The Island of Dr. Moreau Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

The Island of Dr. Moreau Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf June 14, 2015

Hollywood has been fascinated with “The Island of Dr. Moreau” for a long time. The 1896 H.G. Wells novel has been adapted time and again, dating back to a 1913 French silent film and a 1932 production starring Charles Laughton, titled “Island of Lost Souls.” Perhaps most infamously, the book inspired a messy 1996 endeavor that starred Marlon Brando as the titular madman, with its nightmarish shoot recounted in a documentary from last year, “Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s The Island of Dr. Moreau.” Joining the roster of interpretations is a 1977 effort that favored action over science, with heavy emphasis on the chaotic community of animal and man, striving to whip up a frenzy with dangerous stunts and ghoulish make-up effects. Directed by Don Taylor (“Damien: Omen II”), “The Island of Dr. Moreau” suffers the same fate as most adaptations, with the limitations of Wells’s story unable to fill the needs of a feature film, thought the movie certainly has its share of eye-popping moments, most born from era-specific recklessness when dealing with live animals.

Lost at sea when his ship sinks in the middle of the ocean, Andrew Braddock (Michael York) finally finds land after weeks in the sun. Picked up by enforcer Montgomery (Nigel Davenport), Andrew is taken to an island compound run by Dr. Moreau (Burt Lancaster), a scientist who’s wary of outsiders, but welcomes the lost man into his home, with hopes to send him off with a supply ship in the near future. Curious about Moreau’s field of study, Andrew pries into diaries and spies on his daily activity, soon romancing the island’s lone female, Maria (Barbara Carrera), with their desires kept secret. When clues lead him to the horrifying discovery of Moreau’s experimentation on man and animal, questing to create a hybrid creature through a special serum, Andrew revolts, soon locating a population of the doctor’s experiments who keep order in a nearby cave, creating a tenuous balance of power as Moreau builds himself into God-like entity.

“The Island of Dr. Moreau” attempts to be a traditional retelling of Wells’s story, keeping period details in play as Andrew struggles to deal with his new reality. It’s fantasy without technology, with the details of Moreau’s serum and extended medical experimentation downplayed to focus on the plunging of needles and the imprisonment of man and animal, with mistakes in mutation chained up alongside bears, tigers, and lions in the compound. While the production takes liberties with the source material, Taylor strives to give the effort a literary push, transforming Andrew’s unease with Moreau’s business into a debate on morality and responsibility, while a romance between the visitor and Maria takes on a Harlequin ambiance -- albeit a strange one, with the pair never actually kissing during their love scenes, possibly revealing some type of contractual limitation or maybe cooties were involved. It’s bizarre to watch the pair go out of their way to avoid mashing faces.

This isn’t a cerebral exercise, but “The Island of Dr. Moreau” projects the illusion of sophistication, with Lancaster doing his best to keep his character from becoming just another crazed mad scientist, and time with the “humanimals” grouped together in a cave mirrors social rule and religious order, with threats to visit the “House of Pain” keeping the monsters in line under Moreau. The build-up to big reveals is handled well by the script, which portions out Andrew’s discoveries with a steady pace, delivering just enough shock to keep audiences interested in the unfolding mystery, also supplying some sense for Andrew’s submission, who works in a clandestine manner to repair his boat and retry his luck with open water. “The Island of Dr. Moreau” has moments where the elements line up, most tied to Andrew’s initial confusion with the compound’s peculiarities, delivering an atmosphere of the unknown and the ghoulish once the humanimals come into view.

Possibly inspired by the “Planet of the Apes” franchise, “The Island of Dr. Moreau” takes on a similar look of men in costume, wiggling their faces to make make-up layers move with animal inspiration. The creatures look fine, with defined mutations and twitchy thespian choices bringing the confusion of belonging to life. However, once the cave is revealed, “The Island of Dr. Moreau” peaks, which isn’t a welcome development when the feature still has to deliver a crushing final act. Losing much of Wells’s savagery to keep a PG rating, Taylor is left with an anti-climatic summation of power and the eventual disruption of Moreau’s self-serving “law,” finding the humanimal revolution lacking fervor that could inspire lasting reflection on the material’s themes. Instead, the special effects go from meek to mad in a hurry, and the picture devolves from a study of ethical and moral corruption to a prison riot.

The climax is loud and repetitive, but it’s peppered with some rather frightening encounters between the stunt team and live animals, watching the humanimals wrestle with real creatures in a manner that suggests there was rarely a second take during this portion of filming. Lions are tossed out of windows, a puma freely roams the set, and a tiger works diligently to bite into one of his human co-stars. Big cats are batted around to provide spectacle, and it’s effective, no doubt. However, this take on “The Island of Dr. Moreau” probably isn’t a good gift idea for the animal lover in your life.

The Island of Dr. Moreau Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation does show some signs of age, with a general flatness that doesn't encourage a more substantial study of screen elements. Colors are adequate, with island greenery and blues skies capturing attention, while skintones are natural. Make-up offers more unusual hues as skin is matched to fur, and costuming offers some range. Detail isn't encouraging, but close-ups retain a degree of sharpness, exploring sweaty faces and mutated particulars, which helps to appreciate the fantasy aspects of the production. Pockets of noise remain. Contrast isn't a powerful as it could be, losing some consistency in limited lighting. Delineation is threatened at times.

The Island of Dr. Moreau Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix runs fairly hot, with scoring cues extremely loud, working to drive the pace of the picture, but mostly reaching uncomfortable extremes at times. There's no defined distortion, but highs are sharp and clouded, losing instrumentation. Dialogue exchanges are adequate, preserving differences between man and humanimal, with clear emotions and balanced dramatics. Atmospherics for jungle activity are acceptable, while the group dynamic is preserved. Hiss isn't a concern.

The Island of Dr. Moreau Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Deleted Final Image provides definitive proof of Maria's fate, which is only hinted at in the final moments of the movie. There's no explanation as to why the shot was removed for the theatrical release.

• And an Extended Trailer (5:51, HD) and a Theatrical Trailer (2:13, SD) are included.

The Island of Dr. Moreau Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bedlam eventually swallows "The Island of Dr. Moreau," with raging fires, death, and chases fighting to bring the picture to a boil. What the script really needs is more incident to keep Andrew and Moreau at odds, delaying the inevitable with more robust confrontations and paranoia. Taylor keeps his adaptation on the dry side, offering bloodless passion and a weird concentration on suffering. Already a difficult tale to sell in a cinematic manner, "The Island of Dr. Moreau" doesn't come alive, weighed down by a reluctance to truly submit to the depths of Wells's tale of insanity.