Villian(s)  Dinosaurs

Actor(s):  Doug McClure, John McEnery, Susan Penhaligon, Keith Barron

Brief Description  The Land That Time Forgot (released in late 1974 in the UK and 1975 in the US) is a classic British-American sci-fi adventure fantasy film directed by Kevin Connor. Produced by Amicus Productions, the film is a faithful adaptation of the 1918 Edgar Rice Burroughs novel. It follows a group of World War I survivors who stumble upon a hidden, prehistoric continent in Antarctica.

Plot:
The movie opens with a thermos flask bobbing in the sea off Land's End, containing a manuscript written by an American named Bowen Tyler (Doug McClure). The narrative flashes back to 1916 during World War I. A German U-boat (U-33) torpedoes a British merchant ship. Tyler, along with a British biologist named Lisa Clayton (Susan Penhaligon) and a few surviving British crewmen, manage to survive in a lifeboat. When the U-boat surfaces, the British survivors launch a surprise attack, successfully seizing control of the submarine. Tyler orders the German commander, Captain von Schoenvorts (John McEnery), to steer toward a neutral American port. However, the German executive officer, Dietz (Anthony Ainley), secretly breaks the radio, and Captain von Schoenvorts tampers with the compass. The submarine goes wildly off course, heading deep into the icy waters of the South Atlantic.

Running dangerously low on fuel and provisions, the sub drifts near a massive, ice-locked wall of cliffs. Von Schoenvorts identifies it as Caprona (also known as Caspak), a legendary lost continent first logged by an Italian navigator. The crew discovers a warm-water current flowing into a subterranean tunnel beneath the ice walls. They submerge, navigate the cavern, and emerge into a tropical, volcanic paradise completely isolated from the rest of the world. Realizing they are trapped together, the British and German factions agree to a temporary truce to survive. They soon discover that Caprona is inhabited by prehistoric life, including massive dinosaurs (such as Allosaurus, Triceratops, and Pterodactyls) and various hostile, primitive tribes of cavemen.

Lisa Clayton, the biologist, observes a strange phenomenon: the island functions as a microcosm of human evolution. The primitive humans do not reproduce normally; instead, individuals physically progress through different stages of evolution (from ape-like creatures to Neanderthals and advanced Cro-Magnons) as they migrate northward up the island. The crew discovers a natural crude oil reserve on the island. Working together, they build an improvised refinery to process the oil into fuel for the U-33. During their time on the island, they befriended Ahm (Declan Mulholland), a Neanderthal caveman, but are constantly under threat from apex predators.

Once the submarine is successfully refueled, the treacherous German officer Dietz launches a sudden mutiny. He shoots Captain von Schoenvorts (who had grown to respect the British), takes control of the U-33, and abandons Tyler and Lisa on the island. Just as the U-33 attempts to navigate the underground tunnel to escape into the ocean, a violent volcanic eruption strikes Caprona. The seismic activity triggers massive explosions, boiling the surrounding waters and causing the cavern walls to collapse. The U-33 is crushed, killing Dietz and the remaining German crew. Stranded but alive, Tyler and Lisa are forced to retreat to higher ground northward. The film ends on a poignant note, mirroring the beginning: Tyler writes down their story, places the manuscript into a thermos, and casts it into the sea, hoping someone will find it.