Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Raiders of Atlantis Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 19, 2023

Ruggero Deodato's "Raiders of Atlantis" (1983) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with the director; exclusive new program with cinematographer Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli; audio commentary recorded by actor Tony King and critic/producer Brad Henderson; and vintage trailer for the film. In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

In the early 1980s, Ruggero Deodato went to Manilla to do what Roger Corman had been doing there for years -- cheap and crazy films. However, unlike Corman, Deodato was not trusting his great business instincts. Deodato went to Manilla because Imelda Marcos had used an intermediary to reach out to him -- and undoubtedly many other European and American actors -- with an invitation to test the massive new facility she had built to further develop the local film industry. Of course, the real reason Marcos wanted Deodato -- and every other foreign director she could get – to start shooting at the new facility in Manilla was the hard currency he and his crew would bring. Because he wanted to work, Deodato went to Manila and quickly discovered two things: there were plenty of stuntmen willing to do crazy things for pennies but hardly any decent local actors; while big and impressive, the new facility lacked a lot of basic equipment that a director would need to shoot a film. Deodato was at the airport, with his passport in his hand, ready to board the next plane that would take him back to Rome, when he heard his name coming out of the speakers and moments later a request to meet Marcos in person. He did and soon after shot Raiders of Atlantis.

You can hear a far more detailed summation of Deodato’s visit to Manilla in a terrific recent program that is included on this release. In the same program, you will hear Deodato confessing that at least initially -- but apparently later as well -- he did not know exactly what type of film Raiders of Atlantis would turn out to be. Clearly, it was going to be a genre film with plenty of action, but the rest was a combination of floating ideas and plenty of improvisation. Also, Deodato admits that the finished film had some good material but plenty of filler material, too.

One-third of Raiders of Atlantis is second-grade shlock that only an Italian director would have shot and used in a finished film. The remaining two-thirds is crazy material of the kind that would have been possible to shoot only in Manilla. To be perfectly clear, this is not the type of dangerous material you would see in some of Corman’s wildest films. (These would be the films Corman directed and produced). Rather, it is out-of-left-field material that a writer taking drugs could produce, and only the most desperate director would consider filming. And yet, it is this crazy material that saves Raiders of Atlantis.

In South Florida, scientists discover a sunken Russian submarine with nuclear weapons. When they secretly attempt to pull up the submarine while operating state-of-the-art equipment from an oil rig, something goes terribly wrong, causing a massive explosion that forces the ocean to release quite possibly its greatest secrets -- a giant capsule that has persevered an island that was once part of Atlantis. Shortly after, it becomes obvious that the explosion has something to do with an ancient tablet that was recovered from the bottom of the ocean. The survivors from the rig are saved by Mike Ross (Christopher Connelly) and Washington (Tony King), former military men turned mercenaries, who in the middle of tremendous weather anomalies figure out a way to reach the giant capsule with the ancient island. However, shortly after the survivors become targets for a huge gang of punk rockers led by Crystal Skull (Bruce Baron), a psychopath claiming to be the guardian angel of Atlantis.

Connoisseurs of older genre films will quickly recognize that Raiders of Atlantis borrows heavily from several cult films: The Naked Prey (1965), Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), Mad Max (1979), and Escape from New York (1981). Deodato then places the borrowed material in the famous Italian mixer that produced the likes of Contamination (1980), Robowar (1988), and Shocking Dark a.k.a. Terminator II (1989). Oliver Onions, the prolific Italian duo Guido and Maurizio De Angelis, were hired to further spice up the ‘new’ film with a predictably trendy soundtrack, too.

In its current form Raiders of Atlantis is impossible to critique because there is more crazy material in it than good and bad material. Naturally, only folks that appreciate crazy should consider spending a night with it.

Raiders of Atlantis Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Raiders of Atlantis arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films.

The release is sourced from a recent 4K master that is quite good. Unfortunately, this release is poorly encoded, which is why the overall quality of the technical presentation is quite frustrating. On my system, the grain would just not hold up well because every other frame tends to collapse and produce light smearing. I was able to partially minimize the effect by upscaling to 4K, but it is impossible to strengthen delineation and recover proper depth. So, if you view your films on a large screen, you will quite easily notice that the encode is not as good as it should have been. The rest looks either very good or excellent. For example, color balance is very convincing. I could tell that an interpositive was scanned because the dynamic range of the visuals was not optimal even in the 'proper' frames, but this is not a serious issue. Image stability is very good. The entire film looks healthy, too. All in all, the film is not unwatchable, but it is very frustrating that it does not look as good as it could have. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you need to have a Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Raiders of Atlantis Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

From time to time the audio is a bit uneven, but I am not surprised because virtually all of these Italian genre films that emerged during the 1970s and 1980s reveal similar fluctuations. The dialog is clear and easy to follow. Dynamic intensity is good, but this is another area where the age and limitations of the production become quite obvious.

Raiders of Atlantis Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Ruggero and the Fate of Atlantis - in this recent program, director Ruggero Deodato recalls how he was approached by Imelda Marcos and offered to shoot a film in Manilla, and discusses the production history of Raiders of Atlantis, the state of the Italian film industry during the 1980s, and the evolution of his career. The program was produced by Federico Caddeo for Freak-O-Rama in 2020. In Italian, with English subtitles. (21 min).

• Quest for Atlantis - in this recent program, cinematographer Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli discusses his professional relationship with Ruggero Deodato, how he missed working on Cannibal Holocaust, his return to Manilla to do Raiders of Atlantis, and the 'inspirational impact' of Assault on Precinct 13 and Mad Max. he program was produced by Federico Caddeo for Freak-O-Rama in 2020. In Italian, with English subtitles. (13 min).

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by actor Tony King and Brad Henderson from Vinegar Syndrome. Mr. King recalls how he became involved with Raiders of Atlantis, the work that was done during the production of the film (apparently there was a lot of improvising), his interactions with Ruggero Deodato and other cast members, and his initial impressions of the finished film.

• Trailer - presented here is a fully restored original U.S. trailer for Raiders of Atlantis. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Raiders of Atlantis Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Crazy films can be placed in two categories, good and awful. Ruggero Deodato's Riaders of Atlantis might be in a category of its own because it elevates crazy to a whole new level without self-destructing. In an exclusive program, Deodato reveals that he does not understand why Raiders of Atlantis has a huge fan base, but I think that the answer is quite obvious -- his film's imagination is off the charts, which is why it is full of bizarre surprises. I had a great time with it. Severin's recent Blu-ray release is sourced from an exclusive new 4K master, but the technical presentation of Raiders of Atlantis is quite frustrating. Regardless, if you can find the release with a decent price tag, I think that you should pick it up for your collection. RECOMMENDED.