Mysterious Island

IMDb

• A cinematic adaptation of Jules Verne's 1874 novel "The Mysterious Island", the story begins during the American Civil War, as famine and death ravage the city of Richmond, Virginia. Five northern POWs make the decision to escape the war by hijacking a hot air balloon! Drifting through the night, they wake to find themselves marooned on a desert island, but they aren't alone... Littered with wreckage, the island is home to cast of survivors who have been lost in space and time, including Jules and Abby Fogg, two young women from modern times who become stranded while flying over the Bermuda Triangle. Faced with defending themselves against vicious pirates, terrifying creatures, and an active volcano that's ready to blow, they must find a way to survive and escape the island. Hope only comes when they encounter the island's oldest resident, Captain Nemo himself. With his help, they set to work crafting an escape... but will they make it in time before the island claims them forever?
  - Written by Anonymous

HorrorTalk

Review:

I was pleasantly surprised by Mysterious Island. I was expecting something boring and low budget but found myself quite entertained. The movie is based on the Jules Verne novel of the same name. Fans of the novel should keep in mind that this adaption takes some creative liberties with the story. I have never read the novel myself, so I approached this movie with a cleaner slate.

The movie concerns of group of civil war soldiers who land on the aforementioned island. They soon learn that they have become lost in time. With the help of Captain Nemo they must escape before a volcano eruption destroys the island.

This movie is an entertaining blend of action and Sci-Fi. It doesn't take itself seriously and neither should the viewers. The actors are well cast, including Lochlyn Munro who plays the lead role of Captain Cyrus Harding. The actors take some cheesy dialogue and actually made it work.

The special effects and CGI of the film are good for a low budget movie. The costumes are another story. The savages run around in cheap fur costumes that are laughable. It really negates their roles as the movie's antagonists. I think they could have tried a little harder with that.

My only real quibble with the movie concerns the ending. The first part has great pacing but falls apart towards the end. The ending comes off as rushed and it ends too abruptly for my tastes.

Consider this movie fun way to spend a couple of hours and nothing more.

Full Movie on YouTube