Unknown Island

[Squishy]

Bob Stephens, a jerk who does a laserdisc review column (nationwide or local, I don't know) in the newspaper, did a little dance over this painful welt of a movie, crowing about how he loved it--far more than "Jurrasic Park"--because the cheap, silly-looking dinosaur costumes were, somehow, more REAL to him than the computer-generated beasts of the Spielberg film.

Of course, Bobby has a thing about Spielberg in general, and apparently he's also a Luddite. ("Computers?! Bah! Gimme a sock and some chewing gum, I'll give you special effects! Why, in MY day...") It just goes to show, it takes all kinds. I suppose he digs "The Giant Claw," too...  

[Chris K.]

To the reviewer Squishy who had just commented this fick, I think Stephen Speilberg is a HACK myself. Computer animation is so fake and shows that the new special effects artists do not try hard. Ony stop motion animation and men in convincing monster suits are the best. In this case UNKNOWN ISLAND is a GOOD film with good acting, soilid continuity, better-than-average special effects, neat settings, and impressive camerawork. Gets an A+++ on my list. Oh by the way Squishy, I diged THE GIANT CLAW (1957) myself. It was a good film!

[David McRobie]

i like the story- the characters are all interesting and it movies along like an old pulp thriller.  if you get caught up in the dinosaurs and sloth you are missing the point.

[Georgiann]

Sorry, but the original 1950's Godzilla is an example of a man in a convincing monster suit.  This T-rex was dreadful, and the way it moved was an incredibly slow, stiff, clumsy waddle.  If this is how a "real" dinosaur is supposed to look I'll take stop-motion or CGI any day.  

[Mario G.]

This actually is a pretty good movie. Although its not up there with The Land That Time Forgot. It's interesting to watch Fairbanks and Tarnowski trade places: at the beggining Fairbanks is crazy, and Tarnowski is normal, then at the end Tarnowski goes nuts and Fairbanks is normal.
On the other hand, some of this doesn't make sense. The Ceratosaurs are men in suits that mostly just shuffle around the set, which looks like the desert out here in southern california. This scene is particularly weird, because the lush jungle just cuts into desert, like someone just drew a line dividing the two.
The special effects are a bit hokey but do the job well. The hairy monster looks like a Sloth-Gorilla-Rodent, and doesn't do much but snarl and hop around. The Dimetrodon just slithers around the sets, not doing much except hissing. The Ceratosaur/Hairy Monster fight is hokey; all that happens is the hairy monster hugs and knaws on the Ceratosaur, who just swings his neck and roars until it is backed off a cliff.
Overall, an entertaining movie. I stayed up till 6:00 A.M. on July 5 to watch this on AMC.

- Mario.
( Review date: July 5th, 2001. )

[Doug]

Was my FIRST Monster Movie..saw it when I was 6 yrs old in Times Square 1948...been a Sloth buff ever since.

At LEAST they tried SOMETHING rather than stick a couple of poor starved lizards on a table top set.
The little Human Legs on the T-Rex's were hilarious...especially when one turns around to go the other way.
As a small child, the scene of the seaman being 'fought' over by the two Therapods was very effective.
Barton Mcclain was terrific...my favorite all time bad guy and this part was realistic and well written for his style.
Hey folks...it was 1948 and this WAS one of the original Dino-Jurassic Park movies...consider the plot elements..and some of the dialog even.."stay out of the tall Grass!..."...reluctant guy being dragged on the trip (ie: JP3)...first Dino being a 'sauropod' (I could just hear that John Williams music swelling in the background!)
This was just on AMC in gorgeous Cinecolor...hey...it's a friggin' OLD Monster movie...what more could you ask for!
Now here is how effective this movie was...I had not seen it since mid-50's t.v....yet during the other night's viewing I remembered not only most all the scenes and action but even much of the dialog! It's a cool BAD movie.
Thanks...Doug
http://jpx4.jp3hq.com

[Green Hornet]

Saw this movie back when REAL dinos roamed the earth. To my young mind, seeing the heros shooting ANTI-TANK grenades at the T-Rexs made them seem more terrifying. Anything that needs a bomb to do it in (And these bad boys {Or were they "Girlasaurs"} were NOT stopped) HAD to be tough!

But look at the begining of the film clip: you can see where the head is attached! Also, it looks FUNNY to see the dinos turn around slowly and shuffle away at the end. It's like they are saying "Aw, this sucks, guys! They didn't tell us they were going to use high explosives!".

[George Kalishevich]

This is a typically cheap movie of the late 40's-early 50's. The story, the plot, and the characters are nonsensical to the point of being utterly ridiculous but it is a good picture to enjoy sitting in fromt of the TV when there is nothing else to do. I last saw it back in the mid 60's and never knew that it ws in color----we only had a black & white TV. The "dinosaurs" are especially funny because it is obvious that they are guys in dinosaur suits------not quite as well-made as Godzilla of the Japanese "dinosaur" genre.

[Mark Radburn]

Unknown Island is the Best 40's Dinosaur film ever and with the most exciting scenes ever. The Tyrannosaurus Rex suit looks real but there's one thing that bothers me it moves really slow but still looks real and the Giant Sloth sucked. The story is good, the music is good and I think the characters and the dinosaurs in this film ought to give themselfs a pat on the back because this movie rocks.

[Marko]

It looked like a piece of s**t...and it was a piece of s**t!

[mr blood.]

if tyrannosaurus was anything like the ones in this stupid movie they would of died out a lot sooner then they did.a bad movie.

[DIANE]

"Unknown Island?" I saw it when I was 12 and was afraid to ride my bike down the street for DAYS afterward.  I just KNEW a T-Rex would be peeking over the hill at any moment!  
Judging it as a "work of art?"  Quit criticizing and take it for what it was - a great bit of excitement for a pre-teen.  I loved it.  

[Escape from wurstolon]

I love those "mysterious-island-films". Must see it. Thanks for funny review  

[David S]

I just watched Unknown Island on a Netflix DVD and have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.  I was expecting an to laugh every other minute at scene after scene of bad acting and worse special effects.  Instead I found a pretty entertaining B-movie with decent acting and special effects that were, with the exception of the tyrannosaurus, not too bad for something produced in 1948.  I'd definitely watch it again.

[Parralax view]

This came up the other night on my Firestick.  I thought, "You love bad science fiction, go for it".  I was filled visions of Mystery Theater 3000.   The absolutely laughable dinos, the redhead wearing green, the Capt. oh the Capt. where to start??.  A fun hour and a few to see basically the inception of Jurrasic Park.