Rating: **
Review Date: 4/8/24
Director: Larry Blamire
Cast: H.M. Wynant, Frank Dietz, Brian Howe, Fay Masterson,
Kevin Quinn, Larry Blamire, Daniel Roebuck, Susan McConnell, Andrew Parks,
Dan Conroy, Trish Geiger, Jennifer Blaire, Alison Martin
"I'm just as confused and stupid as you."
While searching for rare rocks in the Amazon Jungle, scientist Paul Armstrong (Larry Blamire) disappears and becomes a bitter and broken alcoholic. As a matter of national security, the US government sends an agent to look for him, and Paul's wife, Betty (Fay Masterson) tags along. It turns out that several parties are looking for a super rare element called Jerranium 90, including the Lost Skeleton Of Cadavra! Or his skull, at least. The skull possesses Peter Fleming (Brian Howe) to do his bidding, who just so happens to be Roger Fleming's twin brother from the original film. Ranger Brad's twin brother, Jungle Brad (Dan Conroy) also shows up as a guide to help Dr. Armstrong's party survive the dangers of the Amazon. Space aliens Kro-Bar (Andrew Parks) and Lattis (Susan McConnell) return to help Paul in their own unique way, which leads to the absurdly inevitable reincarnation of Animala (Jennifer Blaire). An evil scientist (Trish Geiger), a thief (Kevin Quinn), and a shady Sydney Greenstreet character (Daniel Roebuck) all want to get the Jerranium 90 first, but will they survive the Valley Of Monsters?
For better or worse, it's more of the same from writer/director/actor Larry Blamire and his team, but the joke has run its course and the film feels stale. The nonsense dialog is hit and miss, and while some of it is very clever and funny, the majority seems like it's digging for gags that aren't there. The switch from black and white to color is jarring, and the overly saturated video spoils some of the nostalgic fun. However, the film also features some very impressive visual effects, and the monsters are very entertaining.
The cast is as charming and goofy as they were in the original, and the newcomers fit in nicely. Trish Geiger makes an excellent villain, and Fay Masterson's clueless devotion and domestic housewife wit are delightfully endearing. Unfortunately, the makeup is a bit severe and looks even more garish in color. While it's a far better production than the original film, it has trouble finding its purpose and inevitably lacks freshness.