The Lucid Nightmare

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

REVIEW: Mystery on Monster Island

Mystery on Monster Island
Director: Juan Piquer Simon
Year 1981

Mystery on Monster Island is a silly, yet highly enjoyable, adventure movie that isn’t afraid to throw a little bit of ridiculous fun at its audience. Based on an obscure Jules Verne novel titled, The School of Robinsons, the film depicts an uproarious adventure filled with perils and slapstick antics that surprisingly keep things interesting throughout its entire runtime. With a diverse cast of legendary actors and unknown thespians, Mystery on Monster Island is an unusual cinematic treat that will definitely bring a smile to your face, especially if you’ve enjoyed any of Jules Verne’s various movie adaptations.

The film centers on Jeff Morgan, a young and restless man who wants to travel the world and have himself an adventure before he is to be married to his beautiful fiancé Meg Hollaney. Jeff’s wealthy uncle William Kolderup, assembles a ship and crew to set sail around the world so Jeff can satisfy his tenacious urges and finally settle down in a quite life with Meg, but unexpectedly during their voyage their ship runs into some trouble and Jeff and his tutor Thomas Artelect are forced to abandon ship. Thrown about by the sea, they wake up on a mysterious island that seems born out of the wildest of fantasies, with gargantuan sized creatures, savage cannibals, masked hunters, and all manner of ghastly things around every corner. Jeff has finally found his adventure, but is it more than he can handle? This imaginative tale, inspired by Jules Verne’s writings, is a blast and a half, so buckle up as our journey begins.

Ian Sera takes on the role of Jeff Morgan, the thrill seeking youth that yearns for a little bit of adventure in his life. Sera puts a lot of effort into making his character sympathetic and believable, even though in this whimsical tale he really didn’t need to. The real fun of the movie is to see all the outlandish creatures and to explore alongside the characters as they go from one encounter to the next, but Ian gives us a performance that is both heartfelt and genuine. I quickly became a fan of this interesting actor after seeing his performance in the Italian splatter flick Pieces, where he plays the role of Kendall, the know-it-all college student that, despite his nerdish looks, had all the ladies swooning over him. His character is just plain ridiculous in that film and with Mystery on Monster Island, it was nice to see that he could put together a more complete and believable character, one that allows us to care over whether he lives or dies through this strange and unusual ordeal. Jeff Morgan was a great character, but Ian Sera will always be Kendall to me.

David Hatton plays the character of Thomas Artelect, the accident prone professor who is scared of his own shadow. Most of the comedic moments of this film are provided by Hatton’s exceptionally frantic take on the role of Artelect. Hatton spends most of his screen time screaming and yelling like a maniac after spotting the many frightening creatures that inhabit the island. Hell, he even loses it when running into the not so frightening creatures, as we see when the Professor has a close encounter with a chimpanzee. It’s these wacky moments that really make the film a whole lot of fun and Hatton never lets up as the film progresses along. David Hatton, you so crazy.

Another interesting cast choice is the inclusion of two legendary actors in the form of Peter Cushing and Terence Stamp. Unfortunately both actors appear in only a fraction of the film, but when they do show up they bring a great deal of validity to the picture. Each of them approach the material with respect, with Cushing taking on the role of the millionaire William T. Kolderup and Stamp slithering into the role of Taskinar the treasure seeking opportunist with the blackest of hearts. I really enjoyed the inclusion of these big name stars and feel that their presence anchored the film, supplying a wholly satisfying and much needed beginning and end to this wild tale. It would have been nice if they were featured throughout the movie, but I’ll take what I can get.

Now on to the fun stuff and that would be the creatures. The monsters of this film vary from being exceptionally creepy, to absolutely hysterical, and everything in between. Director Juan Piquer Simon is no stranger to Jules Verne type fantasy seeing that he directed the equally enjoyable The Fabulous Journey to the Center of the Earth, and you can see the echoes from that production as it infects the visual sensibilities of Mystery on Monster Island. What is most interesting about the overall look of the monsters of this film is that there is an obvious attempt at making the creatures in a tongue and cheek kind of way. The artificial appearance of some of these cinematic monsters is very apparent and there just seems to be something kind of off about them. After the film runs its course though you soon come to find out why not everything is as it seems on this island and you forgive the absurdity of some of the creatures looks and join in on the inside joke of it all. With all of this random wackiness and high energized tomfoolery, the overall strange look of the various monsters on the island just kind of seems to work.

Mystery on Monster Island is a highly entertaining adventure film that moves at the speed of light and handles like a runaway roller coaster. There are so many ups and downs to this movie and the cast and crew are constantly moving from one set piece to the next, that you really don’t get a chance to catch your breath. Ian Sera and David Hatton carry a good amount of the film on their backs as they react accordingly to witnessing some of the most outrageous movie monsters the cinema has ever seen. Hatton especially gives it his all as the out of control scaredy cat that overreacts to everything he sees.

It’s also especially nice to see that two accomplished actors like Peter Cushing and Terence Stamp can get down in the muck of this strange little film and class it up a bit with their professional acting chops. Though their caliber of acting and the overall breadth of their filmography is both exquisite, they treat the source material with respect and establish the tone of the film from the get go, sprinkling some validity to the production. With its whimsical nature and fantastically bizarre creatures, Mystery on Monster Island is another Jules Verne adaptation that showcases that certain spark of fantasy and ignites our imaginations with the wonders that it presents to us. If all of that doesn’t peak your interest on checking out this flick, then might I add that the film has a hysterical chimpanzee that is one hell of an actor in his own right. If that doesn’t sell you then you might already be dead. Mystery on Monster Island is a……

I thought I warned you about playing with my toy ship.

What the fuck did you say about my acting in Pieces?

Calm down! It's just a guy in a rubber suit you pansy.

Don't they make a beautiful couple?

Just give me all the bananas and nobody gets hurt!

Someone's about to lose their head.

I don't know if I should laugh or shit my pants.

Run you son of a bitch! RUN!

Quit monkeying around Sera.

Ewww! Bug breath is gross.

I can't believe I'm stuck on this island with this schmuck!

Parrot, are you trying to get crazy with the Professor? Don't you know he's loco.

Say hello to my little friend!

I don't like you.... you fling poop!

It's always a good day when Peter Cushing stops by.

Now tell me why you're slumming in this movie or I'll blow your head off!

What a happy ending.

What a SUPER happy ending!

i SPY EUROSPY: Spies Strike Silently

Spies Strike Silently
Director: Mario Caiano
Year 1966

Spies Strike Silently is a fun little Eurospy film which features a mysterious organization hell bent on controlling the world. What sets this film apart from other Eurospy movies with similar plot lines is the simple fact that this diabolical group is rather intimidating and accomplished in their nefarious activities. With an abundance of paranoid atmosphere and a dead serious tone, Spies Strike Silently is an interesting entry in the always entertaining Euro-espionage genre.

The film follows secret agent Michael Drum as he is assigned to a most sinister case involving mind control and world domination. Recently, a large number of top scientists have been assassinated and it’s up to Agent Drum to get to the bottom of these sordid deaths. As his investigation takes him deeper inside of the conspiracy, Drum finds that he could be the next victim of this mysterious organization which seems determined on stalling human progression in order to control the world’s population. With an action packed plot and a cast full of engaging characters, Spies Strike Silently is a mission you won’t soon forget, that is unless you’re brainwashed to.

Lang Jeffries plays the role of the hardened secret agent Michael Drum, and he takes on the character with a grim attitude and a no nonsense type of demeanor that is a far cry from the majority of super agents that have come down the pipeline of the genre. He’s got the look of a secret agent down, often resembling Sean Connery’s James Bond when decked out in a black tuxedo. It seems that Lang has done a number of Eurospy films, but unfortunately this is my first introduction to his work in this particular field. His agent in Spies Strike Silently is exceptionally acted, as he brims with confidence, taking on the bad guys with determination and skill. Lang’s portrayal of Michael Drum is one of the high points of this film and Jeffries carries the narrative every step of the way.

Attributing to the eye candy portion of the film is Emma Danieli who plays the role of Grace Holt, a kidnapped woman forced to live in solitude within the diabolical lair of the secret organization. Emma isn’t given very much to do here and she isn’t introduced until almost an hour into the movie, but she does a commendable job with the sparse role that she is given. Her overall function for the story is to be Michael Drum’s damsel in distress, giving our hero someone to pine over while rescuing her from the terrible situation that she finds herself in. Emma looks wonderful in the role and she has a tremendous subtlety to her that adds to her vulnerability. She may not have much to do in the film, but she looks good while doing it and that’s always a plus in my book.

The main villain of the piece is played by Andrea Bosic, and boy is he a son of a bitch. He takes on the role of Rachid, the leader of the organization that aims to control every last man, woman, and child in order for him to play god over a new world order. His plans are diabolical like all master criminals plans are in these movies, but his execution is quite remarkable and cold. His specialty is mind control and he uses this technique on anyone he can get his hands on. Andrea gives the character a heartless outlook on humanity which is void of sympathy and compassion. He’s exceptionally cold, making for a memorable villain and formidable bad guy for Michael Drum to butt heads with.

With a pretty solid cast of characters, Spies Strike Silently also benefits from a rather ambitious and intriguing plot that features the previously mentioned mind control. Throughout the film, Michael Drum encounters a number of people that, for all intensive purposes, look normal and harmless, but beneath that guise is an assassin ready to strike. These brainwashed citizens are so abundant and catch our heroes off guard so many times, that you begin to think that the bad guys might very well accomplish their goal of world domination. This fear of failure reaches momentous proportions when Drum is captured by Rachid and his organization and threatened with undergoing the mind control procedure himself, which involves sitting in a trippy room filled with abstract art, strapped to an arm chair that looks like something you’d find in a dentist’s office from hell. The theatrical nature of this procedure is top notch, but the end result which transforms these ordinary people into mindless black eyed drones is rather unsettling to see play out. All in all, the film does a whole hell of a lot of things right and it makes for a fantastic Eurospy viewing.

Spies Strike Silently is a surprisingly serious espionage effort that leaves the more comical aspects of the genre by the wayside in order to tell a substantially more vivid tale of paranoia and mistrust. Lang Jeffries makes for an excellent secret agent, and his portrayal of Michael Drum and his no nonsense approach to spying is an interesting take on the typical archetype of a super spy.

The rest of the cast carry their weight exceptionally well, with Emma Danieli and Andrea Bosic both coming out on top with their characters of Grace Holt and the evil Rachid. Bosic’s cold demeanor makes us believe that he can pull off the impossible and enslave the world and the film backs up these threats with a series of masterfully executed scenes that prove the power of this organization and the tremendous control it has over its followers. With all of these elements firmly in place, this Italian and Spanish co-production makes for some fun viewing. Spies Strike Silently really struck a cord with me and if you enjoy espionage films that tweak the formula a bit, then you might dig this one as well. This film is definitely an……