Synopsis
Krakatoa is about to erupt in one of the most gargantuan explosions in recorded history. Thisis an event that literally shook the world. However, that’s not good enough for this movie, whichpiles in a ludicrous plot that sees Captain Maximilian Schell is unknowingly taking his ship intothe jaws of danger on a quest for a sunken treasure of pearls. Along for the ride are a diver whoselungs are wrecked, Italian balloonists, troublesome prisoners, and so on. Cute kids and awful…songs add to the fun, and then there’s the title itself: Krakatoa is west, not east, of Java. This isone silly cocktail, and the eruption itself is something of a letdown, but I’ll say this for the movie:it’s not boring. Dumb, yes. Dull, no.
Audio
Only the original mono is present. It sounds just fine, and suffers no distortion. Whilegenerally I have strong reservations about stereo remixes, this is one film that could have stoodwith that kind of treatment, just to punch up the explosions.
Video
Nice print. There is some minor damage, but moments where this is visible are few and farbetween. The grain is kept to an absolute minimum as well. The colours are bright and strong,and the image is sharp, though there is some slight edge enhancement visible. The film wasoriginally presented in Cinerama, but we have to make do with a 2.35:1 non-anamorphic aspectratio here.
Special Features
None.
Closing Thoughts
The transfer isn’t anamorphic, there are no extras, and the movie is deeply ridiculous. Thereare still worse ways to spend an evening.
