IMDb > Unknown World (1951) > IMDb user comments

IMDb user comments for
Unknown World (1951) More at IMDbPro »

Filter: Hide Spoilers:
Page 1 of 3:[1] [2] [3] [Next]
Index 27 comments in total 

22 out of 28 people found the following comment useful :-
Unsci fi. Started out promising but went nowhere for an hour afterward, 19 April 2006
2/10
Author: mstomaso from Vulcan

Let's face it, if you're bothering to read reviews of this film, you are probably going to see it out of a sense of obligation if nothing else. So, it really doesn't matter what I say, now does it?

This is a fairly typical early 1950s not-very-scientific attempt to use the genre as a means for moralizing. The morality of this film is certainly worth listening to for its anti-war, anti-pollution, etc, messages, but the film lacks depth, science of any kind, and, basically, a compelling plot.

Being a fan of 50s sci if, I thought this film started off pretty well. Although there is no obvious crisis looming on the horizon, a scientist and a group of anti-nuke colleagues obtain grant money to explore deep within the earth for the possibility of habitable subterranean environments. Since the film was made in 1950-51, the level of concern regarding nuclear warheads is certainly understandable (too bad some have forgotten about this, eh?).

Much is made about the vehicle which they will use for this journey. The vehicle looks like a suped-up bullet nose Studebaker with a large drill bit attached to it. This vehicle is apparently capable of drilling through several hundred miles of solid rock, without any visible cooling system. As the scientists explore deeper and deeper into the earth, they are not surprised (though I was) to find that most of the crust and upper mantle (my terms, not theirs) are in fact hollow, and have not only gorgeous stalagmites and stalactites, but flat floors graded properly for people to take walks on. Harassed by noxious gasses, magma and pretty poor acting, the cast dwindles as the story devolves into a simple adventure tale.

The acting is generally uneven, and is hampered by the occasionally absurd script. I really don't want to single anybody out, but Marilyn Nash and Bruce Kellogg are particularly off-pace in this one.

The director, Terry Morse, went on to make a few good films (such as the List of Adrian Messenger), and also a lot of other films (the American version of Godzilla, and the timeless classic - not - Love Slaves of the Amazon). And this is sort of below-standard fare in the context of his filmography.

Well, OK then, go see it... You know you want to, and I am not going to stop you... But don't say you didn't have fair warning.

Was the above comment useful to you?

13 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
Low-budget and dated but surprisingly good, 30 June 1999
6/10
Author: dinky-4 from Minneapolis

A group of scientists drive an enclosed vehicle into an extinct volcano and then bore more than a thousand miles into the earth. They're searching for underground sanctuaries in case the surface of the earth becomes uninhabitable due to nuclear warfare. This is one of those low-budget, black-and-white films from the 50's that you want to laugh at it, and while it does have its share of bad dialog and cheesy special effects, there's an earnest, committed quality here which eventually overcomes most of the obvious faults. Viewers looking for cheap thrills will be disappointed.

Was the above comment useful to you?

9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
A not-really-very-good movie that I love! (I gave it a "10"!), 26 March 2004
10/10
Author: MPOliphant from Arroyo Grande, California

I have probably watched this science-fiction movie more than any other over the years, principally because it continues to bring back a happy childhood memory of mine--playing "cyclotram" in my parent's San Fernando Valley laundry room, using our washing machine as my control panel!

The movie, which actually stars Victor Kilian--but whose name has been eliminated for some reason from all extant prints (by his choice?)--is the improbable (and highly unscientific) tale of a journey undertaken by a group of scientists into the Earth, via an amphibious machine called a "cyclotram", in order to find a possible "safe haven for mankind." It isn't really a very exciting movie, it isn't really a very good movie, but I LOVE IT!

Side note: although portions of this movie were "filmed in Carlsbad Caverns" (all second-unit work, it would appear), the majority of the "underground" scenes were filmed in Los Angeles' Griffith Park's famed Bronson Caves!

Was the above comment useful to you?

7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
"We're down to a hundred miles, you better pull up.", 21 January 2006
5/10
Author: classicsoncall from United States

This could have been another cheesy 1950's outer space sci-fi flick, but the participants were going in the opposite direction. So instead, this is a cheesy 1950's subterranean film, starring an underground submarine called a cyclotram. It's mission is to discover a habitable region where the world's population can take refuge when the upper world is destroyed by a nuclear holocaust.

The film opens with a voice-over describing the new Atomic Age and it's promise of a more abundant life. However Dr. Jeremiah Morley (Victor Kilian) sees the danger associated with those who would use this power for corrupt purposes, and his warnings earn him the nickname "Prophet of Doom". It seems to me that Morley was the film's dominating presence, yet Kilian's performance is actually uncredited here. His "Society to Save Civilization" disbands after a year for lack of financial backing.

Enter wealthy playboy Wright Thompson (Bruce Kellogg), admittedly jobless and happily so, and looking for adventure. He hooks up with Morley's scientist friends and offers to finance their underground journey, as long as he can come along. With renewed energy, Morley, Thompson, and a group of five additional explorers board the cyclotram to seek humanities' last chance for survival.

What this viewer was left wondering for some time into the picture was when something exciting would happen. There are brief diversions involving bouts of toxic gas and semi dangerous spelunking, but that fearsome cave dinosaur never shows up. In a particularly nonsensical scene, a frayed rope is repeatedly shown as the cyclotram navigator Andy climbs up a rock face after rescuing Thompson. Andy actually makes it up to the top of the cliff ledge when the rope snaps, and he falls to his doom - bad timing!

With repetitive nuance, the cyclotram forges ahead (or below), marking time at 850, 960, 1100, and finally 1640 miles below sea level, where Thompson fashions a directional marker pointing straight up to New York - that may have been the film's innovative high point. Upon finally reaching the subterranean promised land, the group is dismayed to learn that conditions there make their pregnant bunny sterile. So much for the advancement of civilization.

"Unknown World" held the promise of so much more, but doesn't deliver. The cyclotram never finds itself in a situation that it can't handle, and the path it follows conveniently plays along an underground fissure practically the entire way. When it finally reaches a depth of 2500 miles at the earth's core, the cyclotram floats it's way up to the surface world in what seems like no time at all! But the biggest mystery to me would be how seven of the world's pre-eminent scientists could undertake such a momentous journey, and no one thought to bring a camera!

Was the above comment useful to you?

4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Implausible but Not-bad 1950s Sci-Fi, 1 November 2006
5/10
Author: mrb1980 from Arizona

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I suppose that if you're going to make a movie about a group of religious scientists who use giant power drill to find a refuge from nuclear war deep inside the earth, this is how you should do it. Victor Kilian (who looked old even in 1951) leads a group of pioneers on an expedition to see how deeply their "cyclotram" (big drill) can take them.

When you think about it, how can you make a tedious trip to the center of the earth interesting? Well...there's a slight issue with some poison gas, one of the crew wanders off to do some unauthorized rock-climbing, a few mechanical malfunctions thrown in here and there, and lots and lots of banal dialogue. Finally--whew!--the cyclotram emerges in a giant cavern that resembles a surface shoreline. After some animal experiments go awry--all the little critters end up dead--and some unexpected crew casualties, the remaining folks head home. There's a panic scene, of course, before the big cyclotram bobs to the surface of the ocean.

This film's pretty typical of early 50s science fiction, with lots of morality thrown in. The special effects are shaky, but how exactly can you make a model drill convincing in this context? Not too bad, but nothing special.

Was the above comment useful to you?

6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Serious but indifferently acted and sluggish sci-fi., 22 September 2001
Author: jim riecken (youroldpaljim)

As with ROCKETSHIP XM, Irving Block, Jack Rabin and the Lippert Company were trying to make a serious science fiction film with something to say. To the films credit, UNKNOWN WORLD is not exploitive or stupid as Rabins and Blocks next film ,CAT WOMEN OF THE MOON was. Years before I first saw this film, I owned a still of the drilling machine that takes the cast to center of the Earth and found it rather interesting looking. Its not bad looking in the film, and the scenes of it drilling into the Earth are of some visual interest. However, the film is just to lethargic and indifferently acted too be of interest to anyone other 1950's science fiction buffs. The trip to the center of the Earth is just to slow going.

Was the above comment useful to you?

6 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Not So Much Badly Made As Incredibly Boring, 11 June 2007
1/10
Author: gftbiloxi (gftbiloxi@yahoo.com) from Biloxi, Mississippi

UNKNOWN WORLD isn't so much a badly made film as it is a very boring one.

The story is essentially a riff on Jules Verne's JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH with a 1951 spin: a group of scientists become convinced that nuclear holocaust is inevitable and seek to locate a safe haven for mankind inside the earth itself. They develop a machine they call a "cyclotram," which might be described as a strangely art deco-styled drill bit with seating for six, descend into an extinct volcano, and work hard to put you to sleep within the first twenty minutes of the film.

Considering that you still have fifty-four minutes to go, it might be just as well if you did doze off at that point, for the film doesn't get any better. If you stay awake for the rest of it, you will find that they don't do much actual drilling; apparently the interior of the earth is riddled with dandy tubes ideal for cyclotram travel. Now and then they pause to argue needlessly, kill off a character or two, argue needlessly, look for water, and then argue needlessly some more. Eventually they do reach a space that might be used as a sanctuary from nuclear war; when they do, they all argue needlessly some more.

The cast is not actually bad enough to make fun of but neither are they actually adequate, so there's no joy to be had in either direction; the visual effects are much the same. The Millard Kaufman script is a clunker if ever there was one, but director Terry Morse--a Hollywood workhorse if ever there was one--manages to give the thing enough cohesion to keep it going, so once again it's not quite bad enough to laugh at nor is it entertaining on its own merits.

The absolute best that can be said for UNKNOWN WORLD is that it is tiresome, and indeed I had to play this DVD no less than four times before I could get through it without falling asleep. If that sounds like a joke, I assure you that it is not. The movie is so dull that you will feel you are settling to the bottom of a subterranean sea. Bon Voyage.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Was the above comment useful to you?

4 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Much better than I ever expected, 3 August 2003
9/10
Author: Enrique Sanchez from Miami, FL

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I say: when you watch any 50's Sci-Fi, you've got to go into the thing with a grain of salt in comparison to our post-modern, spoiled sensibilities. You've got to put yourself in the shoes of the mind-set of those earlier days. Without that, you are bound and destined to find nothing of redeeming value.

With that in play, I found UNKNOWN WORLD to be an enjoyable experience. Yes, I've seen countless journeys into the center of the earth, but I was more than pleasantly surprised by the end of the thing. I cared for the characters and I found welcome relief at the end.

Spoiler:::::::::::

The scene where Morley stays behind was compellingly depicted.

End Spoiler:::::::

All in all, it was much better than I thought it would be. I had a choice between AOL's "The Ape", "The Giant Gila Monster" and "Indestructible Man". I think I made the best decision.

Was the above comment useful to you?

4 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Not as bad as I would have liked, 11 September 2000
Author: Kevin-278 from Toronto, Ontario

I thought that this would be a typical "lost world" type movie. A bunch of people set out on an adventure to find a hide away from the threat of nuclear war by drilling deep into the earth...sounds similar to a lot of other story lines. Problem is that with effects of this style (not too bad for the time), and acting this bad, I thought at least we would get a cave man or a cheap dinosaur. No, they just keep going deeper and deeper, losing members of the team as they go. It also ends so abruptly that you think the writer just gave up.

Was the above comment useful to you?

1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Very surprising, 13 January 2009
7/10
Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida

The film begins with some stock footage about nuclear war and is part of a presentation scientists are making in order to drum up support for an ark, of sorts, to be sent deep within the planet. This way, in case we have a nuclear war, the species can survive deep inside mother Earth. The story, at times, is highly reminiscent of Jules Verne's JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH.

When I rented this film, I assumed based on the box cover that it was a typical low-budget 1950s sci-fi/horror film. However, to my surprise, there were no bug-eyed monsters, alligators or lizards with cheap fins pasted on or silly masked ghouls. While it certainly did not have a huge budget, the film made a genuine effort to entertain, have SOME basis in scientific facts of the day and say something about mankind. While some might find this all pretty dull, I actually enjoyed it more than I thought and in hindsight I am glad the usual silly and schlocky monsters and such were missing. Now this isn't to say this is a masterpiece. Occasionally, the characters behave a bit silly--such as their needlessly bickering (which makes no sense for such an expedition) and the science behind all this is suspect (such as the lack of differences in air pressure, the presence of drinkable water as well as breathable air over a thousand miles inside the Earth and their ability to ascend at an incredible rate without exploding!). Still, it is oddly compelling and the acting (while they weren't arguing) was pretty good. Plus, unlike JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, it's nice NOT to see dinosaurs and other creatures waiting to greet our heroes.

Final verdict--well worth a look and a decent time-passer despite some limitations.

PS--This film is from Alpha Video--one of the worst producers of DVDs out there. Fortunately, unlike many of their films which are scratchy public domain prints, this one is a very good copy and is very watchable.

Was the above comment useful to you?
Page 1 of 3:[1] [2] [3] [Next]

Add another comment

Related Links

Plot summary Ratings External reviews
Plot keywords Main details Your user comments
Your vote history