What do you get when you mix ENEMY MINE, PREDATOR and CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON and set it during World War II? Why you get tonight’s movie, MONSTER ISLAND.
It starts off on a Japanese prison warship, where a British POW and a Japanese traitor who killed his CO are being manacled together. What’s going to happen to them? We don’t get to find out because it is about that time that the Allies torpedo the hell out of the ship, blowing it to pieces. Fortunately, our two captives, Saito (Dean Fujioka) and Bronson (Callum Woodhouse), survive said explosion and wash up on a lovely looking beach, along with a cache of supplies from the destroyed ship.
The two wake up and hit it off just as you might think—by fighting each other to the death. They are at war, after all. However, before either of them can claim victory, another party enters the fray. It’s a gnarly, half-man, half-fish creature that wants to nosh on the two men after smelling their blood in the water. They drive it off thanks to a gun found on one of the bodies on the beach, and it becomes clear that the two are going to have to set aside their differences and overcome the language barrier between them if they are going to survive this…MONSTER ISLAND.
There’s not a lot going on in the movie outside of the men vs. the monster, but what it does, it does well. And I can appreciate that. It’s a good way to keep the bloat down and make it a lean and mean movie. With the shipwreck, you get the occasional new victim to add to the fray against a foe that seems to have the men completely outclassed.
The acting is solid, with each man doing a great job in trying to get the other to understand their words and also in displaying the grudging respect they begin to have for the other. Also the terror in being chased by a giant Creech all over the fucking island.
Speaking of which, the monster is well-realized, and opting for practical effects for the beast was a good choice, as it lets it interact with the two well and gives it a sense of weight that you don’t quite get for CGI in a lower-budget film. I really love the black eyes and the alien look to it and the teeth are so wonderfully fierce. Sadly, there’s not a lot of depth to the creature. It’s pretty much there to kill. We get a little bit of development but a lot of that is connecting the dots from offscreen events. But then again, we don’t particularly need them to make the monster a threat, so it does well with what it has. There is some hinted history at the name a local uses, Orang Ikan, but not much is explored there.
Writer/director Mike Wiluan has crafted a good and slick film. It does what is supposed to and doesn’t overstay its welcome. There are some great set pieces with some nice gore and action. The power level of the creature seems to be a bit inconsistent. Can shrug off a bullet but swords do a number on it? Guess it has a high piercing resistance to overcome.
We don’t get a lot of Creature of the Black Lagoon variants so it’s nice to see a really well-done one here. Maybe in a sequel they can examine more of the lore that is hinted at in the movie.
Check it out.
