Warlords of Atlantis

Lore & Background

In Atlantis, the surface-dwellers are greeted by Atmir and the Guardians. Charles is taken to the royal city of Chinqua, where King Atraxon and Queen Atsil explain they came from Mars and use mind powers to shape human history. Greg and the crew meet Briggs, captain of the missing Mary Celeste, who tells them they will be given gills. After a Zaarg attack kills Briggs, his daughter Delphine helps Greg and the crew escape. They rescue Charles, who had been influenced by Atlantean mind powers, and retrace their route back through a prehistoric swamp, where the Mogdaan kills Jacko. Delphine covers their escape, and the group reaches the diving bell and returns to the Texas Rose. There, Captain Daniels reveals he shot the Professor, and the Sentinel destroys the ship, killing Daniels, while the others escape in a lifeboat.

Reader's Guide

Warlords of Atlantis was produced by EMI Films and Columbia Pictures, with a higher budget than Connor's previous three films with McClure. It was part of a slate of six films EMI made with various US partners. The film opened strongly at the box office but fell out of the top ten after one week, attributed to competition from films like Revenge of the Pink Panther, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Grease. It was the 15th most successful movie in the UK in 1978 but was considered a disappointment relative to its higher budget. Critical reception was mixed: Variety noted the script kept the pot boiling, while Sight and Sound found Cyd Charisse's presence one of the few incidental pleasures. The film's title underwent several changes to avoid confusion with other works, including Atlantis, the Lost Continent and The Man from Atlantis.

Did You Know?

• The film was originally known as Atlantis, then 7 Cities of Atlantis, then Warlords of the Deep, before becoming Warlords of Atlantis.
• Peter Cushing was meant to play a lead role but was delayed on Star Wars, so Daniel Massey played his part.
• The film was novelised by Paul Victor.
• Location filming took place on Malta and the island of Gozo, starting 1 October 1977.