Mysterious Island (2010)

RELEASED TO TV IN 2012 and directed by Mark Sheppard, "Mysterious Island" is loosely based on Jules Verne's book about Civil War soldiers stranded on a strange island and their eventual encounter with Captain Nemo (played by William Morgan Sheppard and, in flashbacks, Mark Sheppard). Gina Holden & Susie Abromeit play two women the soldiers meet on the island. Lochlyn Munro is effective as the male protagonist while Edrick Browne, Caleb Michaelson & J.D. Evermore appear as other soldiers.I've seen two other movies based on Verne's novel (1961 & 2005) and those departed from the novel as well, although this one takes the most liberties. As my title blurb points out, the castaways aren't just lost on a deserted island, they're lost in time too and I enjoyed the ramifications of this (Civil War-era militarists trying to catch a grip with two modern women). If you're a sucker for lost-on-deserted-island movies, like me, this version is a must, as long as you can handle the TV budget. The only noticeable flaw (beyond the typical limitations that go with a low budget) is the awkward way some scenes are executed, like the final one with Herbert.THE FILM RUNS 91 minutes and was shot entirely in Louisiana (St. Amant, St. Gabriel, Mandeville & Baton Rouge). WRITER: Cameron Larson.GRADE: C

I don't care if this was made for TV or not. I think it is a crime to take a great story and butcher it the way this director did. I am a big fan of the 1961 version, and only stumbled upon this movie because they sent the wrong movie, I had ordered the version with Patrick Steward as Nemo, but instead I got this version. The Movie is obviously made for TV, the acting in so bad, I thought I was watching a Mexican soap opera. As the movie started, it seamed to follow the original story line, But after the balloon took to the air, the plot took a 180 degree turn for the worst.Some of the acting was OK, but The girl with the bad leg, looked like she studied Monty Pythons silly walks, to prepare for her part. The creatures were laughable, the almost looked like they used the costumes from Time machine, (the warlocks). It wasn't till Nemo showed his face that I realized this isn't the movie I ordered, and as I could no longer watch, and my girlfriend already left the room, I just stopped it, never finishing. If you like the 1961 version as I do, the don't see this movie, just watch the original.

I agree SyFy movies follow certain convention. They cannot be compared to big nationwide blockbusters with spectacular special effects and equally big budgets. SyFy movies can be all characterized by really good stories, usually based on accomplished sci-fi novels, but at the expense of modest and limited special effects. Because I grew on books and I prefer a movie with an interesting story, even sacrificing the technical level, than completely mindless and empty blockbusters offering ONLY technical effects. For example I prefer obvious CGI with a good story behind, rather than huge catastrophic explosions costing millions of dollars with no content at all. If a have a good story I can make up for poor effects with my own imagination, but with no story I leave the theater completely empty-minded.So this movie is just like that - poor effects when compared to Transformers and other nationwide hits, but an interesting story based loosely on Jules Verne's classic. Nice dose of action, some history, some cultural clash between different historical periods, everything makes logical sense, decently acted. Maybe not Oscar-worthy, but still very watchable.I am really a big fan of SyFy and its convention. I only wish they would become a paid channel so that they can escape the usual network censorship and other limitations. Still staying focused on stories rather than effects, but more open to the after-hours market. Something like HBO.

I watched this movie on the SyFy channel last night and it was every bit as bad as the other movies they air. Having read the book by Jules Verne many decades ago, I was disappointed to see very little of the original plot to exist in this feature. Supposedly, Captain Nemos crew builds this mansion in the middle of an island that has no electricity. Yet, when the characters first enter the house, we can clearly see a modern air vent in the entry way. Also, nowhere in the book did Nemo's crew mutate into shaggy creatures. Nor was there any mention of a time travel machine in the classic. Also, for some unknown reason, the makers of this film decide to give Nemo a static electricity weapon that can not only shoot in a straight line but hit only the villains and not the heroes. The producers should have just saved their money.