My Top Ten Favorite Movies that Feature Atlantis

I saw the movie “Atlantis the Lost Continent” (1961) when I was young and it made a big impression on me and got me waiting for more films about Atlantis. Unfortunately, that 1961 film remains by far (in my opinion) the best film that features Atlantis. Here’s a list of my 10 favorite Atlantean themed films.

1. Atlantis, the Lost Continent (1961) – A humble fisherman is kidnapped by an Atlantean submarine. There he finds all kinds of weirdness including humans turned to half-animals and a neat power ray. This movie is not held in high regard but it’s a classic to me. Grade = A-.

2. Aquaman (2018) – This movie was wildly popular, grossing well over $1.0 billion dollars. Aquaman is half human and half Atlantean. Aquaman battles his half-brother Orm, finds a magic trident, visits the Sahara desert, goes to the center of the earth, and, oh well, you get the idea. Sure this is a good movie but I felt like I was watching a video game. Grade = B+.

3. Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) – James Mason and Pat Boone find Atlantis at the center of the earth. Just a good, fun adventure film. The expedition escapes in a giant bowl up through a volcano. Grade = B.

4. Alien from L.A. (1988) – A socially awkward teen (played by swimsuit super model Kathy Ireland) goes to Atlantis (deep inside the earth) looking for her archaeologist father who disappeared. In Atlantis, Ireland is considered an invading alien. I love how Ireland is portrayed as the ugly ducking in the beginning of the movie and gets dumped by her surfer boyfriend. Anyway, this is an incredibly low-rated movie by most, but I like it a lot. A classic so-bad-it’s-interesting movie. Grade = C+.

5. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012) – This Disney film starred Dwayne Johnson and is a sort of a sequel to “Journey to the Center of the Earth” (2008) which starred Brendan Fraser. As with most films on this list, the plot is confused and involves escaping from a volcano, and Nemo’s Nautilus submarine. Grade = C+.

6. War-Gods of the Deep (1965) – Also known as “City under the Sea”. This film has Vincent Price as a mad scientist sort, and Tab Hunter as the hero. OK, the city isn’t really Atlantis but close enough. A generic adventure film from the 1960s but entertaining. Grade = C.

7. Warlords of Atlantis (1978) – Stars Doug McClure who was in a ton of sci-fi adventure films in the 1970s and 80s. The heroes find Atlantis using a diving bell then have to find a way to escape. A pretty good film. Grade = C.

8. The Amazing Captain Nemo (1978) – This was originally a TV miniseries by Irwin Allen who did the “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” series. The miniseries was intended to become a regular series but that didn’t happen so the shows were repackaged into a movie. Jose Ferrer is Captain Nemo who is revived from suspended animation. Grade = C.

9. Siren of Atlantis (1949) – This is a fairly obscure film starring Maria Montez who was a big star in the 1940s. A soldier in the French Foreign Legion stumbles across the lost kingdom of Atlantis, ruled by the beautiful Queen Antinea. Grade = C.

10. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) – This is a Disney animated film. It wasn’t well received when released. The art is fantastic but the story isn’t. This is one of those films that could have been great with a better plot. Grade = C.

Special Mention

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” aka “Aquaman 2” (2023) – A big-budget disappointment for me. A movie that is less than the sum of its parts. The humor falls flat, the action is like watching a C grade video game, the acting just didn’t work, and the plot was not engaging.

10,000 BC (2008) – This movie has only a very loose connection to Atlantis. Here the caveman hero tosses a spear through the bad guy who is a survivor from Atlantis. Pretty good special effects are the best part of this movie.

Island of the Fishmen (1979) – This Italian-produced movie has actress Barbara Bach but not much else going for it. Once again there is a volcano, but this time there are some creepy half-man, half-fish things.

Journey to the Center of the Earth (1989) – A truly bizarre movie. A sequel to “Alien from L.A.” Some young people fall down a hole and end up in Atlantis. The writing and plot and editing are beyond-belief-bad. But I thought actress Nicola Cowper as Crystina played her part very well.

Undersea Kingdom (1936) – Is a re-editing and compilation of an old Republic serial. Not bad if you like 1930s serials (like I do). Appears on Mystery Science Fiction Theater 3000.

Kull the Conqueror (1997) – With Kevin Sorbo and Tia Carrere; doesn’t really involve Atlantis except for the fact that Kull is from Atlantis.

Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis (1961) – Also known as “Hercules and the Captive Women”. One of many Italian movies about Hercules from the 1960s. Has a certain charm.

The Conqueror of Atlantis (1965) – Another Italian film with Hercules and Atlantis. Hercules finds Atlantis under the Sahara desert. This movie isn’t nearly as bad as you might expect.

Fire Maidens From Outer Space (1956) – Five men travel in a rocket ship to the 13th moon of Jupiter (Leda) where they find “New Atlantis” and fire maidens. The maidens are descendants of the Earth Atlantis. When Atlantis was sinking, some Atlanteans somehow made it to Leda. This movie is awesomely awesome.

Devil’s Triangle (2021) – A group of 20-something marine biologists are flying over the Bermuda Triangle when their plane is shot down. They end up in Atlantis where the Atlanteans are planning to attack the surface world with a World War II Japanese submarine fitted with nuclear missiles. I have a low quality bar but this movie came nowhere near that bar.

Beyond Atlantis (1974) – A group of adventurers discover giant pearls on a remote island in the South Pacific. Most of the natives have large fish-eyes. They are (somehow) descendants of people who fled from Atlantis before it was destroyed. Very slow-moving movie.

30,000 Leagues Under the Sea (2007) – A modern day version of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” with the same key ideas including Captain Nemo and his submarine the Nautilus. Nemo discovers sunken Atlantis and steals an oxygen creation device as part of a plan to bring the civilation back to life. In a nice twist, Nemo creates robotic giant squids to protect himself. Bad plot, bad special effects, bad acting — but somehow an appealing film (to me anyway).

In Hercules (1983) the hero semi-god is played by actor Lou Ferrigno. Villain King Minos rules Thera from the capitol city Atlantis (at least according to the English captioned narration). Hercules must save his girlfriend Cassiopeia. He does.

The Raiders of Atlantis (1983) aka “The Atlantis Interceptors” aka “Atlantis Inferno” aka “I predatori di Atlantide” (“Predators of Atlantis”). A radiation-leaking sunken Russian submarine triggers a tidal wave and the rising of Atlantis. The not-so-nice Atlanteans look like rejects from a Mad Max movie. Lots of shooting, explosions, some blowgun darting, car crashes, and non-stop action, but not much plot or acting.