#49 The Lost Empire

IMDB Link

Plot:

After officer Rob Wolfe is killed trying to stop a gang of ninjas from robbing a jewelery store, his sister, officer Angel Wolfe, vows to avenge his death. Her investigation leads her to the mysterious Dr. Sin Do, who is supposedly in league with an undead wizard named Lee Chuck. The doctor is holding a martial arts tournament on a secret island fortress, so Angel, after rounding up some of her martial-artist friends, enters the tournament in the hopes of finding Sin Do and Lee Chuck and bringing them to justice.

A User Review:

This film was featured on German cable for 6 or 7 times during the last few years and tells the story of three Bond-like chicks which get undercover into the army of super-villain Sin Do who threats the world with laser weapons or whatever...

To tell an interesting or demanding plot is a minor matter, because "The Lost Empire" is trash in perfection! The costumes (none of the female "actress" wears one...), the set decoration and the special F/X are more than lousy (even for the 80s standard!) and will remind you sometimes on the old Ed Wood-movies! The film itself however is funny and entertaining from beginning till the end! Two actors are worth to be mentioned: the one is Raven de la Croix, the unforgotten voluminous actress from Russ Meyer´s cult exploitationer "Up!". The other is Angus Scrimm who performs the bad guy and is still well-known for his role as "tall man" from the "Phantasm"-series. The rest of the film is a silly mixture between nude girls, cat fighting scenes and Z-grade action.

In other words: a must-see for every fan of trash-gems and the lovers of cheesy C-movie homages!!!

Jim Wynorski has created his masterpiece with this!!!

Trivia:

In an interview with the director, Jim Wynorski, he said "I got my first break doing The Lost Empire for Plitt Theatres. The late owner, Henry Plitt (a decorated war hero), wanted to make a low budget sci-fi action picture as a tax loss. I never knew that when I made the show, so I put my heart and soul into the project. When it finally got completed, Plitt actually liked it enough to give it a wide theatrical release - where it actually made some money."

UK DVD Cover:



Trailer: