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Released by: Polyscope Media Group
Released on: April 22nd, 2014.
Director: Jim Wynorski
Cast: Raven De La Croix, Angela Aames, Melanie Vincz, Angus Scrimm
Year: 1985
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The Movie:
Described by writer/director Jim Wynorski on his commentary track as “Charlie's Angels meets Enter The Dragon,†the filmmaker's feature film debut begins with a scene where officer Rob Wolfe (Bill Thornbury) is injured while trying to stop some ninjas from stealing a precious antique from a jewelry store. When he dies in the hospital shortly after her visit (in which she sports a ridiculous cleavage bearing outfit!) his sister and fellow cop Angel Wolfe (Melanie Vincz), knows that the ninja recovered from the crime scene means something. Upset over the loss of her brother, she takes on the case herself and after a bit of detective work and some help from Charles Chang (Art Hern), realizes that the man behind the crime is none other than Dr. Sin Do (Angus Scrimm), a powerful crime lord who lives and operates off of a remote island in the middle of nowhere.
When Angel finds out that Sin Do is holding a martial arts tournament, she recruits the assistance of a Native American named Whitestar (Raven De La Croix) and another blonde bombshell named Heather McClure (Angela Aames), both as deadly as she. They make their way to the island and then into the tournament only to learn that Sin Do is in cahoots with an evil wizard named Lee Chuck (Scrimm again), an expert in black magic who needs to collect souals to stay alive, and that their goals are far more sinister than she first imagined…
The Lost Empire is a B-movie done right. Wynorski was well aware that he didn't have the millions needed to create gigantic sets and so he used leftovers from Roger Corman productions and public park spaces instead. He knew his movie wasn't going to have the same caliber of fight choreography seen in the Bruce Lee movie that inspired him in the first place, so he filled the movie with beautiful, and frequently naked women instead. Rather than try and compensate for what he couldn't do, Wynorski instead focuses on what he can do and so we wind up with a nicely shot, sexy ninety minute time killer with some cool fight sequences, three enjoyably (if sometimes wooden) curvy leads and an intriguing supporting cast that includes a topless Angelique Pettyjohn and a woman named Debbie Blaisdell who would later become better known as porn star Tracy Adams.
So the movie basically follows Angel on her way to gather up her friends and get to the tournament for a showdown with the main bad dudes. Along the way, for reasons known only to Wynorski, we stop off at a woman's penitentiary for a rad shower scene and then some more topless action - why not? If you've got it, flaunt it, and there are sweater puppies galore worth ogling here. Is this the same prison that Caged Heat was shot in? Kinda looks like it. There's even some girl on girl mud wrestling thrown in here for good measure, alongside a ridiculously offensive eighties era gay stereotype, an obligatory bar scene complete with neon Coors signs prominently displayed, a cameo from a Hamm's beer truck, and yeah, Angus Scrimm running around seemingly somewhat confused by all of this.
With quite a few knowing nods not just to Bruce Lee movies but to Charlie Chan and other pulp style films and serials, Wynorski's cheap, trashy adventure movie never feels mean spirited but instead keeps the emphasis on fun. Throw in a few matte paintings, stock footage borrowed from Our Man Flint, a guy in a gorilla suit (because they just happened to have access to a gorilla suit that day), a tarantula that is actually a robotic assassin with a breast fetish and lots of rad trash talk and keen dialogue and it's hard to ask for much more. Not everything that Jim Wynorski has touched turned to gold, but he sure started out with his best foot forward when he made The Lost Empire - a true B-movie classic!
Video/Audio/Extras:
The Lost Empire arrives on DVD in 2.35.1 anamorphic widescreen and while compression issues are a constant and hard to ignore, it otherwise looks reasonably good for a low budget production. There's some minor print damage throughout but the color reproduction here is pretty strong. Skin tones look lifelike and natural and detail is fine for a standard definition offering.
An English language Dolby Digital Mono track is the only option on the disc, there are no alternate languages or subtitles of any kind provide. The audio is flat and at times pretty weak so be prepared to adjust your volume accordingly. Some mild hiss is noticeable here and there but otherwise, aside from the level quirks, this is okay.
The main extra on the disc is an audio commentary track with Jim Wynorski that is actually a pretty fun listen. Wynorski is an affable enough guy and he tells some interesting stories here about using sets leftover from various Roger Corman productions, shooting on location at some identifiable Los Angeles landmarks and about the different cast and crew members that pop up in the production (including the woman who would go on to become nineties era porn star Tracy Adams)!. He talks about how he and the production team tried to make the movie look like it was made with a bigger budget than it really was and he discusses an amusing incident wherein he had to have to extras use body language instead of dialogue to communicate because he didn't have the funds to pay them SAG day rates. It's a pretty great track, worth checking out for sure.
Aside from that, we get a still gallery and an isolated score option in addition to some static menus and chapter selection.
The Final Word:
Anyone into boobs, brawls and Bruce Lee inspired lunacy ought to give The Lost Empire a shot. Seeing it in widescreen really helps to show off some interesting production design and fun use of color while the story moves at a good pace as the picture basically bombards us with one gleefully trashy set piece after the next. This one is a lot of fun and while the transfer and audio aren't perfect, they're not bad and the commentary is a fun listen.
