Humanoids from Atlantis

Director - J.R. Bookwalter (Ozone, Robot Ninja)

Starring - James L. Edwards (Her Name was Christa, Bloodletting), Sandra Wurzer (Midnight 2, Andromina: The Pleasure Planet), and Christine Morrison (Ozone, Galaxy of the Dinosaurs)

Release Date - 1992

Genre - Sci-Fi/Comedy

Tagline - "Rising from their watery graves to fulfill their ancient hunger..."

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     My mind raced with all the possibilities about what this SOV Six Pack would deliver.  A few of them didn't look like they were for me but most of them looked like good cheap fun.  With that being said, there was one film that I wanted to see more than the others.  It was 1992's Humanoids from Atlantis.  The artwork for the original VHS release is far from perfect BUT I fucking love it.  It's simple, campy, and just looks badass in my opinion.  The new artwork for the blu looks cool and all but I love the artwork for the VHS so much.  It really made me want to see this one.  

     The film follows an aspiring filmmaker and his girlfriend.  He is hired to make a documentary about their local lake but while filming he discovers a strange aquatic humanoid and records it.  It tries to attack him but they knock it out with his camera and run.  The police don't believe him but he soon finds a scientist that does.  She predicts that the creature was from Atlantis and wants to use his finding, along with her research, to win the Noble Prize.  However, she has a secret motive that they soon uncover.

    I went into this one looking for a cheesy creature feature that only Bookwalter could do but was met with a film that starts out interesting enough before it completely flops near it's ending.  It had me sold up until the 20 or 30 minute mark but then completely drops the ball.  The acting in this one is pretty solid.  It's cool seeing how young James Edwards was in this one.  He always seems comfortable in front of the camera.  The supporting cast is solid as well but their personalities do fall flat with the story.  They easily blend into the background in most scenes.  The story for this one is incomplete.  We follow what feels like the beginning to a Fred Olen Ray film with Bookwalter behind the camera.  We have a creature from Atlantis and an evil scientist.  A solid beginning but as the film progresses it hits a dry spell before just ending with what looks like a staged blooper.  This leads me to believe that something happened and the movie couldn't be finished.  Either funding ran out, time was an issue, or something of that nature.  Finally, this is not really a bloody or gory one.  We do get a pretty cheap costume but that's about the extent of the effects in this one.  Overall, Humanoids from Atlantis is a joke from Bookwalter to viewers.  The movie starts out innocently enough but has no real conclusion for fans.  Out of the set this is one I would skip.