Boring

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I decided to watch this movie, simply for the presence of Peter Cushing & Terrance Stamp. I ignored the very low rating on IMDb, and decided to go ahead with watching this one. Serves me right! This movie was a complete waste of time and one of the worst movies I have ever seen, period. The island is filled with prehistoric monsters alright, but they are laughably bad; one is reminiscent from The Creature of The Black Lagoon, and we also get some silly looking people that are covered in seaweed and other stuff from the sea. It takes place in the islands of Spain, so the cinematography is certainly beautiful, but even that gets old after a while. It's also filled with this annoyingly happy music, which is constant throughout the film. I understand that this is partially a comedy, but it wasn't needed in my opinion. Peter Cushing's role is very limited, almost to a glorified cameo. It's a thankless role which I'm assuming was for a much needed paycheck. Terrance Stamp doesn't have much screen time either. I'm sure it's a role he has quickly put out of his mind. Ian Sera makes for a weak hero in Jeff. David Hatton grated my nerves as Thomas, and I couldn't stand his shrilled voice or his whiny performance. He's meant to be the comedic relief, but he's terribly unfunny. What was the point of that twist ending? The movie was so laborious, did they think we would give a damn? I don't know what they were thinking when this was green-lit, but this was one of the worst 90 minutes or so I've ever spent in my lifeFinal Thoughts: You want the headache that comes with this? Be my guest. I usually am rebellious when it comes to such low ratings, but in this case it is richly deserved. You won't see many films that are worse than this. Avoid it like the plagueDUD

Eager young Jeff Morgan (likable Ian Sera) desperately craves adventure and excitement; he finds more than he bargained for when he and several friends find themselves shipwrecked on a mysterious uncharted island populated by dangerous prehistoric monsters, a lethal tribe of savage cannibals, and a pernicious gang of gold-seeking bandits. Boy, does this hysterically horrible honey possess all the so-utterly-wrong-they're-paradoxically-right lousy stuff to size up as an entertainingly awful clunker: hilariously horrendous (far from) special effects (giant plastic dinosaurs, guys in cheesy rubbery suits, Tonka Toy miniatures, that sort of rinky-dink nonsense), an irritatingly bouncy cutesy-poo score, stop'n'go erratic pacing, ill-advised attempts at silly humor, clumsy (mis)direction by notorious Spanish schlockmeister supreme Juan Piquer Simon (who also co-wrote the hopelessly inane script), zero tension or momentum, a meandering narrative, and a lame cheat of a surprise twist ending. The acting is decidedly variable as well: Terence Stamp sneers it up nicely as the evil Taskinar, David Hatton serves up a fat'n'juicy slice of obnoxiously overripe ham as the fussy, whiny, cowardly Professor Thomas Artelect, Gasphar Ipua likewise contributes an overly broad turn as friendly local Carefinatu, and Peter Cushing manages to keep his dignity as distinguished millionaire William T. Kolderup. Moreover, the gorgeous Blanca Estrada looks positively ravishing as sultry French babe Dominique Blanchard, the lovely Ana Obregon provides some charm as Jeff's sweet fiancé Meg Hollaney, and Paul Naschy has a regrettably small part as the greedy Flynt. An absolute cruddy hoot.

Taken for what it's intended to be this movie isn't nearly as bad as most others have said. Unfortunately many people are quick to criticize a film for not living up to their preconceptions, and even more just like to slam movies to make themselves feel superior to the film makers, as if mocking a film were somehow a greater accomplishment than creating one in the first place. People like that should limit their opinions to two words --- "It sucks" --- and let it go at that. Anything more is a waste of time.Getting back to MONSTER ISLAND: First the good points. It's well produced and quite well photographed. The sets look good and the locations, while limited, are beautiful. And despite the rather violent opening it is clearly intended for children, and rather young children at that. It reminds me more than anything of the old BANANA SPLITS ADVENTURE HOUR. I'm quite sure if you sat a bunch of six year olds down with this movie they'd be quite entertained, and a kid's film that entertains kids can hardly be called a failure. Regarding the much maligned monster effects, granted they're not convincing but this is explained away in a reasonably plausible manner, and bad as they are they're integrated into the film with clever and reasonably successful perspective shots. The seaweed creatures are simple but initially impressive even if they lose something in the full shots. And the "French" castaway is certainly cute.On the debit side: Well, crappy monsters even plausibly explained still look like crap, and the comic professor becomes just unbearable after a while. And the action is staged very poorly.Final verdict: watch it with a bunch of little kids before you pass judgment. Smug frat boys and MST3K fans are worthless when assessing a movie like this.

Let me begin by saying that I had read Jules Verne's original source novel BEFORE seeing this movie... and the source is NOT "The Mysterious Island", as most of the would-be intellectuals who reviewed the film would make you believe.While "L'Ile Mysterieuse" ("The Mysterious Island") was written in 1874, the source of this film is actually "L'École des Robinsons" (which could be translated as "The Robinson School"), first published in 1882... and the entire "plot twist" criticized by the others before me is actually Jules Verne's original idea... it seems he used the "plot twist" before M. Night Shyamalan! Seriously, people... this is a fantasy, a farce, lighten up! Jules Verne himself was winking at his readers throughout the pages of his novel, and the movie only took it further. Since I knew the source of the film, it was a great fun ride to watch a retelling by a director who thought his viewers would laugh with him, not at him (probably just as foolishly as Ed Wood, but that's another story!) I enjoyed this bizarre flick, it was just as fun as some Russian fantasy movies I'd seen as a child, except that it had the brazen attitude of a more adult-oriented fare, but without becoming a "Gwendoline"...Also, movies are not created and do not exist in a void. When this film was released, in 1981, the era of the blockbuster was not yet upon us, Reagan and Thatcher had just been sworn in, and the Cold War was entering its fourth decade, flaring up again... The great era of the '70s, which had given us so many introspective and serious movies, was over, and people felt they needed more comedies, even hysterical comedies. It all probably started with "Airplane!" in 1980, and the ball just rolled on. There was at least one other title that came out in 1981, blending comedy, spoof and horror as a perfect companion for "Monster Island" - I'm thinking of "Saturday the 14th"... All in all, the criticisms leveled here don't surprise me. Truly, it's probably not the kind of film appreciated in the U.S. culture.