ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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It seems like none of the version of this story was quite as good as the original from the 1930s. And even H.G. Wells did like that one.
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The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)

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Though Brando & Kilmer are credited first, the larger role is played by David Thewlis, a shipwreck survivor who is the latest arrival on the island. Brando — as Moreau — only appears at the half-hour mark and he doesn't last that long either (this reflects most of Brando's small roles since the seventies).

He wears strange make-up (to ostensibly ward off the sun) and strange hats, and speaks with an unfocused Brit accent. He was also quite heavy by this point. Kilmer plays Montgomery, his assistant, as half-asleep and, later, partially crazed (or drunk). He also mimics Brando during his later scenes which just comes off as silly.

But Thewlis doesn't come off much better. He's either puzzled or dumbfounded in most of his scenes. Fairuza Balk plays Brando's most successful creation — she looks pretty human, but used to be a cat. Ron Perlman is the Sayer of the Law — the most articulate of the manimals. Perlman was a natural for this since he played the Beast in the Beauty and the Beast TV series.



This was the latest adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel about trying to create a new breed or improving on evolution, preceded by the 1977 version and by the famous Island of Lost Souls from the thirties.

In the plot, Moreau & Montgomery control their creations with pain implants, but the Hyena-manimal eventually pulls his out, triggering a bloody revolt. Some of this is intriguing — Temuera Morrison plays another manimal, one which used to be a dog, and he's the house breed variety of manimal, always dressed in a butler's suit. This shows how social stratification is always around, with men and animals.

Morrison usually stands around with a strange grin on his bestial features, soon proving to be the most sly of the manimals.

But, director Frankenheimer, despite his talent and experience, isn't able to present a thought-provoking story for most of this, only some brief frightening scenes in the final act. The very end is anti-climactic.

BoG's Score: 5 out of 10



____________ "The Island of Dr Moreau" Review


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BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)