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In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Walt Disney Studios was probably hoping lightning would strike twice in this adaptation of a Jules Verne-like story by James Vance Marshall (writing as Ian Cameron). "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" it's not, but it does offer some great, grand scale action and atmosphere, not to mention the appeal of a "Land That Time Forgot" type of tale. The acting is generally enjoyable, the characters have sufficient rooting interest, and the special effects are pretty decent, most of the time.David Hartman ('The Bold Ones: The New Doctors', 'Lucas Tanner') is American archaeologist Professor Ivarsson, recruited by English businessman Sir Anthony Ross (Donald Sinden). Sir Anthony is desperately searching for his estranged son Donald (David Gwillim), who disappeared into the Arctic circle in search of adventure. With the help of brilliant Captain Brieux (Jacques Marin) and his magnificent airship, they venture off to the top of the world where they discover a community populated by the descendants of Vikings.Sinden is a standout in a cast also including Mako as a not-so-brave Eskimo villager named Oomiak, the beautiful Agneta Eckemyr as a Viking babe named Freyja, and Gunnar Ohlund as a scary Viking high priest known as The Godi. Hartman is quite likable, and Gwillim is similarly engaging. Eckemyr isn't a great actress, but she is rather appealing. And, just to push some of our emotional buttons, an unanticipated participant on this journey is a sweet French poodle named Josephine.There are some thrilling moments, all punctuated by Maurice Jarres' majestic score. Our heroes will have to enter the mouth of a volcano, dodge a lava flow, struggle to keep the airship aloft, evade The Godi and various Viking antagonists, and fight off some aggressive Orcas. Although filmed at Disney Studios, and in Oregon, the matte paintings are good enough to give us a feeling of wintry Arctic locations.Pretty good family entertainment, overall, competently handled by journeyman director Robert Stevenson.Seven out of 10.

THE ISLAND AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD is a Disneyfied version of the globetrotting adventure flicks that popped up in the 1970s - a genre that includes personal favourites like THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT and many other long-forgotten escapades.This one is a Victorian-set adventure, heavily indebted to the works of Jules Verne, which sees a group of characters using an airship to travel to the Arctic circle, where they hope to track down one of their own who has gone missing. Along the way, they hook up with a friendly Eskimo (played by Japanese actor Mako, no less!) and have a stand-off with a long-lost tribe of Vikings who have lost none of their bloodthirstiness.THE ISLAND AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD is a fun and forgettable family adventure film that passes the time amiably enough. There's nothing here that's controversial, just one old-fashioned adventure after another, and thankfully it's not as twee as I'd feared given its Disney pedigree. Donald Sinden is on good form as a pompous aristocrat along for the ride. Part of the fun of watching comes from watching the ridiculous scenarios, like characters being able to outrun lava flows without ever being affected by heat and the like.

I cannot recall ever seeing this Disney movie in my youth but I caught up with it recently on DVD. Its certainly great to look at with some splendid effects and at times it is really quite exciting. Some effects such as the volcano look a little contrived by todays standards but there are moments that are simply splendid. Highlight is the opening moments in the air ship as well as the splendid scenery. THe look of the Viking Village is splendid. The acting of the leads is pretty awful. Donald Sinden is quite irritating. You feel like pushing the old fool out of the air ship. The character is annoying and he plays it as though he is auditioning for My Fair Lady. As for David Hartman as the Professor it is like watching a block of wood. It is so wooden that he delivers his lines as though he is reading the news. He gives a flat lifeless performance, its really dreadful. David Gwilliam as the lost son sounds like a first term drama student. He delivers lines as though he is taking elocution lessons. Mako normally is superb but in this its little more than a carricature. Its quite incongruous actually. In the first half of the film Mako plays the eskimo as a native who speaks no English but a few reels later he speaks English and there is no explanation as to why. Fortunately Mako went on to other things and was always a dignified presence on the screen. This was not his best performance. I think its due to poor direction and story structure. Best performance comes from Jacques Marin as the Captain who steals the acting honours from everyone. Of course being Disney there is an incredibly cute dog. That little poodle acts better than poor David Hartman. Still its a fun film. If you forgive the acting and enjoy the look of the movie its pleasant viewing.

Island At The Top of The World OK I have no nostalgia, memory or knowledge of this mid 70s Disney flick-This is an attempt to make a Jules Verne type adventure film- that fails- the special effects are lacking- most of the scenery in the movie is obviously matte paintings and stock footage- think Land of The Lost effects on a Disney movie-and then add in Good Morning America host David Hartman as an explorer , a crazy French airship captain with a poodle named Josephine( the wacky camera cuts to the dog elicited no laughter here),a shanghaied Eskimo and an eccentric inventor trying to find his lost son.The plot is very typical for an adventure epic-add a predictable plot with a subpar cast and lame effects and you have a pretty disappointing use of time.