DVD reviews
Immortals
"... a thundering example of style over substance."
Midnight In Paris
“...a delightful tribute to nostalgia and romance.”
The Illusionist
“...a film that generally brings warm smiles rather than belly laughs...”
Treasure Guards
"A willing suspension of disbelief should get most viewers across the line."
search the site
newsletter
Enter your email address below to receive the weekly Filmink newsletter
The Island Of Dr. Moreau (DVD)
Year: 1977
Rating: M
Director: Don Taylor
Cast: Nigel Davenport, Burt Lancaster, Michael York
Release Date: May 11, 2011
Distributor: Shock
The Film: 3.0
FILMINK rates DVDs and Blu-rays out of 5“...enjoyable...”
Starring Burt Lancaster, Michael York and Nigel Davenport, this enjoyable 1977 film interprets H.G. Wells' Frankenstein-esque classic as a ripping yarn. Atmospheric cinematography and score emphasise the paradisal gorgeousness of Moreau's tropical exile, as ship-wrecked sailor Andrew Braddock (York) fetches up on its shores.
Lancaster eschews theatrics in his portrayal of the obsessive scientist who plays god among his mutant creations, to the extent that a little more menace would have been nice. His animal-human experiments look like sinister versions of The Wizard Of Oz's Cowardly Lion, but the story is told well enough for this not to matter, and there are impressive scenes with real animals.
A Mills and Boonish element is introduced with the character of Maria (a rather blank Barbara Carrera), Braddock's love-interest.
