The Land Unknown (1957)

27% of users liked it
(301 ratings)

Generous portions of The Secret Land, the 1948 documentary on the Byrd Antarctic Expedition, were worked into the action of The Land Unknown. Jock Mahoney and William Reynolds play Hal and Jack, leaders of an expedition to the South Pole. Along for the ride is girl reporter Maggie (Shawn Smith),… More Generous portions of The Secret Land, the 1948 documentary on the Byrd Antarctic Expedition, were worked into the action of The Land Unknown. Jock Mahoney and William Reynolds play Hal and Jack, leaders of an expedition to the South Pole. Along for the ride is girl reporter Maggie (Shawn Smith), over whose affections Hal and Jack constantly battle. Making a forced landing in the Antarctic, our intrepid explorers find that they've descended well below sea level. Before long, they are attacked by prehistoric beasts which have been preserved in this heretofore uncharted region. When not fending off Tyrannosauri and Pterodactyls, Hal, Jack, Maggie and copter pilot Steve (Phil Harvey) try to steer clear of an unwieldly carnivorous plant. Further complicating things is the presence of a long-lost, slightly demented scientist (Henry Brandon) who craves companionship...specifically the female companionship of Maggie. Its reasonably convincing special effects notwithstanding, The Land Unknown is much ado about nothing. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 18 min.
Directed By: Virgil W. Vogel
Written By: Charles Palmer, William N. Robson
Genres: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Aug 1, 1957 Wide
On DVD: Apr 13, 1994
Studio: Universal Pictures

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Despite its obvious flaws, it was mildly effective in its imaginative and realistic treatment of a pre-historic lost valley.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Keiko A

Directed by Virgil W. Vogel and staring Jock Mahoney, Shirley Patterson and William Reynolds Eirin Rating-Not Rated The Land Unknown is one of those rare and very unknown dinosaur films that I just happened to love unlike Meany. Despite the flaws and how we later copied It to… More
Directed by Virgil W. Vogel and staring Jock Mahoney, Shirley Patterson and William Reynolds Eirin Rating-Not Rated The Land Unknown is one of those rare and very unknown dinosaur films that I just happened to love unlike Meany. Despite the flaws and how we later copied It to make The Last Dinosaur. But still yet again another 50s dino flick using men in dinosaur suits god why do they copy us. And remake our movies. Navy Commander Hal Roberts is assigned to lead an expedition to Little America in Antarctica to investigate reports of a mysterious warm water inland lake discovered a decade earlier. His helicopter and its small party, including beautiful reporter Maggie Hathaway, is forced down into a volcanic crater by a fierce storm. They find themselves trapped in a lush tropical environment that has survived from the Mesozoic Era. Fighting carnivorous plants, dinosaurs, and a limited time window, they struggle to survive and repair the helicopter, their only means of escape. They are both helped and hindered by Dr. Carl Hunter, a megalomaniac survivor of an earlier expedition, who has learned to adapt to the hostile environment. Looks expensive but its not rather very well done low budget stuff. 70% for story it's still interesting and good. 70% for acting not very strong but it pulls right throw. 70% for special effects there not fantastic and they don't use stop motion animation but they do get it right with our inventions. 60% for characters there bad but we get to know the heroes and villains. 80% for everything else. It has got some very well done sets. Any dinosaur film liker like myself would like it. Keiko's score. 72-100
AJ V

If we find one more unknown island with dinosaurs on it, I'm going to scream! Not one of these kinds of movies is any good.
Randy T

One of those campy little low-budget gems I keep tucked away in a dusty corner of my DVD collection. If I started a list of films with really crappy looking dinosaurs this would be #1.