Here's a rare case of a film that's not only bad, but incompetant (Only "The Avengers" comes to mind as another recent example). The fact that original director Richard Stanley was fired only days into the shoot, and that a pouting Val Kilmer was allowed to run loose pretty much self-destructed this film. It's obvious that the heavily altered script was either slapped together, written on the fly, or at the very least not well thought out. The tone of the picture changes dramatically as it progresses (especially after its relatively assured beginning) but its not until we see Val Kilmer doing a Brando impression (certainly one of the most inexplicable scenes I've ever come across) that we realize no one seems to be in control of this incoherent mess. If this was just a schlocky b-movie there wouldn't be much to consider, but given the excellent cast, a capable director, and good makeup work, the occasional bits and pieces that register with the audience just make the film see that much more disjointed. For a big-budget action picture, "Island of Dr. Moreau" is a unique experience. It isn't as much bad as a mess, a cacophony of sights and sounds lacking a coherent narrative, and occupied by two egotistical stars too caught up making their own movie in their minds to bother with what's in the abysmal script. The one positive thing that I can say of "Island of Dr. Moreau" is that it does have value as a curio. It's almost fascinating to watch what happens when a film just plain goes bad, and makes you start to take for granted witless moronic fare that at least makes a bit of sense.
Review of The Island of Dr. Moreau
