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Raiders of Atlantis

Name: Raiders of Atlantis
Director: Ruggero Deodato
Released: 1983
Duration: 92 min

Representation Score

2.0/10

Limited

1983

Unrated

Director

Ruggero Deodato

Runtime

92 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Raiders of Atlantis is a conventional 1980s genre piece that prioritizes high-tension spectacle and survivalist grit over sociopolitical subversion. The plot follows a standard disaster-to-conflict arc, moving from a scientific mishap to a confrontation with a lost civilization. The film operates within a traditional framework, relying on established action and science fiction clichés. It focuses on external threats and physical combat rather than exploring identity or disrupting social hierarchies. Ultimately, the narrative lacks the intentionality needed to challenge conventional expectations around gender, race, or cultural power dynamics, sticking to a hero-versus-villain structure.

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Category Breakdown

Does Raiders of Atlantis have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any representation of LGBTQ+ identities or queer themes, focusing solely on a survivalist storyline.

How does Raiders of Atlantis portray gender?

Limited

The narrative adheres to traditional action-adventure clichés, emphasizing conventional masculine leadership and gender roles.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Raiders of Atlantis?

Fair

The setting includes an Atlantean descendant race, which could have offered opportunities for diverse casting, but the narrative does not explore multi-layered depth.

How does Raiders of Atlantis represent religion and culture?

Limited

The film employs a classic Western survivalist framework, framing the conflict through the lens of protecting survivors against an 'othered' external threat.

Does Raiders of Atlantis include disability representation?

Minimal

The film does not feature any characters with visible or invisible disabilities, focusing instead on physical survival and combat scenarios.

Present on Screen

The setting in Miami and the Caribbean provides a backdrop that allows for diverse casting possibilities.
The concept of an Atlantean descendant race offers a narrative opportunity for non-Anglo-Saxon characterization.

Limited or Absent

The film relies heavily on traditional action archetypes that reinforce standard gender hierarchies.
The narrative lacks any representation of LGBTQ+ identities or queer perspectives.
There is a complete absence of characters portraying visible or invisible disabilities.
The story follows a Western-centric survivalist framework that treats the antagonist as an 'othered' threat.

Official Synopsis

A team of scientists working to raise a sunken Russian nuclear submarine on an ocean platform off the coast of Miami, Florida, unearth an ancient Atlantean relic from the sea floor and bring in an expert to make some sense of it. But while attempting to raise the sub, radioactive leakage from its missles triggers the re-emergence of Atlantis, and the resulting tidal wave destroys the platform and leaves only a small group of survivors. Rescued by two Vietnamvets-turned-heavies who are out relaxing after their latest job, their boat eventually runs aground on a Carribean island nearby where, upon going ashore, it is discovered that everything has been destroyed and everybody killed. The culprits, a vicious group of well-armed raiders, and their leader, Crystal Skull, are descendants of Atlantis' original race who set about reclaiming the world and adding the survivors to the list of victims as they struggle to stay alive and defeat the raiders and send Atlantis back to the ocean floor.

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