MAN FROM ATLANTIS (1977)
Label: Warner Archive
Region Code: Region-FREE
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 96 Minutes
Audio: English DTS HD-MA 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: Full Frame (1.33:1)
Director: Lee H. Katzin
Cast: Patrick Duffy, Belinda Montgomery, Victor Buono, Art Lund, Dean Santoro
I saw a lot of made-for-TV films in the 70's when I was a kid but Man from Atlantis (1977) was not one of them, nor the series the TV film inspired afterward, so this was fun first time watch for me. The films tells the story of a mysterious man who washes up on shore wrapped in sea weed during a strong storm surge. The man is found unconscious by a father and son walking their dog on the beach, and is taken to the hospital where doctor's try to keep him breathing. His body shows strange anomalies like webbed hands, luminous green eyes, and upon further inspection, lungs that more resemble gills than the traditional air-breathing sort. Quick thinking Dr. Elizabeth Merrill (Belinda J. Montgomery, The Hitchhiker) has the good sense to return the man to the ocean before he suffocates, thus saving his life.
The aquatic man seems to be suffering from amnesia, and is given the name Mark Harris (Patrick Duffy, TV's Dallas), with the scientist believing the man to be the last survivor of the lost kingdom of Atlantis. He displays superhuman swimming agility and speed, and the ability to dive miles beneath the surface of the ocean without the aid of diving equipment. We're shown a montage of him testing his skills in a pool, swimming faster than a dolphin - and leaping high out of the water to retrieve a fishy treat! Also withstanding tremendous pressure at great depths far beyond that of what an ordinary man would be capable of.
Not surprisingly Harris' abilities capture the attention of the military, being recruited by the U.S. Navy to assist in finding a military submarine that has disappeared. However, Harris is reluctant to do so as the surface dwellers seems like a troublesome bunch bent of war and ecological terrorism, but with the prodding of the good-natured Dr. Merrill he agrees, joining the Navy on a recovery vessel, before solo swimming miles beneath the surface of the ocean to the last known location of the submarine.
There's some cool made-for-TV scenes of him swimming through the ocean depths eventually discovering a hidden underwater lair run by the Bond-type villain Mr. Schubert (Victor Bruno, Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?) who has been luring scientist from around the world to join him in his underwater Utopia, but it turns out he is really turning them into brainwashed slaves - using mind-controlling slap bracelets - who are working to unleash a nuclear holocaust upon the surface dwelling world in response to their environmental policies, which are destroying the Earth. Victor Bruno has a strange grandfatherly bearded-charm with a demented glint in his eye that made for a fun villain with admirable goals but an insane solution.
For a made-for-TV film this is a solid watch, even without any youthful nostalgia, the fish-man out of water story is compelling. It's a bit cheesy, and full of tropes we've seen time and time again, but Patrick Duffy does good work as the last Atlantean, inhabiting the character nicely. He has a good physicality and has some mystery about him, which works for the character, he has that fish-man out of water vibe that this made-for-TV film needed.
The special effects work here is decent but does show it's vintage limitations, while Mark's emerald green eyes look great the webbed fingers not so much. Scenes of him exploring the depths of ocean and making his way through kelp fields has a charm about it, as does the miniature work of the submarine entering the undersea base, but they do look a bit chintzy with modern eyes, but are enjoyable if you're a fan of vintage special effects work.
Audio/Video: Made-for-TV movie Man From Atlantis (1977) arrives on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive with a new HD scan presenting the film in the original TV broadcast fullframe 1.33:1 aspect ratio. For a 40-year old TV film the image looks surprisingly good, grain looks healthy, and there's not much dirt and debris to contend with, plus the colors look solid. The increased resolution manages to slightly dampen some of the special effects that probably looked pretty good airing on 70's tube TVs, like the webbed-hands of the main character, they look waxy glove at times, but these TV-film didn't exactly have big budgets, and it shows, but even some ropiness from time to time didn't ruin it for me. The miniature work used for the underwater base scene still thrill me. Overall the image is impressive and natural looking throughout, but expect to see the 70's TV-budget limitations Audio comes by way of an English DTS-HA MA 2.0 mono track that is clean and well-balanced, it's not very dynamic, but it does the job just fine, optional English subtitles are provided.
No extras for this TV film, not even a TV spot, which is too bad, would have loved a commentary from star Patrick Duffy for this one, but the previous DVD had no extras so I wasn't expecting any with the Blu-ray, per Warner Archives usual standards.
