release year: 1996
genre: drama/sci-fi
viewing setting: theater, sometime in 1996
what I expected: some weird little story based on H.G. Wells' novel
what I got: interesting premise, but highly mucked-up
synopsis: A man, the sole survivor of a shipwreck, washes ashore on an island. He quickly finds that despite the presence of men on the isle, all is far from well.
impressions: I never read the book this was based on, but I knew enough to conclude that this movie had both strengths (special effects, cinematography) and weaknesses (foolish script, some bad acting.) The main challenge, of course, is that the old doctor who runs the island has been experimenting with mixing animal and human genes. Naturally, this leads to certain problems.
acting: Val Kilmer is fair, if not good, as Moreau's crazy protege. Marlon Brando...well, he mostly mumbles, and didn't do anything to impress me here.
final word: Too weird and incoherent for my liking.
rating: C-