Warlords of Atlantis
| Company type | Film production company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film production |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Films |
| Parent | EMI |
Warlords of Atlantis—also titled Warlords of the Deep, is a 1978 British film blending elements of adventure and science fiction. Directed by Kevin Connor, it features performances by Doug McClure, Peter Gilmore, Shane Rimmer, and Lea Brodie. The screenplay was crafted by Brian Hayles. Produced under EMI Productions, the movie has a 96-minute runtime, is presented in English, and holds a PG rating from the MPAA. Additionally, Paul Victor adapted the story into a novel.
Plot
Set in the early 1900s, British archaeologist Professor Aitken and his son Charles engage Captain Daniels and his vessel Texas Rose to embark on an expedition to locate Atlantis, utilizing a diving bell engineered by Greg Collinson.
During their initial underwater exploration, Charles and Greg repel an attack from a reptilian sea creature using an electric shock and uncover a solid gold statue, confirming the legend of Atlantis. Meanwhile, crew members Grogan, Fenn, and Jacko conspire to steal the treasure; Grogan severs the diving bell’s tether, leaving Greg and Charles stranded beneath the surface, while another conspirator shoots the Professor. Subsequently, a colossal octopus known as the Sentinel captures both the mutineers and the trapped men. Only Sandy, the cabin boy, and the Professor remain aboard.
The captives are brought to an underwater cavern governed by Atmir and protected by Atlantean warriors armed with spears. Atmir reveals that Atlantis consists of seven cities: two submerged, one abandoned. They traverse a prehistoric marsh inhabited by a millipede-like creature called the Mogdaan before arriving at Vaar city. Five men are imprisoned; Charles is taken to Chinqua—the royal city—where King Atraxon and Queen Atsil disclose their Martian heritage and their psychic abilities used to manipulate human history. They invite Charles to join their ranks.
Greg and his companions encounter Briggs—the captain of the vanished Mary Celeste—who leads enslaved humans destined to develop gills for underwater survival. After an assault by Zaarg creatures results in Briggs’s death, his daughter Delphine assists Greg’s group in escaping through tunnels leading to Atraxon’s palace in order to rescue Charles.
Although Charles initially accepts his newfound position, Greg renders him unconscious to break Atlantean control. The group flees through the swamp where Mogdaan kills Jacko. Atmir attempts to halt their progress using telekinesis; however, they continue forward with Delphine covering their retreat.
They reach the diving bell and ascend to the surface. Back aboard Texas Rose, Sandy informs them about the mutiny and shooting incident. Daniels admits he shot the Professor following a disagreement over profits. Fenn and Grogan imprison them along with the Professor until Sentinel attacks again, destroying the ship. Daniels is killed beneath a statue; the others escape using a lifeboat.
Cast
- Doug McClure as Greg Collinson
- Peter Gilmore as Charles Aitken
- Shane Rimmer as Captain Daniels
- Lea Brodie as Delphine
- Michael Gothard as Atmir
- Hal Galili as Grogan
- John Ratzenberger as Fenn
- Derry Power as Jacko
- Donald Bisset as Professor Aitken
- Ashley Knight as Sandy
- Robert Brown as Briggs
- Cyd Charisse as Atsil
- Daniel Massey as Atraxon
Production
Warlords of Atlantis represented the fourth action-fantasy project uniting Kevin Connor, John Dark, and Doug McClure. Unlike their earlier trio of films—The Land That Time Forgot, At the Earth's Core, and The People That Time Forgot—which were produced by Amicus Productions, this installment was developed by EMI Films under the leadership of Michael Deeley and Barry Spikings, in collaboration with Columbia Pictures. It featured a larger budget than its predecessors and was distinguished as the first in the series to be based on an original screenplay rather than adaptations of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novels.
At EMI, Deeley and Spikings adopted a funding model requiring American studios to finance 50% of each film’s budget. Warlords of Atlantis was included in a six-picture lineup that also encompassed Death on the Nile (Paramount), Arabian Adventure (Columbia), Convoy (United Artists), The Deer Hunter (Universal), and The Driver (20th Century Fox).
Initially, Peter Cushing was set to star but was replaced by Daniel Massey due to scheduling conflicts with Star Wars. Director Kevin Connor described the screenplay as "more intelligent" compared to their previous efforts, intending to weave social critique regarding humanity’s folly. Set during the Industrial Revolution, the story reflects on how scientific advancements influenced warfare and technology.
Filming commenced on 5 September 1977, with location shoots beginning on 1 October in Malta, primarily on Gozo island. After four weeks on location, production shifted to Pinewood Studios, wrapping up on 13 January 1978.
Title variants
The movie was originally named Atlantis, but to avoid confusion with the 1961 film Atlantis, the Lost Continent, it was retitled 7 Cities of Atlantis. Following the failure of the TV series The Man from Atlantis, executives changed it to Warlords of the Deep to distance it from that show. Subsequently, Columbia Pictures, a co-financier, requested another title change to prevent confusion with The Deep (1977), resulting in the final title: Warlords of Atlantis.
Box office
Prior to its release, John Dark expressed no apprehension about competing with Star Wars, believing that any film attracting audiences would be advantageous. He also anticipated that the TV series Man from Atlantis would enhance public interest in cinema by promoting the Atlantis brand. The film opened well but rapidly fell out of the top ten after its first week, likely due to intense summer competition from titles such as Revenge of the Pink Panther, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Grease. It ranked as the 15th highest-grossing UK film in 1978 but was regarded as underperforming relative to earlier entries and its increased budget. Following this project, John Dark, Kevin Connor, and Brian Hayles collaborated once more on Arabian Adventure.
Critics
Variety commended Kevin Connor’s direction and editing for maintaining a brisk pace but criticized the characters as stereotypical and performances as adequate yet uninspired. Sight and Sound highlighted Cyd Charisse's role as one of the few standout elements within an otherwise conventional dinosaur fantasy. Time Out disparaged the movie for lacking the charm of previous films and for its coarse depiction of Atlantis. According to TV Guide, it was "silly but harmless," appropriate primarily for viewers under twelve years old. The Spinning Image emphasized its distinctly British quirks despite American co-production involvement, noting familiar rubber creature effects alongside plentiful action sequences paired with witty performances.
Film scholar James Chapman considered Warlords of Atlantis to be the "most interesting" among lost world films from the 1970s due to its original script proposing an alternate history shaped by survivors from Atlantis’s vanished civilization.
Novelization
Paul Victor's 1978 novel adaptation, released by Futura Publications Limited as a companion to the film, is told through the viewpoint of Greg Collinson and closely mirrors the movie's plot. Notable variations include the introduction of a fourth team member named Chuck; instead of escaping, Grogan and Fenn are drawn back to Atlantis by the Sentinel; additionally, the flying fish assault happens earlier, during the approach to Vaar, rather than amid the surface inhabitants' flight.