That The Atlantis Conspiracy had a great premise and Amanda Donohoe were reasons enough to check it out, though the low rating gave me a not-sure-how-this-will-turn-out vibe. And while it is far from flawless it is worth checking out. The Atlantis Conspiracy does look great, the locations are brooding and photogenic while the photography is very fluid and stylish. The music doesn't come across as a dirge at all, it does have a sense of pulse and in the more suspenseful it's very haunting. The ending song is a charmer too. The Atlantis Conspiracy is very competently directed and acted on the most part, with the direction at least showing style and a sense of knowing what he was doing and what he wanted to do. Amanda Donohoe and the late Adrienne Shelley give the best performances, Donohoe is commanding and brings out her character's conflicts well and Shelley is a breath of fresh air(but you do wish her role was better fleshed out). Though Bill Sage is not too stiff either and Danton Stone is enigmatic enough as well. Paul Calderon however didn't seem to have a clue what he was doing and Jeremy Davies overplays his character's feyness and twitchiness almost rather effeminate degree. The story is never a dull one even with the deliberate pacing, the mystery elements do have intrigue and there is suspense but parts are convoluted and not just mildly. There are some knowing thoughtful parts in the script, but also some misplaced humour and one too many logic lapses. We could have gotten to know the characters more, the actors mostly do a lot with what they had and they are far from annoying, it's just that you don't learn enough about them and some especially Shelley's and Calderon's are badly underwritten. On the whole, lacking at times but a quite decent movie. 6/10 Bethany Cox
