Blu-ray Review – The Island of Doctor Moreau

Hollywood has been fascinated with "The Island of Dr. Moreau" for a long time. The 1896 H.G. Wells novel has been adapted time and again, dating back to a 1913 French silent film and a 1932 production starring Charles Laughton, titled "Island of Lost Souls." Perhaps most infamously, the book inspired a messy 1996 endeavor that starred Marlon Brando as the titular madman, with its nightmarish shoot recounted in a documentary from last year, "Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's The Island of Dr. Moreau." Joining the roster of interpretations is a 1977 effort that favored action over science, with heavy emphasis on the chaotic community of animal and man, striving to whip up a frenzy with dangerous stunts and ghoulish make-up effects. Directed by Don Taylor ("Damien: Omen II"), "The Island of Dr. Moreau" suffers the same fate as most adaptations, with the limitations of Wells's story unable to fill the needs of a feature film, thought the movie certainly has its share of eye-popping moments, most born from era-specific recklessness when dealing with live animals. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com