Kaelan Mccaffrey
Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
Lachlan Coulson
This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.
Rosie Searle
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
a_chinn
Samuel Z. Arkoff AIP production of the H.G. Wells novel is pretty entertaining. Burt Lancaster plays the mad scientist Moreau on his isolated desert island where he's created a pack of man-beasts who he controls like a maniac prison warden. Michael York (who in my mind is the epitome of oddball 1970s film heroes) plays our protagonist who's washed up on the island after his ship sunk at sea. York raises questions the ethics of Moreau's experiments and Moreau slowly beings to lose control of his creatures. Wells' story raises interesting questions about the animalistic nature of humans and despite this being an Arkoff exploitation flick, manages to also be smart. The special effects are good and Lancaster is particularly good in the lead as Moreau. However, the film does come off a pretty silly at times, particularly a fight between the bull-man and a real tiger, which although is fun to watch a stuntman go at it with a tiger felt corny and out of place with what otherwise seemed like a pretty smart bit of science fiction. Overall this film is probably the most faithful adaptation of Wells' story, though it's nowhere as good as 1932's "Island of Lost Souls" but is leaps and bounds better than the 1990s Marlon Brando/Val Kilmer debacle. Barbara Carrera and Richard Basehart also appear in the film
calvinnme
... although any limitations on what could have been shown or done were much more lax in this film 44 years later. Yet I just like the original better.This is another take on the H. G. Wells novel about the "mad" scientist experimenting with animals on a South Seas island, performing surgery on them in "the House of Pain" to try to transform them into human beings. Of course, things never go as planned in these films. Moreau is, after all, "tampering in God's domain" (though that hoary old expression is mercifully not used in this film).Difficult to not compare this version to the first adaption, 1933's Island of Lost Souls, which I find far more satisfactory. In the original Charles Laughton brought a creepy, perverse quality to his Moreau. He was unsettling but effective, and when he cracked that whip in the "What is the law?" scene with the man beasts there was more than a hint of the sadist about him.The surprising casting of Burt Lancaster as Moreau in the 1977 version fails to bring any of these same odious qualities to the film. It's difficult to work up much of a dislike for Lancaster's scientist in spite of his activities. He's still Burt, and he has to battle against his good guy screen persona.Island of Dr. Moreau also surprisingly jettisons one of the kinkiest aspects of the 1933 film, the Panther Girl, as originally played by Kathleen Burke, his most near perfection human like creation from a beast, with whom Laughton's Moreau is eager to see if an unsuspecting male shipwrecked on his island (Richard Arlen) will be willing to mate.The '77 version does have beautiful Barbara Carrera slinking around, and she certainly intrigues (well, more than intrigues) Michael York, now in the Arlen role. Lancaster is aware that they are sexually attracted to each other and ready to mate - but to what purpose, since it turns out Carrera is a normal human, and no kind of Panther Girl. There is a hint in her final scene, however, that she may not be quite so normal, after all, but it went by so quickly I wasn't quite certain if it was my imagination.The man beasts in the original are more effective than here. For starters, you didn't get a really good look at the makeup in the original (outside of a closeup of Bela Lugosi), so much of it is left to the audience's imagination. In the '77 version you see the makeup and, to be honest, it's not so much frightening as it is artificial in appearance (on about a par with that to be found in the original Planet of the Apes).The '77 version, however, interestingly, does show what happens to the man beasts after everything blows up on the island, something the '33 original left to our imagination. This version also has Moreau strapping down and experimenting with York, something not done in the '33 version. That is one of the more interesting aspects of this production, as well.In the final analysis, this is a fairly mediocre adaption of the Wells story, but one should still see it to make his own assessment. There would be another version with Brando almost 20 years later, of course. It's been too long since I've seen that version to talk about it, though I do recall disliking it at the time.
gizmomogwai
Hollywood's second of three attempts to bring The Island of Doctor Moreau to life (after 1932's Island of Lost Souls and before 1996's Island of Dr. Moreau), The Island of Dr. Moreau '77 is not without merit, even when compared to the sensational 1932 version. For the first part of the film, it features solid production values- Michael York (Logan's Run) is certainly a better actor than Richard Arlen, and the Sayer of the Law is less goofy looking, though Bela Lugosi was certainly the better actor. The scenes with York and the girl (a cat like in the other versions?) have a sensual feel. And Moreau is presented, as always, as an amoral scientist, whose dispassion becomes horrific.Where this film version falls short, however, is the lack of the creepy atmosphere that Island of Lost Souls fosters- the shadows, the ghoulish figures, the dark jungle, the cult-like rituals. While in the original Moreau creates his manimals by vivisection and in 1996 he meddles with DNA, here we have some dubious serum that alters cells. Moreau says it opens up a world of possibilities in preventing deformities, which might be true, but creating an island of freaks out of animals doesn't really further that objective. When Moreau begins transforming York into an animal, the film goes downhill fast. The rebellion of the manimals, and the dark commentary on human nature, takes a backseat. Even if you're not impressed by this, check out Island of Lost Souls; it is still the best version.
Wuchak
This 1977 version of HG Wells' "The Island of Dr. Moreau" is an adventure/drama/sci-fi film about a shipwreck survivor, Andrew Braddock (Michael York), who finds himself on a remote Pacific island where mysterious things are happening. Dr. Moreau (Burt Lancaster) governs the island with his the cynical associate Montgomery (Nigel Davenport). Barbara Carrera is on hand as the doctor's ravishing woman, Maria, but there's something decidedly strange about her. The best thing about this movie is the mounting mystery of the first half. Once the mystery is fully unveiled it becomes uninteresting, mainly due to the storytelling, but the somewhat lame mid-70's creature make-up doesn't help. The latter's reminiscent of the ape F/X of the original "Planet of the Apes" (1968) applied to other beasts. However, this is to be expected since it came out in the mid-70s. The St. Croix locations (US Virgin Islands) are another huge positive. The film doesn't skimp out on showing the natural beauty of the area, which the '96 version did with Cairns, Queensland. Needless to say, the movie's a must for those who like island adventure/dramas. Lancaster is outstanding as the visionary doctor obsessed with genetics. Whereas Brando played the part as an utter eccentric – and Marlon is always entertaining – Burt plays the character low-key but with great underlying passion and is therefore more interesting. A good example is when Moreau asks Braddock with scientific zeal, "How does a cell become enslaved to a form, to a destiny it can never change? Can we change that destiny?" Braddock understandably replies, "Should we?" Disappointed, Moreau immediately dismisses himself. Later, the doctor reveals the extents that he is willing to go for the sake of scientific progress when he exclaims, "If one is to study nature, one must become as remorseless as nature." This is his weakness and downfall, the fact that the attainment of his goals transcends universal morality. Yet, the first half paints him in an almost admirable light. We see a visionary palpably excited about the altruistic prospects of his work, like removing deformities. So Moreau's goals are definitely benevolent. Not to mention, anyone with an inkling of vision can relate to his statement (paraphrasing): "People of vision often become outcasts." Then there's the mysterious and exotically beautiful Maria. Read the spoiler section below for a revelation about her that's more obvious in other versions of the story. Davenport is also effective as the alcoholic mercenary, Montgomery. His response to Braddock's initial inquiry about what kind of animals are on the island is notable. Amused at the question, Montgomery cackles: "All kinds, Lad; all kinds" (ending with a disturbing laugh with loads of hidden meaning). The score by Laurence Rosenthal is worth citing as it's haunting and befits the time period of the story, the late 1800s. Interestingly, the score was clearly ripped off (sort of) by James Horner for the even better music of 1981's "Wolfen."There are also some interesting subtexts: The humanimals who get to live in Dr. Moreau's compound are more human-like in appearance than the animals living in the smelly humanimal cave in the forest. Consider, for instance, the almost palace-like lifestyle of the most human-looking one compared to the others. Wouldn't this lead to tensions between the factions? While Moreau is a benevolent dictator he's still a dictator and dictators are rarely good. Another potent theme is the importance of genuineness in governing authorities. Once Moreau is disobeys his own law, the humanimals revolt. Unfortunately, I can't give it a higher rating for two important reasons. One, the storytelling isn't compelling and therefore the overall effect of the movie is mild amusement. However, the climax is pretty spectacular, particularly a couple of memorable images that I don't want to give away. The second reason is noted below. The film runs 99 minutes. GRADE: B-***SPOILER ALERT*** Don't read further unless you've seen the movie.When Braddock and Maria are discovered by a ship at the end and it's clear that Braddock has reverted back to full-human after days at sea, the original version of the movie reveals that Maria was actually another one of Moreau's experiments and was reverting back to being a panther! This is clear if you look at one of the film's pics shown on IMDb, but there is no image like this in the DVD version of the film (which I assume means the original theatrical version as well, but some dispute this). So it's clear that the producers nixed the original ending for a stereotypical happy one. IDIOTS!
