Cheap The Island of Dr. Moreau (Unrated Director's Cut) (DVD) (David Thewlis, Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer) (Richard Stanley, John Frankenheimer) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Island of Dr. Moreau (Unrated Director's Cut)

Bad adaptation
The original book by H.G. Wells is perhaps one of the best books I've ever read (not the top, but up there). The visuals I got that book, from the animals chanting the law to the narrator's chase through the forest, chilled me the way no movie could. Speaking of which...

This movie is nothing like the book, except for the fact that a guy is stranded on an island with a man who claims to have the name Moreau and is a doctor. The book had a lot to say about our society and the inner beast, but the movie is basically violence accompanied by a corny love story that was just as unnecessary. It wasn't romantic, you have to wonder why Fairuza Balk looked more human than the other animal-people, and you also have to wonder why Doctor Moreau didn't consider her the "perfect human" that this film claims the doctor was looking for.

The animal designs in general were pretty awful. They're all almost the same - it's basically "Planet of the Apes" with spotted and striped apes. The people in "Cats" looked more feline than the character Cheetah. There was probably very little creativity put behind this aspect of the film.

Making the doctor some thing of a sadist dictator is a bad turn as well. The first film adaptation, "The Island of Lost Souls," portrayed the doctor as a sadist dictator as well. H.G. Wells was alive at the time and hated that portrayal, and I'm certain he would abhor this film version. Much of the doctor's wit and wisdom is lost in the screenplay, which is sad considering Marlon Brando has some amazing acting talent and would have been a perfect choice to play the title character. In fact, most of the actors have amazing potential but are wasted with a bad script. The hero is perhaps the only hammy one of the group, and his character's only highlight is at the end when he turns the villains against each other.

The last five minutes try to make up for H.G. Well's symbolism, as if the writers thought, "Wow that was some badass action, awe darn we forgot the plot!" Sadly, its too little too late. If they had taken out the mutant rats, the catgirl, and the script, they might have had some thing, but unfortunately all efforts are wasted.

Tragically underrated
I can't stress enough how important it is for anyone considering seeing this movie to ignore the heaps of negative reviews here. Most justify their opinions by calling this film strange, grotesque, or both. Both are fitting, but there's alot more to this film than that, and those two things in themselves are not necessarily reason to dislike a film. Quite the contrary, when Hollywood is so overrun with unchallenging, unoriginal fodder.

I could praise the movie on any number of levels. Every actor here carries his or her eccentric role with a perfectly tasteful care not to go over the top or become too cartoonish. The dialogue is free of fluff and carries quite an element of eloquence, which is fitting when considering the overall dramatic intent. On a more basic level, the creature effects used on the half human, half animal hybrid creations inhabiting Moreau's Island are handled by none other than Stan Winston and done very well, and the soundtrack is appropriately eerie, with tribal drumming used in parts to enhance the mood. And, of course, the themes explored here, despite their familiarity (the power of instnct, and the danger of playing God), are driven home with potent efficiency, probably thanks to the extreme and sometimes bizzare nature in which they're handled.

The fact that this movie carries such a human element with it is what I really like about it. It's easy to feel for the man-beasts, tragic abominations intelligent enough to know they're nothing but the waste products of a madman's search for genetic perfection. The protagonist, as well, benefits from the fact that he is very much an introvert and probably speaks less than Val Kilmer, who is less vital to the plot. His quiet observation helps add to the realism and mold a film which could have easily been a silly mess into a moving, artfully crafted piece of work.

If you choose to judge this movie as harshly as most have, then go ahead, but at least see it first with an open mind. I for one feel a movie this bold deserves every bit of respect.