Blu-ray Review - The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
October 01, 2024
The story behind the making of 1996's "The Island of Dr. Moreau" is much more interesting than the film itself. It was once intended to be a spooky take on the H.G. Wells novel (already explored across all forms of media) from director Richard Stanley, but troubles swarmed the production, turning it from an atmospheric chiller into blunt-edged weirdness from helmer John Frankenheimer, who was hired to complete the project, not necessarily clean up the mess. The moviemaking disaster was recounted in the 2014 documentary, "Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Dr. Moreau" (a fascinating watch), providing necessary backstory when viewing the Frankenheimer version of the picture. While it begins with some dramatic purpose, it doesn't take long for "The Island of Dr. Moreau" to veer into silliness and general storytelling confusion, openly reflecting a nightmarish shoot that lost its way in a most profound manner. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
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