now hunted by angry Norsemen, and their outlook seems grim. Will our plucky adventurers have traveled so far only to meet their end on the island at the top of the world? I'll never tell...well, unless the price is right... The Island at the Top of the World is a wonderfully entertaining tale reminiscent of classic films based on Jules Verne novels (this film wasn't adapted from one of his works) like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Mysterious Island, and Journey to the Center of the Earth (this last one is scheduled to be remade in 2005). I was puzzled about the casting of David Hartman in one of the lead roles (I guess Doug McClure was unavailable at the time, as this gig would have been right up his alley). Hartman does all right, but he just didn't project the presence I would have expected from the role, and so Donald Sinden, much stronger actor, basically takes over most of the scenes the two share. I thought it odd that Sinden's character came off as a jerk as much as he did, in the beginning at least, but then soon realized it served a purpose as the character seems to begin to learn humility as the story progresses. The other actors played their parts well, and seemed cast well. The direction by Stevenson is great, as he keeps things interesting and moving along at a fairly brisk pace. The special effects aren't the greatest, but given the enormity of