Review of Prisoners of the Lost Universe (1983) by Adam R — 09 Feb 2011

Well, now I know from whence the template all SyFy original movies follow came.

Idiot local TV hostess Carrie (Kay Lenz) and dullard handyman Dan (Richard Hatch, not to be confused with the season one winner of "Survivor") are -- through wacky coincidences -- transported to an alternate dimension (not a "lost" universe) where medieval barbarism and advanced technology rule the land. After Carrie is kidnapped by the villainous, Sean Connery-in-"Zardoz"-resembling Kleel (John Saxon, making the most of a truly unfortunate role), the story more or less follows the trajectory most RPGs in an ancient land do.

Dan takes up with the conniving comic relief thief (Peter O'Farrell); the stoic, magically knowledgeable Greenman (who might have been the inspiration for "Star Trek: The Next Generation's" Data) (Ray Charleson); and the brutish but kind-hearted Manbeast (think Hagrid with no speech capabilities) (Philip Van der Byl) to rescue Carrie from the nefarious Kleel.

After many cloying, derivative action sequences, the team completes their mission (spoiler alert). To sum it up, "Prisoners of the Lost Universe" is standard adventure fare done poorly.