a review
Mad scientist, aided by (pick as many as apply)
- insane
- perverse
- substance-abusing
- deformed
- all of the above
assistant, creates dangerous
- monsters
- computers
- robots
- all of the above
which eventually run amuck and kill him.
Let's face it, this standard formula covers more than half of the science fiction movies ever made and it certainly applies to THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU. THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU is nothing more than a back-yard JURASSIC PARK.
"With the key of science, he's unlocked the gates of hell." says the ominous voice-over in the commercial.
Well, not really. To a generation familiar with creepy monsters from Aliens to Independence Day, and friendly monsters from ET the Extraterrestrial, to Chewbacca the Wookie, to Worf the Klingon, the monsters of Island, excellent works of the make-up masters art though they are, simply aren't all that scary.
And as for the science--I've seen the perceived danger of genetic manipulation handled better and more chillingly, too, in many a science fiction novel and in STAR TREK and X-FILES episodes. Like many science fiction stories made into movies, THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU fails in the working out of a scientific extrapolation and goes straight for the special effects. However, although the make-up effects are good, the much-discussed digital enhancement of animal motion is cheesy and less convincing than the flying of the original TV Superman.
THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU is saved from being just a another monster movie by the performances of Marlon Brando as Dr. Moreau and Val Kilmer as Montgomery. Each brings to his character an interpretation that is totally on, totally congruent with his role in the story, and totally off the wall.
Dr. Moreau thinks of the creatures he has made as his children, regrettable yet still loved failures in his quest to make a "perfectly harmonious being." (The question of why anybody seeking to create a "perfectly harmonious being" would start with a hyena and a pig is not addressed.) Moreau fails to see what a tyrannical and neglectful father he has been, though his "children" seem to have figured it out. As he explains in a patronizing way to Douglas (played by David Thewlis), a plane crash survivor who has been brought to the island, he has used genetic manipulation to disassemble the devil (no more than a collection of unfortunate genes). He never seems to understand what is laughably obvious to the audience, Douglas, Montgomery, and even the beasts themselves--by fusing animal and human genes he has created beings neither animal nor human but with all the worst aspects of both.
Kilmer's Montgomery is dreamy, sexy, amusing, elusive, cryptic, witty and way underutilized. His part and Brando's part seem to have been subjected to violent cutting, which is a pity, as they are the most engaging and fully dimensioned characters. The movie could have been more interesting if there had more discussion between the main characters and less footage of beasts marauding in the dark.
In the face of Brando's fruity and pedantic Moreau and Kilmer's quirky, distracted Montgomery, Thewlis' Douglas is forced to spout cliches older than the original novel and bristle (not very convincingly) with moral outrage. He is hopelessly outclassed. It would have been much more interesting to watch either or both of these two argue with Douglas. It is obvious that either of them, each from his own unique point of view, could have argued rings around Douglas.
Montgomery never thinks of the beasts as people or as Moreau's children. For the most part he treats them like large talking pets, but he has never forgotten they are dangerous animals (or, dangerous people--because Montgomery is also the only one who seems to really understand how fine and how mutable the line between human and animal really is). (Another interesting issue that could have ben explored by this movie and instead goes nowhere.)
You realize that, ideologically, Montgomery and Moreau have parted ways a long time ago. He has only a few scenes with Moreau and almost no interaction with him. Montgomery is one of those characters you may have seen at your job, a brilliant man completely disillusioned with the goals of the organization, who has cynically learned to get what he wants out of the system, pretty much makes his own rules about what he will and won't do, and can't be fired because his skills are irreplaceable. He gave up arguing a long time ago and now spends his time getting high, taking care of the animals, and doing as little work as possible. When he impersonates Moreau at the end it is because he, too, has been released from Moreau's paternalistic tyranny and is taking the opportunity to mock Moreau's many affectations. (It's too easy! It's like shooting fish in a barrel!)
From his early remark "I'm more like a vet" through his uncanny impersonation of Moreau (the voice so good you can hardly tell the difference at first, the face uncannily like the young Brando), Kilmer is just plain hilarious. This is not jarring in the movie, as Montgomery's fatalism and perpetual high seem the most rational and appropriate response to the situation.
Faruiza Balk as Aissa, Moreau's most successful creation so far, and Daniel Rigney as Hyena-Swine play the main dramatic creature roles; both are very good though condemned to the cliched "Why? Why can't I be like everybody else?" cry that is the standard lament of mad scientist creations and teenagers everywhere.
What the heck, Kilmer and Brando are having fun, why can't we? As in his previous movie, Heat, Kilmer has managed to build a compelling character with depth into a small part. With his dreamy voice and generally skimpy wardrobe (he seems to dress mostly in necklaces and bracelets) he radiates sensuality; his dialogue, though sparse, contains a rich source of hilariously quotable lines.
click on the picture to download one of Montgomery's funniest lines
From a science fiction or horror point of view, this movie is a disappointment. However, many people I attended it with were convinced it is destined to become a cult classic. If only this movie were as good as its stars. (And if only all the dialogue were as clever as Montgomery's!)
If part of you thinks that this movie could benefit from the "Mystery Science Theater" treatment, then I agree with you. Alas, it is not to be. But for the next closest thing, try this site!
