The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977)

Once the home of shlock drive-in movies AIP, American International Pictures, slightly transformed in the seventies, giving plenty of drive-ins movies to fill the screens but with more quality than had been seen in the sixties. Granted those classic films, in particular the Edgar Allan Poe flicks presented to us by Roger Corman, were great but times changed and so did AIP. Budgets while still small were upped a tad and the actors employed had name value other than as AIP stars. A perfect example of that was this film.Andrew Braddock (Michael York) is a shipwrecked engineer who finds himself casts adrift on the shores of an unknown island. When he goes in search of water the only other survivor is carried off by an unseen force. Unaware of this Braddock is being tracked as well and in running finds himself caught in a ground trap, saved actually from what was behind him.When he wakes he finds himself in bed and indoors, a man named Montgomery (Nigel Davenport) at bedside. Montgomery tells him he is the guest of Dr. Moreau, his employer and it isn't long before Moreau (Burt Lancaster) himself shows. Braddock is welcomed and told that it will be a while before another boat arrives.When feeling up to it, Braddock gets out of bed and sees Moreau talking to a young woman. He finds out her name is Maria (Barbara Carrera) and that as Montgomery puts it, is Moreau's. He rescued her as a young child and she is now willingly in his debt. Invited to dinner Moreau finds himself called away to handle a situation on the island and excuses himself.All moves along at a quick pace here with Braddock eventually learning what was out there in the jungle and what Moreau is up to. SPOILER ALERT. It seems that Moreau has been experimenting in gene therapy, converting animals into human beings but not quite. That elusive last element still eludes him and rather than humans he's created humanimals, animals standing on two legs with the ability to talk and think and yet still tied into those instincts placed there by the creator. How Braddock reacts, what transpires when he finds a group of these humanimals and the plans Moreau have for him unfold before the final credits.Based on the novel by H.G. Wells, the story has been used in several movies as well as this one. It is actually the fourth time the story was used. The movie is extremely well crafted with some great cinematography, acting, directing and some find makeup effects. At the same time there is nothing to make it stand out above the rest. It's well-made and not quite generic in how that comes across but not exceptional at the same time.And yet the movie never fails to entertain. The story holds your interests as does the telling of it which could have gone terribly wrong. Instead we're witness to one star whose glow was beginning to fade in Lancaster (who still remains a strong presence), an actor who was at his peak in popularity in York and an actress who made a splash with this film only to never rise much higher. Their combined efforts make the movie an enjoyable old style story that leans more towards science fiction than horror that will have you staying with it till the end.Olive Films has released this one with a minimum of extras including a commentary track, a visual essay and the original trailer. Still, the picture clarity is above most and the value is there. Fans will want to pick the film up, AIP completest will want to add it to their collection and horror/sci-fi fans will want to enjoy it as well.

There are many who will miss the fire and malevolence of Charles Laughton's Dr. Moreau from the Island Of Lost Souls. But this version of the H.G. Wells novel The Island Of Dr. Moreau has an awful lot to recommend it. For one thing it is closer in plot to the story that Wells actually wrote. And unlike the Laughton version which came out in 1932 and was set in that year, this one is set at the turn of the last century when the book actually came out.Still there's Burt Lancaster as the scientist banned like Dr. Frankenstein for his fiendish experiments now confined on an island with Nigel Davenport another disgraced medico and trying to study what is the actual cause of evolution. Like in the other two versions he's getting all kinds of animals to experiment and ratchet up evolution, creating these freaks of nature whom as he says always seem to revert.His most successful experiment is with Barbara Carrera and newly arrived marooned sailor Michael York gets her mojo going. It's one of the reasons that York is kept alive as he soon discovers. But there's more in store for him.Laughton's classic was completely created on the back lot of Paramount Studios. This one has the advantage of some really lush location shooting on the Virgin Islands in the real tropics where Wells set his story. And I also think Michael York in his prime is far more the sex object the character was supposed to be than Richard Arlen in the Laughton version.This is a good version of The Island Of Dr. Moreau and miles better than the version Marlon Brando did in the 90s.

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.

'The Island of Dr. Moreau,' a retelling of the H.G. Wells' classic, plays like a '70's TV movie. It isn't awful, but neither is it very convincing or scary. Certain elements are fine; the dialogue is literate and the performances by Burt Lancaster, Michael York, Barbara Carrera, and Nigel Davenport are all good. The island locations are beautiful. But the essential creepiness of Wells' story is missing completely. One mistake is very apparent- far too many of the scenes take place during the day when they obviously cry out to be shot at night. The make-up of the 'humanoids' is too neat and tidy as well; they mostly look like variations of Lon Chaney Jr.'s Wolf Man or the aliens in 'Star Trek,' animal faces and perfectly-coiffed hair. Whenever they go on a rampage, you feel like you're watching some half-ass, low-budget zombie flick. Lancaster might not seem like the perfect choice to play the eccentric, mad Dr. Moreau but he does an admirable job, at times lifting the film above its pedestrian level to something closer to what Wells intended, and York's portrayal of the stranded seaman Braddock is fine too. (Behind the make-up of the 'Sayer of the Law' is none other than Richard Basehart, of all people. You know, Admiral Nelson from 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.' Talk about casting against type!) Here and there, 'The Island of Dr. Moreau' threatens to become genuinely frightening but it never manages to adequately bring to life the horrific ideas of Wells' novel, which are monstrously disturbing, as anyone who's read it can attest. The living nightmare the creatures must endure, not knowing who or what they are, is barely hinted at and represented in a way that resembles more a Saturday morning kid's show like 'Land of the Lost' or one of Irwin Allen's numerous TV shows, such as 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.' (Hmm...) Moreau's attempt to reverse his experiment by turning Braddock from man to animal is promising; it's too little, too late though and the idea is never fully explored. Some of the final shots of Moreau's camp burning to the ground while the now-dead doctor himself hangs from a railing in the foreground are impressive too, but the movie hasn't really earned them. The brutal truth is that 'The Island of Dr. Moreau' isn't gruesome enough. It's hard to imagine H.G. Wells being pleased with this take on his brilliant novel.