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IMDbPro

The Island of Dr. Moreau

  • 19961996
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
4.5/10
34K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,058
1,031
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
Home Video Trailer from New Line Home Entertainment
Play trailer1:45
2 Videos
99+ Photos
HorrorSci-FiThriller
After being rescued and brought to an island, a man discovers that its inhabitants are experimental animals being turned into strange-looking humans, all of it the work of a visionary doctor... Read allAfter being rescued and brought to an island, a man discovers that its inhabitants are experimental animals being turned into strange-looking humans, all of it the work of a visionary doctor.After being rescued and brought to an island, a man discovers that its inhabitants are experimental animals being turned into strange-looking humans, all of it the work of a visionary doctor.
IMDb RATING
4.5/10
34K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,058
1,031
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Directors
      • John Frankenheimer
      • Richard Stanley(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • H.G. Wells(novel "The Island of Dr. Moreau")
      • Richard Stanley(screenplay)
      • Ron Hutchinson(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • David Thewlis
      • Marlon Brando
      • Val Kilmer
    Top credits
    • Directors
      • John Frankenheimer
      • Richard Stanley(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • H.G. Wells(novel "The Island of Dr. Moreau")
      • Richard Stanley(screenplay)
      • Ron Hutchinson(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • David Thewlis
      • Marlon Brando
      • Val Kilmer
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 194User reviews
    • 66Critic reviews
    • 37Metascore
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 10 nominations

    Videos2

    The Island of Dr. Moreau
    Trailer 1:45
    The Island of Dr. Moreau
    The Island of Dr. Moreau
    Clip 2:54
    The Island of Dr. Moreau

    Photos102

    Fairuza Balk, Ron Perlman, and David Thewlis in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
    Marlon Brando, Fairuza Balk, Val Kilmer, David Thewlis, Nelson de la Rosa, and Temuera Morrison in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
    Fairuza Balk and David Thewlis in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
    Val Kilmer in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
    Val Kilmer in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
    David Thewlis in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
    Marlon Brando, Fairuza Balk, David Thewlis, and Temuera Morrison in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
    Mark Dacascos in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
    Stan Winston in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
    Mark Dacascos in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
    John Frankenheimer in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
    Val Kilmer in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)

    Top cast

    Edit
    David Thewlis
    David Thewlis
    • Douglas
    Marlon Brando
    Marlon Brando
    • Dr. Moreau
    Val Kilmer
    Val Kilmer
    • Montgomery
    Fairuza Balk
    Fairuza Balk
    • Aissa
    Daniel Rigney
    Daniel Rigney
    • Hyena-Swine
    Temuera Morrison
    Temuera Morrison
    • Azazello
    Nelson de la Rosa
    Nelson de la Rosa
    • Majai
    Peter Elliott
    Peter Elliott
    • Assassimon
    Mark Dacascos
    Mark Dacascos
    • Lo-Mai
    Ron Perlman
    Ron Perlman
    • Sayer of the Law
    Marco Hofschneider
    Marco Hofschneider
    • M'Ling
    Miguel López
    • Waggdi
    • (as Miguel Lopez)
    Neil Young
    Neil Young
    • Boar Man
    David Hudson
    David Hudson
    • Bison Man
    Clare Grant
    Clare Grant
    • Fox Lady
    Kitty Silver
    • Sow Lady #1
    Fiona Mahl
    Fiona Mahl
    • Sow Lady #2
    William Hootkins
    William Hootkins
    • Kiril
    • Directors
      • John Frankenheimer
      • Richard Stanley(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • H.G. Wells(novel "The Island of Dr. Moreau")
      • Richard Stanley(screenplay)
      • Ron Hutchinson(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Marlon Brando wore a small radio receiver to help him remember his lines. Co-star David Thewlis claimed "He'd be in the middle of a scene and suddenly he'd be picking up police messages and Marlon would repeat, 'There's a robbery at Woolworths'."
    • Goofs
      When Montgomery rips pages out of a book, his shirt is blue. When Azazello takes the gun from his hunting vest, his shirt is white.
    • Quotes

      Edward Douglas: Are you a doctor?

      Montgomery: Well, I'm more of a vet.

    • Alternate versions
      The director's cut contains 4 extra minutes of footage including an expanded intro in the Java sea, a more gruesome end for 'The Father', and other small enhancements
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Bogus/The Big Squeeze/Bulletproof/The Trigger Effect/The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
    • Soundtracks
      Night Bird
      Written by Eric Mouquet and Michel Sanchez

      Performed by Deep Forest

      Courtesy of 550 Music/Epic

      By arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

    User reviews194

    Review
    Top review
    5/10
    Troubled production is semi-coherent with some entertainment
    Ever wonder where Col. Kurtz would've ended up had he survived the end of "Apocalypse Now"? Well, now we know: He exiled himself to a deserted island to create humanimals - the horror, the horror.

    This 1996 version of "The Island of Dr. Moreau" was such a troubled production that articles, books and documentaries have been made about it, like the 2014 documentary "Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau." Stanley championed the project, wrote the screenplay and was set to direct, but was fired after a few days of filming due to conflicts with Val Kilmer, who wasn't in the best of moods due to being served divorce papers while on set.

    Actually that wasn't the main reason Stanley was fired. He was fine for small indie productions, but he was out of his league with a blockbuster like this. Veteran filmmaker John Frankenheimer was brought in to save the production from being a complete disaster. He got the job done, but his tyrannical approach didn't help matters.

    The production was so bad that Fairuza Balk (the cat-lady, Aissa) literally tried to escape the set, but was caught at the airport in the nick of time. Add to this Brando's well-known eccentricities, not helped by the recent suicide of his daughter, Cheyenne, and constant rewrites and you have a formula for a cinematic chaos!

    In light of the horrible production and the ensuing bad press you would think this would be a lousy movie, but it's actually not THAT bad. I can see why some people don't like it because parts of the third act are pretty crazy and don't flow very well, but if you're a sucker for lost-on-an-island type yarns and appreciate the mood & insanity of films like "Apocalypse Now" and the original "Planet of the Apes" ("It's a madhouse, a MADHOUSE!") you'll probably appreciate some of it. Don't get me wrong, it's nowhere near the caliber of either of those films, but comparisons are inevitable and there are entertaining bits.

    The main problem is that the story isn't that compelling; the flow of the movie is off, which is mostly apparent in the mounting craziness of the final third, which tempts the viewer to tune out.

    Thankfully, there are some positives. The title sequence is kinetic and dazzling; the score by Gary Chang is varied and all-around phenomenal; the plot is intriguing; the humanimal make-up and actors are quite good with Daniel Rigney's 'Hyena-Swine' standing out (Rigney would be dead a mere year after the film's release); there's some creative pizazz, like Marlon Brando's 35-minute stint where he's as captivating as always, albeit a fat bastage; the inclusion of Dr. Moreau's "Mini-Me" is hilarious in hindsight of the Austin Powers trilogy; and there are flashes of nigh greatness, like Edward's revelatory talk with Aissa in the third act.

    Marlon's Dr. Moreau is a variation of Kurtz, i.e. nutjob in the jungle, albeit twenty years later. For Brando fans it's enjoyable seeing him in his old age. This was one of his final films and it shows that he had his magnetic charm 'til the end.

    Furthermore, there are some interesting themes: The humanimals who get to live in Dr. Moreau's abode are more human-like in appearance than the animals living in the smelly humanimal 'village' in the forest; the most human-like one, Aissa, he even refers to as his daughter. Wouldn't this lead to tensions between the factions? Moreover, while Moreau is a benevolent dictator he's still a dictator and dictators are rarely good. When Hyena-Swine usurps the crown he immediately becomes a malevolent dictator.

    The original version runs 96 minutes and the DC 99 minutes. The film was shot in Cairns, Queensland, Australia.

    GRADE: C+
    helpful•10
    1
    • Wuchakk
    • Mar 12, 2014

    FAQ1

    • What are the differences between the PG-13 Version and the Director's Cut?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 23, 1996 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Indonesian
    • Also known as
      • Hòn Đảo Quái Nhân
    • Filming locations
      • Queensland, Australia
    • Production company
      • New Line Cinema
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $40,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $27,663,982
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $9,101,987
      • Aug 25, 1996
    • Gross worldwide
      • $49,627,779
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 36 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

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