Movies like "The Island of Dr. Moreau" challenge film critics
because there are only so many ways to say "this sucks". Marlon
Brando, reprising his role in "Apocalypse Now", is a geneticist
trying to make animals human. At least he gets laughs throughout for his
otherworldly make-up and attitude. The other huge ego is Val Kilmer as
his over-the-top assistant. On the bright side, all the "animals"
were done by the make-up genius Stan Winston, so they are actually believable
- more so than either Brando or Kilmer. My pity is extended to David Thewlis
and Fairuza Balk, who are victims in and out of the movie. As an actor,
Thewlis must have heavily identified with the character trapped on an island
with a bunch of madmen and animals, for he is surely trapped between the
outrageous performances of the leads. Fairuza Balk is an uncommon actress
with the most stunning eyes on film today. Hopefully she will find better
work next time. But what do we do with director John Frankenheimer? Is
this really the same man who gave us "The Manchurian Candidate",
"Seven Days in May", and "The Train"? He has dealt
with some of the best and most demanding actors in the world, but this one
got away from him. Rated R.
Copyright 1994-2008 Film Scouts LLC
Created, produced, and published by Film Scouts LLC
Film Scouts® is a registered trademark of Film Scouts LLC
All rights reserved.
