Saturday, December 29, 2012

The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)

Director: John Frankenheimer

Starring: Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer, David Thewlis, Fairuza Balk, Daniel Rigney, Temuera Morrison, Ron Perlman

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Through DNA experimentation Dr. Moreau has upset the balance of nature. By turning animals into humans, he's turned heaven into hell.

Plot: After being rescued and brought to an island, a man discovers that it's inhabitants are experimental animals being turned into strange looking humans, all of it the work of a visionary doctor.

 

My rating: 5/10

Will I watch it again? Aw, hell, no.

I haven't seen this since it's theatrical run.  I feel the same way about it now as I did  then.  I liked Thewles as the protagonist.  He was interesting in that Alan Rickman sort of way.  Val Kilmer seemed tired sometimes but then that was kind of his character.  Brando was a hoot to watch and that brief moment where Kilmer does a Brando impression was hilarious, but it's with the second half of the movie that shifts over to the creatures is where it lost me.  It just wasn't that exciting or interesting.  Combine that with it going on far longer than it should and that's almost a perfect storm for me falling asleep.  Stan Winston's creature effects were great an all but the last act was flat.  This might be the only version of this story I've seen.  I have GOT to put ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1932) near the top of my list.  I'll put a fiver down that it's a lot better than this.

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