This review will be part of a series where we won't be doing the extensive detail (bitrates, bonus captures etc.) to cover many boxsets arriving.

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from a Blu-ray disc.

NOTE: 1080P captures for The Land That Time Forgot, At the Earth's Core, and The People That Time Forgot were taken from the respective Kino 2015 - 2016 Blu-rays. We found their 2K transfers (most dual-layered, high bitrates etc.) extremely similar. The captures for Warlords of Atlantis are from the 2025 Imprint.

ADDITION: Imprint Blu-ray (November 2025): This Tales of Adventure set focuses on four British-produced fantasy/sci-fi adventure films, all directed by Kevin Connor and starring Doug McClure as the quintessential B-movie hero. Three of the films are adaptations of Edgar Rice Burroughs' pulp novels, while the fourth (Warlords of Atlantis) draws from similar lost-world tropes but stands independently. These movies epitomize 1970s low-budget spectacle: rubber-suited monsters, miniature effects, exotic locales, and a mix of swashbuckling action with prehistoric or subterranean threats. Produced amid the era's fascination with dinosaurs and lost civilizations (post-Jurassic Park precursors like Journey to the Center of the Earth,) they were modestly successful at the box office, often playing as matinee fillers. The set's appeal lies in its nostalgic charm for fans of "creature features" from studios like Amicus Productions (which handled the first three before folding) and EMI (for the last). McClure, dubbed the "King of the B-Movie," anchors the series with his everyman charisma, supported by notable co-stars like Hammer icon Peter Cushing (Sherlock Holmes, Island of Terror, Corruption, The Flesh and the Fiends, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell, The Devil's Men, The Evil of Frankenstein, The Blood Beast Terror, Captain Clegg, The Beast Must Die, Night of the Big Heat, The Abominable Snowman, Twins of Evil, Suspect, The Skull, The Mummy, Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D., The Curse of Frankenstein, The Uncanny, The Revenge of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula, Corruption, The Satanic Rites of Dracula, The Hound of the Baskervilles, I, Monster, Dr Terror's House of Horrors, Horror Express, The House That Dripped Blood, Frankenstein Created Woman, The Brides of Dracula, The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, Doctor Who And The Daleks, The Vampire Lovers) and Caroline Munro (Howl of the Devil, Starcrash, The Last Horror Film, Maniac, The Devil Within Her, Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.) While not cinematic masterpieces, these films deliver unpretentious fun, blending adventure, horror, and fantasy. The Imprint release marks the worldwide Blu-ray debut for Warlords of Atlantis, with the others benefiting from high-definition transfers.

The four films in the Tales of Adventure – Collection 9 share a pulpy, adventurous tone reflected in their scores, which blend orchestral swells, suspenseful cues, and era-specific electronic elements to heighten the fantastical elements like dinosaur roars and subterranean battles. Composers vary across the entries, drawing from classical influences while embracing '70s synth experimentation in some cases. Critically, the music is often praised for elevating the low-budget spectacle, though it's sometimes seen as derivative of contemporaries like John Williams or Jerry Goldsmith. In the Imprint Blu-ray release, all films are presented in uncompressed linear PCM dual-mono, preserving the original mixes with clear dialogue, balanced effects, and no major distortions - though the mono format limits immersion compared to modern remixes. I note minor source-based issues like faint hiss in quieter scenes, but overall fidelity is strong, allowing the scores to shine through with good dynamic range. The Land That Time Forgot score was composed by Douglas Gamley (The Beast Must Die, Madhouse, The Land That Time Forgot, The City of the Dead, Asylum, And Now the Screaming Starts) an Australian musician known for his work on horror and adventure films. The soundtrack features sweeping orchestral themes that evoke wonder and peril, with brass-heavy motifs for dinosaur sequences and tense strings for submarine drama. It's described as "solid" and effective in building atmosphere, though not groundbreaking - fitting the film's matinee vibe. At the Earth's Core's score was by Mike Vickers (Dracula A.D. 1972, The Sex Thief) a former Manfred Mann member turned film composer, delivers a predominantly electronic soundtrack with synth bleeps, bloops, and weird audio effects that amplify the inner-Earth weirdness - think pulsating tones for the Mahars and rhythmic percussion for battles. On The People That Time Forgot the score was by John Scott, a prolific British composer (known for Greystoke,) crafts a suspenseful orchestral score with exciting swells for chases and tribal encounters. It's hailed as "effective in creating the necessary suspense" sounding adventure-ly. On Warlords of Atlantis Mike Vickers returns, delivering a memorable high-excitement soundtrack with a strong main theme and rousing action cues that evoke '70s flair, similar to Dalek movie scores. The soundtracks are exported well via the uncompressed renderings. Imprint offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their four Region FREE Blu-rays.

There are robust supplements for a boutique set, blending new and archival material: new audio commentaries: Kim Newman (Something More Than Night) & Stephen Jones (author of The Art Of Horror Movies: An Illustrated History,) on The Land That Time Forgot and The People That Time Forgot; Jonathan Rigby (Euro Gothic: Classics of Continental Horror Cinema) & Kevin Lyons (editor of The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film and Television,) on At the Earth's Core and Warlords of Atlantis. Plus new interviews: Kevin Connor on each film (e.g., "Directing Warlords and Working in Hollywood") and archival interviews with Susan Penhaligon (The Land That Time Forgot); Caroline Munro (At the Earth's Core); Sarah Douglas & Dana Gillespie (The People That Time Forgot.) There are also vintage featurettes: "The Master of Adventure" (The Land That Time Forgot); Making-of (At the Earth's Core) and trailers for People and Warlords.

These films all share thematic DNA - explorers stumbling into hidden worlds filled with dangers - but vary in tone from hokey and wondrous to more violent. Critical reception is mixed, often praising the escapist energy while critiquing dated effects and simplistic scripts. Overall, this Imprint Blu-ray collection is a solid pickup for cult film enthusiasts with plenty of campy nostalgia remembering them from matinees of their formative years and beyond. Unfortunately, this limited edition (1500 copies) is now out of stock at the publisher, although it's available secondhand commanding premium pricing. You may be able to nab it cheaper on eBay and the like. I suspect these titles will return individually.

We like Imprint's 'Adventure series' having reviewed Collection 4 (Republic Serials) HERE and Tales Of Adventure Collection 5 which has The 27th Day (1957,) The Night The World Exploded (1957,) This Island Earth (1955,) Devil Girl From Mars (1954,) The Gamma People (1956) and as a bonus 1962's The Underwater City in standard-definition. Many have been posted in our 50's-60's sci-fi listing HERE.  

Gary Tooze