Phantom Empire (1988)
Last night's sci-fi viewing was this (very) minor classic from producer / director / all round genius, Fred Olen Ray.Here he throws the kitchen sink at us in this tale of diamond prospecting in the California desert. We get bizarre cannibals, Robbie the Robot, a lost underground world, sexy women in animal skins (Say hi to Michelle Bauer, folks), as well as stop motion dinosaurs from another film.
A decent cast - including Russ Tamblyn, Robert Quarry, Ross Hagen (In Indiana Jones mode), Jeffrey Combs (also in heroic Indiana Jones mode) and Sybil Danning as the buxom alien queen of the underground kingdom, - try and keep a straight face.
Think Journey to the Center of the Earth without much of a journey and added camp value.
Yes it's dumb, but Olen Ray keeps things very lively and it's a lot of fun for a special audience
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