-plane is used to cross over into the heart of Caprona.

There are dinosaurs and there are cavemen, but they seem to be of less interest to the creators of this movie than a whole other civilization of warriors and such who seem to have been plucked from from a Conan movie knock-off. The imagery of Frank Frazetta seems to have been a big influence on this new culture. Doug McClure, the hero of the previous movie is found but his rescue is less certain. But Patrick Wayne (brash leader) and Sarah Douglas (doughty photographer) are a handsome couple of swashbuckling characters who brave the attempt. They are assisted by a lovely cave girl with awesome cleavage (Dana Gillespie) and a portly professor type (Thorly Walters) just to keep it ERB like. But half way through, this story feels more Robert E. Howard than Edgar Rice Burroughs.

The People that Time Forgot is a light smoothly crafted middle budget adventure flick. Taken on those terms it's good value for the money.

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