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Marine scientists Dr. Tashiro (Akira Takarada) and Dr. Masson (Masumi Okada) and reporter Lawton (Richard Jaeckel) go down to the Ocean floor in a diving bell to check out some unerwater vulcanic activities - and are surprised by a nearby vulcano breaking out. Their bell loses its line to the main vessel and they seem to be doomed - but are saved by a submarine called the Alpha, commandeered by one Captain McKenzie (Joseph Cotten) that tells them of the underwater paradise that is Latitude Zero, his and his people's home far away from all the conflicts of the upper world. He needs to take our three heroes there as Masson needs surgical attention that can't be afforded to him aboard the sub, but then McKenzie promises to let them go if they wish to. On the way to Latitude Zero, the Alpha is attacked by a Black Shark, a submarine commandeered by Captain Kroiga (Hikaru Kuroki), who works for evil Dr. Malic (Cesar Romero) and his consort Lucretia (Patricia Medina), the leaders of another underwater realm dubbed Blood Rock. Of course, McKenzie can escape the Black Shark with a bit of trickery and bring our heroes to Latitude Zero safely, where he shows them all the wonders of his underwater city, inclluding a artificial sun. Also it appears that many brilliant scientists who have all gone missing on the upper world have found happy refuge here. And McKenzie expects another top notch scientist, Okada (Tetsu Nakamura) and his daughter Tsuruko (Mari Nakayama) any day now, too - but the vessel that should have taken Okada to Latitude Zero, if in a roundabout way, has been intercepted by the Black Shark and Okada and daughter are taken to Malic. He tries to torture some secret out of Okada, threatening to surgically turn him and his daughter into bat people otherwise. And he proves these are no idle threats when he transplants the brain of his trusted Kroiga into a lion he has previously given condor wings. Apparently he sees winged lion Kroiga as his ultimate weapon against McKenzie, whom he of course lures to Blood Rock, and of course he's accompanied by Tashiro, Masson and Lawton, as well as his trusted strongman Kobo (Wataru Omae). Malic has set up many a death trap up for McKenzie and company, but with skill, gadgets, and let's not forget a bath in some waters that make them immune to bullets, it turns out to be rather easy a task to free Okada and daughter, and on their way away from Blood Rock they again evade all traps set by Malic, who eventually falls into them himself and ultimately is attacked by Kroiga, who's not at all happy about having been turned into a winged lion - understandably.

And what about our heroic trio from the beginning? Well, two of them decide to stay in Latitude Zero, having found love there, too. Only Lawton wants to return to the upper world, thinking the story about this underwater paradise will make him rich. Only, once on the surface, his story's laughed out of the building. But to make up for this, McKenzie has at least sent him a fortune in diamonds so he never has to work again.

American starlet Linda Haynes, in her first movie, plays an alledgedly brilliant physician who personally takes care of Masson - but really she's given little to do other than look pretty in a skimpy outfit.

Now part of me just loves this movie, basically for its rather naive sense of wonder as well as its camp approach. At the same time I'm perfectly aware that objectively this is not a very good film. Sure, it's competently enough made, and there are some nice miniature effects in this one, too - but as much can be expected from director Ishiro Honda and special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya. Where the film's really lacking is its screenplay, that's really just built around the idea of an underwater utopia - everything else takes backseat, the main characters are incredibly bland, pretty much only there to have things explained to them as an audience substitute, McKenzie weirdly enough lacks any backstory (as does his underwater paradise), and Malic's function is that of being McKenzie's foe, there is no motivation for his character beyond that, he's just the badman because the plot needs a badman. Then there's of course the creatures - namely mansized rats and bats and a lion with wings that just don't look convincing in the slightest, really like something out of a kiddie show. And of course, Cesar Romero doing some difficult surgery with all the grace of a drunk uncle trying to carve the turkey at Thanksgiving is only the icing on the cake.

So no, not a good movie - I just happen to love it.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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