The Land That Time Forgot (2009 film)
A 2009 Asylum adaptation of Burroughs' novel, distinct from the 1974 film.
The Asylum released *The Land That Time Forgot* in 2009, a science-fiction film also marketed as *Edgar Rice Burrough's The Land That Time Forgot* and internationally as *Dinosaur Island*. C. Thomas Howell directed and starred in this adaptation of Burroughs’ 1918 novel, which is a separate adaptation from the 1974 Doug McClure film, not a remake.
The story is set in the present day. Two newlywed couples take a charter boat cruise through the Caribbean. A strange storm pushes them off course, and they find themselves near the mysterious island of Caprona. This island exists inside a time void within the Bermuda Triangle, populated by anachronistic creatures like dinosaurs and the crew of a stranded German U-boat. The newlyweds, the charter boat’s captain, and the Germans must overcome various obstacles to escape the island and return to their own time.
Initially, the group plans to rescue a woman named Karen from the Germans and steal their boat. However, guides Jude and Conrad betray the group, taking the boat and leaving everyone with the Germans. The captain eventually persuades the Germans to cooperate in order to leave the island. They manage to free the U-boat and produce diesel fuel from the island’s oil. Frost is left behind when he cannot reach the submarine in time, and his wife Karen chooses to stay with him. The submarine escapes, but whether it ever reaches civilization is left unclear. Frost writes his story, seals it in a thermos, and throws it into the ocean. He and Karen build a life on the island, and Karen becomes pregnant.
Prehistoric creatures appearing in the film include a Tyrannosaurus, a Pteranodon, and the carcasses of a Brontosaurus and a Gallimimus.
Quick Facts
- Director
- C. Thomas Howell
- Producer
- David Michael Latt
- Based On
- The Land That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs
- Screenplay
- Darren Dalton
- Starring
- C. Thomas Howell / Timothy Bottoms / Stephen Blackehart / Lindsey McKeon / Anya Benton / Patrick Gorman
- Music
- Chris Cano / Chris Ridenhour
- Cinematography
- Mark Atkins
- Editing
- Brian Brinkman
- Studio
- The Asylum
- Released
- 28 July 2009
- Runtime
- 90 minutes
- Country
- United States
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film takes place in the present, when two newlywed couples are enjoying a charter boat cruise through the Caribbean. Passing through a bizarre storm, they emerge off the shore of the mysterious island of Caprona. The island, which seems to exist within a time void inside the Bermuda Triangle, is full of anachronistic inhabitants, including dinosaurs and the crew of a stranded German U-boat. The newlyweds, along with the charter boat's captain and the Germans, must battle a variety of obstacles to escape from the island and get back to their own time. At first the plan is to rescue a woman named Karen from the Germans and then take their boat away, but their guides Jude and Conrad betray them and steal the boat, leaving them to the Germans. Eventually, the captain convinces the Germans to work together to get off the island. They are able to free the U-boat and make diesel fuel from oil on the island. Unfortunately, Frost is left behind as he can't get to the sub in time and his wife Karen joins him on the island again. The sub gets away, but it is unclear if it ever returned to civilization. Frost writes down his story and puts it in a thermos and throws it in the ocean. He and Karen have found a life on the island and Karen is pregnant.
Reader's Guide
The Land That Time Forgot (2009) is a low-budget independent film from The Asylum, a studio known for producing direct-to-video and mockbuster titles. Directed by and starring C. Thomas Howell, the film adapts Edgar Rice Burroughs' 1918 novel and remakes the 1974 film starring Doug McClure. Its significance lies in being part of The Asylum's catalog of genre films released in the same year as their adaptation of Burroughs' Princess of Mars. The film features prehistoric creatures including Tyrannosaurus, Pteranodon, and carcasses of Brontosaurus and Gallimimus. It is also notable for being one of several Asylum films starring and directed by C. Thomas Howell, who also appeared in War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave and The Day the Earth Stopped. The film's legacy is as a modern, low-budget reinterpretation of a classic adventure story, preserving the core elements of survival and anachronistic dangers while updating the setting to the present day.
Did You Know?
- The film was released in other countries under the title Dinosaur Island.
- It is a separate adaptation of Burroughs' novel, not a remake of the 1974 film starring Doug McClure.
- The film features a stranded German U-boat crew as antagonists.
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