The People That Time Forgot is a sequel to The Land That Time Forgot. Can they find & rescue Bowen Tyler? Will explosions & chases take the place of interesting characters and story?
The People That Time Forgot (1977) starring Patrick Wayne, Doug McClure
Review
Sadly, yes. The Land That Time Forgot was entertaining, despite the lower budget and cheesy fake dinosaurs. It had a cast & conflict that the audience cared about. Here, not so much. The story deals with a search for Tyler Bowen, the protagonist from the first movie. As seen previously, he’s written their story, and thrown it into the ocean. And it’s found its way back to England, prompting a rescue mission. So far, so good.
Then, they get to the lost island/continent. The rescue team’s airplane is knocked out of the sky by a badly-made pterodactyl. And, the pilot/mechanic is tasked with repairing the damaged vehicle while the rest hunt for Tyler. Repair it with what? Whatever he can find. My daughter Trudy imagines him becoming a great Pterodactyl hunter, using the wings for leather, bones for structure, and making lots of Pterodactyl jerky to live off of. That’s never shown on screen, of course. Which is too bad — jumping back to him on occasion would have made for a more enjoyable story. Instead, we get cleavage.
We meet Ajor, the cave woman that Tyler met previously & taught English. Despite the constant fights, running from dinosaurs, lava caves, etc. her makeup’s never affected, nor is her hairdo. That’s not the actress’ fault, of course. Someone in management decided to appeal to the horny adolescent demographic in place of story, character growth, or interesting conflicts. We do get badly-made dinosaurs, human sacrifice, and Samurai, however.
Conclusion
In short, The People That Time Forgot is disappointing.
Product Description
They’ve found the missing link… to mayhem! This surefire box-office smash delivers a daring, diabolical, dinosaur-laden fantasy adventure that’s packed with hair-raising beasties and erupting fire every second. When an expedition in search of a lost colleague traces his last steps in the frozen Arctic, the team discovers a hidden tropical oasis in the middle of the ice! As things quickly thaw out, clothes come off and long forgotten cavemen – and dinosaurs – come a-hunting for fresh meat.
Soon, prehistoric hysteria sets in and it’s every man – and scantily clad woman – for himself. Kevin Connor (Motel Hell) directed this sequel to The Land That Time Forgot and At the Earth’s Core. Starring Patrick Wayne (Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger), Doug McClure (Warlords of the Deep), Sarah Douglas (Superman II).
Cast of characters
- Patrick Wayne (McLintock!) … Ben McBride
- Doug McClure (The Land That Time Forgot) … Bowen Tyler. The survivor that the expedition is looking for.
- Sarah Douglas (Return of the Swamp Thing) … Charly
- Dana Gillespie … Ajor
- Thorley Walters … Norfolk
- Shane Rimmer (Rollerball) … Hogan. The airplane pilot/mechanic who spends the bulk of the film repairing the airplane.
- Tony Britton … Captain Lawton
- John Hallam … Chung-Sha
- David Prowse (Star Wars IV A New Hope) … Executioner
- Milton Reid … Sabbala
- Kiran Shah … Bolum
- Richard LeParmentier (Star Wars IV, Rollerball) … Lt. Whitby
- Jimmy Ray … Lt. Graham
- Tony McHale … Telegraphist
