cdcrb
If you saw the original from 1961 stay clear of this turkey. This movie is so bad that when they talk about the Bermuda triangle they describe it as being on the west coast near Bermuda. the acting is non existent and every cast member is really stupid. I must confess I didn't last to the end, so maybe the last hour got a lot better. I doubt it, though.
Wuchak
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
TheLittleSongbird
I saw Mysterious Island as I love the story and have a soft spot for the 1961 film. I was dubious as it was SyFy, whose standard of movies generally are nothing to write home about, however even for SyFy Mysterious Island is an abomination. Other commentators have said that it is very loosely based on the book, and they are right. I wasn't expecting much different on that angle, because from their adaptations of Earthsea and Journey to the Center of the Earth I knew that the only resemblance to the original story was going to be either the title or the characters' names. The problem is that Mysterious Island doesn't just fall down as an adaptation, it falls down on its own merits as well. The story here is very dully paced, and due to lack of any real tension or thrills it is very uninteresting as well. The characters are not as interesting either, a lot of them are clichéd and not much is done to develop them. Even Nemo's back-story is rushed and convoluted, almost as if done in reference. The dialogue is often corny with SyFy, but not in a while have I heard dialogue that was so unbearably so that you have a hard time taking anything seriously. The acting is poor, with a stiff uncharismatic Lochlyn Munro, a pretty but vapid Gina Holden and an all too brief Pruitt Taylor Vince. The production values I have no better news I'm afraid. Not much is done to make them authentic with the furs sometimes looking as though they were actually made of straw, also further undermined by the sights of modern technology like air vents when the mansion was built on an island supposedly without electricity. The special effects are laughable, with the octopus belonging more at home in a cheap video game and the shaggy creatures were as scary as someone dressing up for a Halloween party. All in all, terrible. 1/10 Bethany Cox
Condolf
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.
AD
