This movie reminds me of what I felt when watching the infamous 70s film CALIGULA: it's a huge mess where at times you can glimpse the great movie it could have been. Some scenes are genuinely moving, the make-up on the creatures is astounding, Marlon Brando is actually rather brilliant in his campy portrayal of a benevolent tyrant, and the philosophical ideas are present amidst the gore and schlock. But man, the movie is a mess and the plot development is choppy.
The first third is a black comedy. It has to be. The goofy characterizations, strange camera angles, and David Thewlis's straight man reactions to the antics of Brando and co. feel like they're out of a Terry Gilliam movie. This part of the movie is genuinely enjoyable. And then in the last two-thirds, the movie suddenly becomes a horror movie, only the tone is still goofy, so the horror doesn't land.
THE ISLAND OF DR MOREAU is baffling viewing, but I would not put it in league with the worst movies of all time. It has a touch too much entertainment value for that.
The first third is a black comedy. It has to be. The goofy characterizations, strange camera angles, and David Thewlis's straight man reactions to the antics of Brando and co. feel like they're out of a Terry Gilliam movie. This part of the movie is genuinely enjoyable. And then in the last two-thirds, the movie suddenly becomes a horror movie, only the tone is still goofy, so the horror doesn't land.
THE ISLAND OF DR MOREAU is baffling viewing, but I would not put it in league with the worst movies of all time. It has a touch too much entertainment value for that.