Antonio Margheriti And The Jungles Of Doom: His ’80s Adventure Films 4K Review (Severin Films)

The Hunters of the Golden Cobra (aKa I Cacciatori Del Cobra D’oro, Golden Cobra, and Jungle Hunt) is a 1982 action adventure film directed by Antonio Margheriti (The Ark of the Sun God, Jungle Raiders, The Last Hunter, Cannibal Apocalypse, Horror Castle, and Castle of Blood) under the alias “Anthony M. Dawson”. It was written by Tito Carpi (Alien from the Deep, Atlantis Interceptors, Cold Eyes of Fear, Tentacles, Django franchise, The Shark Hunter, Warriors of the Wasteland, and Escape from the Bronx). It was produced by Gianfranco Couyoumdjian (Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals, Zombi, Zombie Holocaust, The Last Hunter, Alien from the Deep, Last Platoon, and Last Flight to Hell). Bob Jackson (played by: David Warbeck from The Beyond, Duck, You Sucker!, The Ark of the Sun God, Karate Warrior franchise, Rat Man, and The Black Cat) and Captain David Franks (played by: John Steiner from Cut and Run, The Ark of the Sun God, Caligula, Tenebrae, and A Man Called Blade) as a cocky pair of WWII adventurers blasting their way through deadly traps, double-crosses and daring escapes in search of a supernatural relic known as The Golden Cobra!!!! The Ark of the Sun God (aKa I Sopravvissuti Della Città Morta, Ark of the Sun God… Temple of Hell, Survivors of the Dead City, and The Hunter) is a 1984 action adventure film directed by Antonio Margheriti (The Hunters of the Golden Cobra, Jungle Raiders, Alien from the Deep, Yor: The Hunter from the Future, Death Rage, Killer Fish, and Seven Deaths in the Cats Eyes) under the alias “Anthony M. Dawson”. It was written by Giovanni Simonelli (Jungle Raiders, A Cat in the Brain, Bloody Psycho, Escape from Death, and Seven Deaths in the Cats Eyes). It was produced by Sedat Akdemir (White Fire, Yor: The Hunter from the Future, and The Donor). Rick Spear (played by: David Warbeck from The Hunters of the Golden Cobra, The Last Hunter, Twins of Evil, Trog, and Bakterion) is a master burglar recruited by a wealthy collector Lord Dean (played by: John Steiner from The Hunters of the Golden Cobra, Body Count, Shock, Salon Kitty, and The Last Hunter) to raid a mountaintop temple and steal the mythical Scepter of Gilgamesh. But first, this suave safecracker will have to survive car chases, kidnappings, elaborate traps and an ancient curse that promises to destroy anyone who dares to breach the golden tomb!!!! Jungle Raiders (aKa La Leggenda Del Rubino Malese and Captain Yankee) is a 1985 action adventure film directed by Antonio Margheriti (The Hunters of the Golden Cobra, The Ark of the Sun God, The Long Hair of Death, Vengeance, and Web of the Spider) under the alias “Anthony M. Dawson”. It was written by Giovanni Simonelli (The Ark of the Sun God, Sartana Does Not Forgive, Knock-Out Cop, The Night of the Scorpion, and Django Shoots First). It was produced by Luciano Appignani (The Final Executioner, The Black Cobra franchise, and Stateline Motel). It was picked up for U.S. distribution from Cannon Releasing Corp and MGM for the direct to video market. Captain Yankee (played by: Christopher Connelly from Benji, 1990: The Bronx Warriors, Atlantis Interceptors, Airwolf, Strike Commando, Manhattan Baby, and Django Strikes Again) is a cynical safari guide who leads gullible millionaires on bogus treasure hunts in Malaysia for some easy money. A crafty U.S. government operative Warren (played by: Lee Van Cleef from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Escape from New York, For a Few Dollars More, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Octagon, Death Rides a Horse, and Sabata franchise) blackmails him into finding the mythic Ruby of Gloom. They will battle death cults, double-crosses, unstable volcanoes and exploding refineries to snatch the jewel from maniacal pirates!!!! The action adventure sub-genre was one of the go-to styles in the 80’s. Indiana Jones took over the box office and it became a highly popular franchise. Antonio Margheriti’s The Hunters of the Golden Cobra took advantage of that and he made his own Italian rip-off version which ended up being a trilogy after it was all said and done which is crazy for originally just being a lower budget knock off. Margheriti has always been a extremely talented director so these are a step above than your typical cheap clones from Italy. The Hunters of the Golden Cobra is the highest quality effort from this independent series. It was put together with a bigger audience and appeal so it’s not as violent as it could have been. Lead actor David Warbeck is American soldier Bob Jackson. He’s a tough guy that can handle himself when it comes to danger or any threats. He almost found the Gold Cobra in the past so he’s determined to finally locate it. Character actor John Steiner is all about his business as Captain David Franks. He makes an interesting sidekick for this hectic mission and he’s hilarious at times. The two leads in this have excellent chemistry together and it really drives this risky journey. The supporting cast includes Luciano Pigozzi (Strike Commando), Protacio Dee (Missing in Action), Rene Abadeza (Jungle Raiders), and Almanta Suska (The New York Ripper). It’s no surprise but it has lots of snakes in it. It’s loaded with impressive fx and exotic locations. It’s a total blast, so much fun, and very entertaining. The Ark of the Sun God is the next follow up for The Jungles of Doom trilogy. It’s one of those sequels that really isn’t one but it goes with a similar theme compared to the original. Director Antonio Margheriti returns with lead actors David Warbeck, John Steiner, and Luciano Pigozzi (Strike Commando 2). At this point, all of them have a great working relationship as a team so it just adds to the overall quality of everything in this independent production. The other cast members includes Susie Sudlow, Ricardo Palacios (Monster Dog), Achille Brugnini (Phantom of Death), Aytekin Akkaya (The Man Who Saved the World), and Süleyman Turan (Yilan Hikayesi). It feels like a random combination of James Bond and Indiana Jones. It amps up the chaos with snake pits, explosions, cockfighting, plane crashes, voodoo, car chases, and it even has some volcano eruptions. Even with all of that included in the mix, The Ark of the Sun God is still rather tame so don’t expect anything gruesome here. It’s a little slower than the previous but it has more of a variety to it. Once again, it has some great miniatures that blend in with ease. It might not have the biggest budget but it has a skilled behind the scenes crew that elevates it. It’s an ambitious entry for Italian cinema and action but it’s worth checking out for what it achieves with so little. Jungle Raiders is the most accessible film from this adventure franchise. It got the bigger push compared to the others. It was distributed by Cannon and MGM plus it had the legendary Lee Van Cleef involved. Director Antonio Margheriti is back but this time he has a brand new main cast for this finale besides Luciano Pigozzi (Zombi franchise). Lead actor Christopher Connelly is more of a sarcastic hero as Captain Yankee. His outfit for Jungle Raiders is ridiculous and it always cracks me up. He’s a scammer that makes fast cash off gullable clients. It ironically gets him into trouble which becomes a real deadly scenario. Don’t get too excited about the iconic Lee Van Cleef being in this because he only has a very small cameo but he makes an impact like always. I wish his role was bigger because that character is one of the better ones from all of these lower budget features. The rest of the supporting cast includes Marina Costa (The Final Executioner), Mike Monty (The Black Cobra franchise), Rene Abadeza (The Hunters of the Golden Cobra), Francesco Arcuri (Sonny and Jed), Protacio Dee (The Hunters of the Golden Cobra), Steve Rogers (Raw Target), Ronnie Patterson (Silk), and Edoardo Margheriti (Cannibal Apocalypse). Director Antonio Margheriti is no stranger to ripping off bigger American films like Rambo, Piranha, The Deer Hunter, and Conan the Barbarian besides these Jonesploitations. He’s honestly one of the better ones plus he always his own creative spin to them. Nothing was safe if Margheriti thought he could cash in. It has a strong opening, I wish it kept that way the entire time. It’s not boring or anything but it does drag every once in awhile. They go through hell to track down the Ruby of Doom. Jungle Raiders has the most comedy and dark humor thrown when it comes to these films. It would have been way better with some graphic violence, gore, and sleaze but it sticks to it’s tamer formula. Jungle Raiders isn’t afraid to be over the top and it embraces that live action cartoon approach. I personally think it’s the weakest one from The Jungles of Doom trilogy but it’s still worth checking out. I appreciated that each entry had their own identity and they didn’t keep repeating themselves. They are all streaming on Tubi if you are curious about them. RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss these high definition presentations and special features from Severin Films! These 2160p for The Hunters of the Golden Cobra (2.35:1), The Ark of the Sun God (1.85:1), and Jungle Raiders (2.35:1) are all from brand new 4K restorations from the original camera negatives. I never expected this trilogy to get upgraded in 4K and get UHD home video treatment, that’s why I love Severin for releasing stuff like this in the highest possible quality. The stylish cinematography, beautiful locations, creative fx, and slick production design shines when it comes to the sharp visuals. Each film has a few audio options which includes English: DTS-HD 2.0 and Italian: DTS-HD 2.0 tracks on these UHDs. The Jungles of Doom trilogy has a good amount of action and crazy moments that really stand out for this department. All of the dialogue is crisp, the adventures are elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. They have English SDH subtitles. The Hunters of the Golden Cobra has the little over 24 minute “The Path of the Cobra”. It’s an interview with Edoardo Margheriti. He chats this genre being very popular in America so it was easy to do. He talks about his father doing The Last Hunter which featured a similar cast and locations. He brings up his father had lots of success over the years especially with adapting familiar material that was in the United States. He goes how this action adventure feature was developed and put together. Indiana Jones is a clear influence and he doesn’t shy away from that. It has the almost 19 minute “Bloodline of the Cobra”. It’s an interview with Davide Mancori. He chats about his involvement with this. He goes over his family ties with the industry which includes his father and cousins. He mentions a few of the movies that he worked on over the years. He talks about his personal experiences on it and some of the crew he collaborated with on it. He goes over how it was like in the Philippines. He covers several different subjects about himself and Cobra. It has the archival almost 21 minute “1996 Festival Of Fantastic Films Award Presentation and Q and A” with lead actor David Warbeck. This rarity is rough when it comes to quality but it’s a great addition to this home video release. David Warbeck passed away way too young so there’s not much bonus material when it comes to him. The late actor is completely honest and blunt with the audience. They joke he’s done so much that he’s forgotten some of them going all over the world. He tells a few stories and goes over some of his experiences over the years. He answers a variety of questions about his background and career. It has the almost 7 minute “Video Essay” with author Rob Hill. He chats about Indiana Jones and the Jonesploitation sub-genre spawned from it. It’s an interesting look at this film and other stuff inspired from it. It has the “Trailer” for The Hunters of the Golden Cobra. The Ark of the Sun God has the little over 29 minute “Second Unit Chronicles”. It’s an interview with Edoardo Margheriti. He says his father kept very busy at this time behind the camera. He mentions that he started working as an assistant director for him and he lists a few projects that he worked on over the years. David Warbeck was Antonio’s favorite actor when he was making these crazy films I the Philippines. He chats about his father co-writing around 30 different things with the screenwriter for this during their career. He explains issues working with Turkish producers. He talks about the origins on how this follow up got made and why It was different than Cobra but it had some of the same cast/crew. It has the little over 19 minute “Raiders Of The Sun God”. It’s an interview with Giovanni Paolucci. He chats about his earlier years and how he was working for a company that put this out so that’s how he got the gig. He loved adventure films and he wanted to do one of his own. He goes over his inspirations and motivations for his original concept for this. He brings up he always had good relationships with everyone from these movies. He goes over it’s release history and different titles. He goes into his past with the director. It has the little over 2 minute archive “Antonio Margheriti Recalls David Warbeck”. He shows his appreciation for his lead actor in this quick and rare behind the scenes chat. It has the”Trailer” for The Ark of the Sun God. It has an additional disc that includes 8 tracks from The Ark of the Sun God and 6 tracks from The Hunters of the Golden Cobra soundtrack CD that’s a little over 42 minutes. Jungle Raiders has the almost 28 minute”The Ruby Trail”. It’s an interview with Edoardo Margheriti. He chats about the exotic and beautiful locations from it. He goes over their culture a little bit here. They shot in the Philippines and it made it look like Malaysia here. He talks about the lead actor having a strong and respectful reputation. He goes over some of the other cast including Lee Van Cleef. His father loved and appreciated the Indiana Jones franchise. He thought Spielberg pulled off some excellent work with these so he wanted to do his own take on them. He goes over his responsibilities when it came to Jungle Raiders. He shows his appreciation for the car chases and fx done with a modest budget. He breaks down his father’s process and dedication when making a movie. It has the almost 4 minute “Italian Credit Sequence”. I’ve never seen this before so it’s a cool addition to this home video release. It has the “Trailer” for Jungle Raiders. It comes in a high quality slipbox, each film has it’s own case, a Blu Ray for each release, different artworks underneath, and an insert with the soundtrack listing. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!