VHS Visions: The Raiders Of Atlantis (1983)

By Brad Henderson

Ruggero Deodato is one of the most underrated directors and it dumbfounds me. Most people know of Cannibal Holocaust and they may know Deodato directed it, but he has done so much more and made some amazing films aside from that gorefest.

Along with gems like House on the Edge of the Park, Cut and Run, The Washing Machine, Body Count, and The Barbarians, Deodato made a victorious effort with the unforgettable “buddy apocalyptic” film The Raiders Of Atlantis. Yeah, I said buddy apocalyptic film.

Christopher Connelly and Tony King have that type of chemistry as soon as they appear on screen together. We know nothing can come between them and they will do anything for one another. I kind of look at The Raiders of Atlantis as a low-budget Lethal Weapon but instead of fighting crime on a personal level, they’re fighting for humanity.

I’d heard of The Raiders Of Atlantis a couple of times before but I had no interest in it. I’ve never been big on Italian apocalyptic films and that is probably why I skipped this movie in the first place. Most of these films are just mediocre and forgettable. This is not the case for The Raiders of Atlantis because it hits a lot of notes that other films don’t hit. The main things that keep this film going and keep it interesting are Ross and Washington’s relationship and their “we aren’t going to take any shit” attitude.

I came across this film in 2012 because I was searching through trailers on YouTube and it popped up so I gave it a go. I probably watched the trailer five or six times. Then I tracked down the movie. The night I finally watched it was very memorable because not only it was one of the best films I saw that year but it also became one of my favorite films of all time.

The plot is freaking ridiculous and to be honest, the film itself is quite ridiculous as well. A bunch of scientists find Atlantis and basically bring about the apocalypse and it’s up to a small group of survivors to bring an end to this chaos. If that little synopsis doesn’t make you want to watch the film then I really don’t know what else to tell you. What if I said that The Raiders of Atlantis is Lethal Weapon meets The Road Warrior? Boom.

Rent it, buy it, watch it on YouTube. I really don’t care how you come across this film but it is something that needs to be seen and spread into people’s eyeballs.