The Last Island Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

The Last Island Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 14, 2023

Marleen Gorris' "The Last Island" (1990) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Epics. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by author and academic Peter Verstraeten; archival documentary; vintage promotional materials for the film; and more. In English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

All men, regardless of their cultural, social, and religious background, sexual orientation, and politics, are inherently evil. This is the short message that emerges from Marleen Gorris’ film The Last Island. But this is hardly surprising. Virtually all the films Gorris has directed over the years promote a variation of this message. In an exclusive new introduction that was recorded for Cult Epics’ release of The Last Island, producer Dick Maas casually suggests that the message needs to be placed in a proper context because the film tells a story from a feminist point of view.

A commercial plane has crashed on an unknown island. The only survivors are two women, five men, and a tiny dog. After ensuring that no one is seriously injured, they are able to recover plenty of crucial supplies -- food, water, clothes, and fuel -- and a broken radio that one of the men promises to repair quickly. Initially, the survivors appear convinced that it is only a matter of time before a powerful satellite pinpoints the crash site, a rescue operation is launched, and they are flown back to civilization. But several days later, the man who repairs the broken radio begins scouting the airwaves and makes a chilling discovery -- there is silence everywhere. At first, someone speculates that the radio might need more fixing to work as it should, but then the entire group gradually accepts a drastically different and very disturbing explanation, which is that a terrible event has permanently changed the entire planet.

Some weeks later, the men begin pondering whether they need to convince one of the two women who is still young and can have children to become a mother. Then, despite their differences, they agree that it is the more rational thing to do if the human race is to be preserved. However, when they engage the young woman, they face fierce resistance and eventually are forced to consider drastic measures that compromise them and their plan to save humanity.

The opening fifteen or so minutes are intriguing, but once the survivors remove the corpses from the plane and burn them, Gorris promptly begins destroying the integrity of the story with badly scripted contrasts that are used to introduce a wide range of feminist clichés about the supposed imbalance of powers between the two sexes. For example, all men are exposed as incapable of seeing the two women as equal, and eventually, all but one reveal that they perceive the young woman as a sexual object. While courting the young woman, the men are exposed as dangerous hypocrites, too. Each situation then becomes part of a play that supposedly imitates how men and women engage in the old grand theater known as real life.

At the right time, which comes after the men gather and explain to the young woman why it is of crucial importance that she becomes a mother, Gorris introduces the feminist counterarguments. One of them is that the human race does not need to be saved if the supposed imbalance of powers between the two sexes is not permanently corrected. In other words, it is illogical to preserve males and females if the former are conditioned to dominate and the latter are doomed to be oppressed. To prove the validity of the feminist counterarguments, during the clash of ideas the men then gradually become aggressive and ultimately unhinged, while the two women retain their ability to be rational for as long as possible.

The contrasts that overwhelm the story are extremely unpleasant. They are simply a façade for the worst kind of pseudo-intellectual radicalism. However, this is precisely the reason The Last Island needs to be seen because the clarity of its message very effectively destroys the integrity of the cause it is supposed to promote and defend.

Gorris’ director of photography was Marc Felperlaan, who lensed two famous Dutch cult films, The Lift and Amsterdamned.

The Last Island Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Last Island arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Epics.

Before the film begins, a short note reveals that a restoration was completed from the only existing 35mm print of the English language version of the film. (The entire film was shot in English). It is easy to tell that the new master that was prepared and used to source this release was struck from a 35mm print. Delineation, clarity, and depth are quite good, but in some darker areas there is light crushing that is usually inherited from 35mm prints. Density levels are good, but they could be a little better as well. Color balance is very good. However, ideally some of the supporting nuances, and especially the darker ones, should be expanded and healthier. There are no traces of problematic digital tinkering. Some surface imperfections -- like blemishes, tiny black spots, cuts, and even a few splices -- are retained from the 35mm print. All in all, even though there is some room for cosmetic improvements, I think that the overall quality of the presentation is very good. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Last Island Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I chose to view the entire film with the English LPCM 2.0 track. All exchanges were very easy to follow. Some unevenness, which is not part of the original sound design, is occasionally noticeable, but I do not think that this is a legit issue. Depth is good, but it needs to be said that the film does not produce any strong material where it can make an impression. The same can be said about dynamic contrasts as well. I did notice a few tiny pops, but there are no serious age-related imperfections, like strong hiss, crackle, or distortions.

The Last Island Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - in this exclusive new audio commentary, author and academic Peter Verstraeten rightfully links The Last Island to Triangle of Sadness and Swept Away, and then discusses Marleen Gorris' cinematic work as well as the production and themes of The Last Island.

• Introduction - a new audio introduction recorded by producer Dick Maas. In English. (1 min).

• Interview with Annemarie Grewel - presented here is an archival program with columnist and political and feminist activist Annemarie Grewel in which she explains why she thinks The Last Island is an important film. In Dutch, with optional English subtitles. (12 min).

• Behind the Scenes - this archival program features raw footage from the shooting of The Last Island. With music. (17 min).

• Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for The Last Island.

• Dutch Trailer - presented here is a vintage Dutch trailer for The Last Island. In English, with printed Dutch subtitles. (4 min).

• Trailer Reel - a collection of trailers for other Cult Epics releases.

The Last Island Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The world must be an elaborate torture chamber if your entire philosophy of life is structured around the idea that the opposite sex is the source of all evil in it. In The Last Island, outspoken feminist director Marleen Gorris reveals that this is precisely how she sees the real world while pretending to tell a story about several survivors -- two women and five men -- who wake up on a deserted island after their plane crashes. Two-thirds of The Last Island are loaded with so much awful pseudo-intellectual messaging that rehashes the most radical feminist cliches about men and the evil that supposedly resides in them that reaching its finale becomes a genuine endurance test. Cult Epics presents a good recent restoration of the film with several exclusive bonus features.