Description
When the American clipper ship “The Queen” is attacked by pirates off the Hebrides in 1830, Mate Kirk Hamilton is injured and must be put ashore at Queensland Colony, Australia, for treatment and recuperation. There, he meets and falls in love with Elaine Jeffries, daughter of the magistrate and all-but-fiancée to rancher Martin Shannon. She also finds herself attracted to Kirk, and a rivalry develops between the two men. Meantime the pirates, led by Captain Hackett, decide to raid the colony and, in the process kidnap Elaine and her friend. Nancy. Kirk, and Shannon lead the pursuit, having not only the romantic triangle to resolve, but the pirates to overcome and, along the way, being stranded on a volcanic island inhabited by dinosaurs.
Review
Early pseudo-sci-fi
Two Lost Worlds is one of those movies that I remember seeing as a very young child...well, at least I remembered one part of the movie, not knowing which one it was from. The scene where the cavegirl is caught in the lava flow was one of those pivotal images with me for some unknown reason. The scene was also repeated (I'm not sure if it was the exact same shot, but it could have been) in Valley of the Dragons.
While this movie has special effects and "dinosaurs" (lizards in make-up), it is very hard to classify this as a real science fiction movie, even under the very un-demanding criteria of the time. For the most part, this movie is a pirate-style adventure. James Arness is as stoic as ever in it, and there isn't much else to really recommend the film.
Amusingly old-fashioned B-flick
Warning: Spoilers
TWO LOST WORLDS is an amusing little adventure flick made on an obviously low budget. The story is about settlers versus pirates, with strapping James Arness the hero of the hour who spends most of his time in a love triangle with a pretty magistrate's daughter and her ranch-owning lover. The film has a low rent but exotic feel to it with a light, action-focused plot to keep youngsters entertained. Late on in the proceedings, the heroine is kidnapped by dastardly pirates and taken to a 'lost world' inhabited by erupting volcanoes and dinosaurs. The dinosaur footage is brief and ripped off from earlier films and features a couple of lizards with glued-on fins fighting. High art this ain't, but old B-movie fans will get a kick out of it.
