Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Don't Believe the Hype

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

The production of The island of Dr Moreau is one of misfortune, petty grudges and probably jealous sabotage. Richard Stanley who was to be the original director had been offered the "hot seat" after proving himself with a couple good indie films and a meeting with Marlon Brando. This should have been the small town boy makes good, a triumphant feather in his wide brimmed fedora hat, instead it was a disaster that almost cost him his sanity. The documentary follows the concept to production process of the massive calamity that was Dr Moreau, warts and all we are walked through the trails faced by Stanley and cast, from tropical storms to idiotic behaviour by the two "marquee" name stars. It is amazing that the film was ever finished let alone released (it is actually not a bad movie) with petty Val Kilmer and the stupid Marlon Brando trying to undermine the director while taking playground jabs at anybody they could. The crew and some of the people from New line cinema all have their versions of this story, the fact being that it seems like a perfect storm was created where everything that could fail did. Spectacularly. You may feel most for Stanley who seems like he was in over his head and lacking support from his studio and being green as far as big budget went buckled like a belt. If you are interested in the process of film making and want to see a real story of hard ship in this business this documentary should satisfy.

If you're a fan of documentaries about the making of films, have I got a movie for you! I remember going to see the last remake of H.G. Wells' novel, "The Island of Dr. Moreau" in the summer of 1996, fairly excited about it- being a fan of the novel and the film adaptation from the 1970's with Burt Lancaster/Michael York, and also excited with Marlon Brando in the title role. This was one of Val Kilmer's first post- "Batman Forvever" starring vehicles as well. So I was a bit surprised to see- who, David Thewlis-??- in the lead role of the hero, Val in a supporting role, Brando phoning (literally LOL) in his performance, and OMG- what a god-AWFUL heaping pile of s**t movie!! LOL Now, after seeing this movie, I know why! LOLDirector Richard Stanley first made a name for himself having directed the early '90s sci-fi flick, "Hardware", and it was a pet project and lifelong dream of his to do a faithful big-screen adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel like me he had been a fan of since he was a kid. As Brando and Kilmer got involved, the project escalated into what would be his first big-budget studio picture, and everything went to hell in a handbasket! I was never sure about all those rumors I heard about Kilmer- but this film confirmed it since he was referred to more than once as a "prep school bully". And Brando!- OMG- let's just say he's right up there with his own category of cray-cray!IODM was eventually taken away from Stanley- he was booted off the set, and New Line Studios handed over the reigns to veteran filmmaker, John Frankenheimer, who was always the director I had associated with this movie. He was an "old school" director who hadn't had much experience with sci-fi, and didn't really get along with ANY-one in the movie! I read at Wikipedia on Kilmer's last day of shooting he said- "get that bast**d off my set!" LOL And you'll see where Mike Myers' inspiration for his character "Mini Me" came from- thanks again, Marlon! LMAO Well, for anyone interested in the back-story of this movie, I LOVED LOVED LOVED this doc., and I will say you will too! Now streaming at Netflix....

This documentary is an engrossing story about unconventional talent, young ambition and the perils of big-budget film making. I recommend watching The Island of Doctor Moreau (1996) before viewing this film. It will give things context, but it's also an example of a so-bad-it's-fun movie.The majority of the documentary is an exercise in sharing war stories from a film set plagued with problems. The strangest events are recalled and people weigh in on how things went so wrong and how the trouble could have been prevented, or at least lessened. There is a good number of interviewees and they range from producers to actors to crew members. Director Richard Stanley, of course, takes center stage.Although it has flaws, such as failing to mention David Thewlis, this is definitely a good watch for fans of similar documentaries like Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991), Lost in La Mancha (2002) and Jodorowsky's Dune (2013).

The 1996 adaptation of one of my favourite H.G. Wells story, starring Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer, was not well received to put it politely, and its production even less rosey. Well, 18 years later, a documentary goes behind the scenes to unravel how a young indie filmmaker got his shot at Hollywood big time, and what was a dream project became every filmmaker and studio's worst nightmare.A sort of surreal affair, 'Lost Soul' mixes brand new interviews (the big draw being the notoriously elusive Stanley), archive footage and photos/concept art to tell of how this young British talent tried to fulfill a lifelong dream to adapt and update Wells' tale of science gone awry, and damn is it engrossing. There are no holds barred and spades are called spades as the cast (and many different crew, from ADs to managers to even extras) recall just how much of a hell things were, even in pre-production, as well as the pain that was Brando, replacement director Frankenheimer, and especially Kilmer. Stanley himself, with his deep voice and unusual appearance, a sort of hybrid of Indiana Jones and a voodoo shaman, is fascinating to watch as tells his misadventure with a slight hint of bitterness but also a sort of sage wisdom about it.Of course, director David Gregory is smart enough to not let this turn into just one big slog of talking heads. He regularly breaks it up with an assortment of visual treats, including the magnificently disturbing concept art and storyboards for Stanley's original vision, archive footage of the shoot and the grotesque makeup effects of the beast people, even new material recorded at the now overgrown location. The whole thing is underscored by a sinister soundtrack that adds to the nightmarish feel as you journey on and more and more goes wrong, even on occasion referencing witchcraft and unusual phenomena.In terms of complaints, I don't really have many, save for maybe the lack of remastering of some archive footage, the soundtrack can sometimes go a little over the tip, and the film does taper off towards the end and doesn't dwell on the film's reception and legacy as much as I would've liked. However, it is firmly Stanley's story, and a great watch for fans of film and filmmakers.