![]() ![]() The movie's last line of dialog is one of regret that rescue has arrived "since now our adventures are over." That's assuming they ever began.ĬORRECTION: Madeline Kahn's Academy Award nomination this year is for her performance in " Blazing Saddles," not " Young Frankenstein" as incorrectly reported in Tuesday editions. A ship steams into sight to rescue the survivors. The Nautilus goes down in an orgy of trick photography. They climb out of the grotto and make their way to the beach. We can reasonably expect that our heroes will assist Captain Nemo in freeing himself and his submarine from the grotto, but, no, they don't. Movies like this have an obligatory structure (or used to) that requires a climax at the end. That's not necessary since we saw the identical stock footage in last month's "The Island at the Top of the World." That volcano gets around. Based on Jules Vernes 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, this action series will tell the origin story of Captain Nemo. ![]() In fear that we may miss the point (after all, this is rented footage), the producers show it to us, not once, but twice. That's our chance to see stock footage of lava flowing from volcanoes. He gives them an illustrated slide lecture of his background and early years, and meanwhile the island is blowing up. Never introduce a chimpanzee in the first act unless you're going to shoot it in the third?Īfter adventures too boring to mention, our heroes wind up in Captain Nemo's grotto and on board the Nautilus. ![]() The most inexplicable scene (in a movie full of them) is one involving a pet chimpanzee, who arrives unannounced, does its stuff and then is shot by the pirates and buried. There are also some pirates who turn up, apparently looking for Nemo, and there are several inconclusive gun battles for no very good reason. They set up housekeeping in a cave, stay away from the death rays, float to a nearby island to rescue another shipwreck victim and spend an inordinate amount of time following their dog, who is as clever as, and vastly more humorous than, the rest of the cast. The plot involves a group of shipwrecked balloonists (or balloonwrecked sailors) and their dog, who are stranded on a strange island guarded by devices that look like a cross between Chinese dragons and death rays. ![]()
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