Some critics in 2001 didn’t like “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” because it conjured too many images of Saturday action matinees.
As if that’s a bad thing! And besides, who did those critics think they were writing for? The target audience for “Atlantis,” the 7-year-old boy who is himself ready for action, was about three decades past the era of a downtown Saturday matinee. Talk about an irrelevant set of reviews . . .
My own action-ready boy has just declared “Atlantis” to be terrific, and sitting down with him to watch, I have to agree with the always-boyish Roger Ebert’s lonely plug for the Disney film nearly 10 years ago. He said it had “a lot of gusto and a wowser of a climax” — when you’re nearly 6 and ready to wrestle anybody in the family to exhaustion, that is great praise.
For parents, an added bonus is the ubiquitous voice of Michael J. Fox as the main character. I just heard Fox interviewed on the radio about a new book, and his outlook on his life and his debilitating disease were truly inspirational, a word I don’t use lightly. I enjoyed watching “Atlantis” and remembering Fox in other wonderful roles, from “Back to the Future” to even throwaway movies like “Doc Hollywood.”
“Atlantis” is a “Raiders of the Lost Ark” adventure following linguist Milo Thatch and his search for the mythological underwater culture. There are exploding volcanos, robot whales, imperious kings and rebellious princesses. James Garner lends his voice to a rare bad-guy role as a backstabbing explorer, and it’s delightful to hear Don Novello’s lilting half-Italian-isms as a plucky mechanic.
“Atlantis” turned up on a used-video table just as we were growing tired of our home movie library. So seek it out. Your thrill-seeking boys and girls will be grateful.
“Atlantis: The Lost Empire”
Rated: PG, with some intense action scenes
Best suited for: 6- to 8-year-old kids who like a good discovery tale.
