Jacomedi A Surprisingly Unforgettable Movie!

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Richard Chatten The most remarkable thing about this film has been one of the least commented upon, either on the IMDb itself and in histories of the Hollywood blacklist. Cases are legion of writers using 'fronts' to enable them to continue working in films, and Lloyd Gough's role as Kinch in 'Rancho Notorious' (1952) is itself notorious for going uncredited because he was blacklisted after the film was completed but before it was released. But 'Unknown World' has to be the only instance of an actor who played what was obviously the lead role in a film going uncredited in the opening titles because of the blacklist; and yet few people have noticed or mentioned this. It's as if James Mason had been uncredited and omitted from the posters of 'Journey to the Center of the Earth'. A familiar face in Hollywood supporting roles for many years, the name of rangy, floppy-haired Victor Kilian was omitted from the credits of the final five films in which he appeared. This is most egregiously apparent in the case of 'Unknown World' and ironically makes him perfect casting as the idealistic political campaigner Dr. Jeremiah Morley, America's answer to Bertrand Russell and founder of the Society to Save Civilization. Like Russell he takes the threat of nuclear war very seriously, to which he offers the same solution as Dr.Strangelove.According to both Dr.Morley and Dr.Strangelove the human race's only chance for survival is to seek shelter underground; a process envisaged by Dr.Strangelove as lasting about a hundred years and requiring ten women to every man. Dr.Morley is working to a tighter budget and his expedition consists of just six men and one woman, although Marilyn Nash as Dr.Joan Lindsey certainly fits Strangelove's bill both as a "medical doctor and ardent feminist" while also being of "a highly stimulating nature".Scriptwriter Millard Kaufman and composer Ernest Gold both do good work and went on to bigger and better things, while director Terry Morse later edited 'Robinson Crusoe on Mars' (1964), which elaborated upon the subject of the psychological effects on explorers of isolation mentioned in 'Unknown World'.Too bad it's all so dull.

Dalbert Pringle I certainly must say that 1951's, Sci-Fi, Adventure tale, "Unknown World" sure turned out, for me, to be a humongous let-down on all counts.Had there been a really interesting rapport going on between the characters in the story, then, yes, I could've easily forgiven all of the shoddy special effects and the absolute sluggish pace of this "Journey-To-The-Centre-Of-The-Earth" yarn.But, alas, character interaction, like everything else in Unknown World, was unendurably lacklustre and painfully predictable.Yes. It was interesting to note that even back in the early 1950s there was considerable concern (amongst some citizens of the USA) regarding the dangerously fatal downside to the dawning of the Atomic Age for us humans.But, in the long run, this did nothing to alleviate the total humdrum that prevailed throughout Unknown World's story, from its somewhat promising opening to its downright cornball finish.Even from a purely nostalgic point of view, there was nothing about Unknown World that made it stand out in any way at all. It was just boring and forgettable. And that was, pretty much, it!

lemon_magic Interestingly, I got this movie as part of a 10 movie collection called 'The Best Of The Worst'. This movie pack included gems such as "Eegah!","Manos", and "Mesa Of Lost Women". And I have to say..."Unknown World" really doesn't belong in such august company.In spite of the typical genre copy you'll see for this movie on promotional posters back in the day...UK seems to be fundamentally serious and well meaning in its attempt to convey a message about mankind taking responsibility for its future. And when you compare it to something like "The Incredible Petrified World" (which has a similar plot about explorers in a subterranean world)...UK is obviously in a different and better rank of movies.But its attempt to balance fantastic themes with a sober, realistic message falls flat because it just....drags...and drags...and drags.In fact, it is hard to imagine watching "Unknown World" for any kind of real entertainment value. You may watch this once, for some reason...but I can't imagine anyone wanting to watch it again.

gftbiloxi UNKNOWN WORLD isn't so much a badly made film as it is a very boring one.The story is essentially a riff on Jules Verne's JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH with a 1951 spin: a group of scientists become convinced that nuclear holocaust is inevitable and seek to locate a safe haven for mankind inside the earth itself. They develop a machine they call a "cyclotram," which might be described as a strangely art deco-styled drill bit with seating for six, descend into an extinct volcano, and work hard to put you to sleep within the first twenty minutes of the film.Considering that you still have fifty-four minutes to go, it might be just as well if you did doze off at that point, for the film doesn't get any better. If you stay awake for the rest of it, you will find that they don't do much actual drilling; apparently the interior of the earth is riddled with dandy tubes ideal for cyclotram travel. Now and then they pause to argue needlessly, kill off a character or two, argue needlessly, look for water, and then argue needlessly some more. Eventually they do reach a space that might be used as a sanctuary from nuclear war; when they do, they all argue needlessly some more.The cast is not actually bad enough to make fun of but neither are they actually adequate, so there's no joy to be had in either direction; the visual effects are much the same. The Millard Kaufman script is a clunker if ever there was one, but director Terry Morse--a Hollywood workhorse if ever there was one--manages to give the thing enough cohesion to keep it going, so once again it's not quite bad enough to laugh at nor is it entertaining on its own merits.The absolute best that can be said for UNKNOWN WORLD is that it is tiresome, and indeed I had to play this DVD no less than four times before I could get through it without falling asleep. If that sounds like a joke, I assure you that it is not. The movie is so dull that you will feel you are settling to the bottom of a subterranean sea. Bon Voyage.GFT, Amazon Reviewer