The Island of Dr. Moreau

PG

1977

1 hr. 38 min.

Horror

List

54%

24 Reviews

Tomatometer

40%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

After his ship sinks, Andrew Braddock (Michael York) washes ashore on a tropical island owned by Dr. Moreau (Burt Lancaster). While waiting for a ship to return him to civilization, Braddock becomes disturbed by the strange creatures roaming the island, and at the same time falls for the lovely Maria (Barbara Carrera), who lives with Moreau. Soon Braddock discovers that the creatures are the results of Moreau's sinister experiments, and plots to escape before he himself becomes a victim.

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Critics Consensus

The Island of Dr. Moreau takes a reasonably entertaining pass at adapting its classic source material, although key scenes are let down by struggles with special effects.

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Blu B

Okay so this is MUCH better than the 96' version but that's still not saying much. This is at least passable and not broken or bizarre by any stretch. The cinematography is pretty decent with some good action at the end and acouple nice shots here and there. The costume design is also not bad and kind of is like the Planet of the Apes type design. It looks much better than the 96' design despite being just ok. The camerawork is a bit basic also. Everything else is just ok overall. For 75% of the runtime it kind of meanders and is a slow burn. It feels like stuff just happens to Edward as he explores the island and interacts with Moreau. It makes sense enough and has some thought provoking commentary but it doesn't do it in a natural flowing fashion. It starts to lose focus a bit also when it focuses on the creatures in the cave and Edward at the same time. The other issue is outside of Moreau none of the characters are that devloped. We don't learn much about Edward until the final 15 minutes. This needed more devloped creatures and humans like Planet of the Apes. Finally it feels like at the end the ramped up frantic pacing comes out of nowhere and this goes from 0 to 100 instantly in the final 20 minutes. It feels like it is overcomepensating for going too slow. Also, Lancaster is sophiticated but he's never really menacing and he needed to have more of a darker towering prescence but he's not half bad. World's better than Brando. York for 90% of the time is just ok but at the end when he is changing into the creature is pretty good actually and really emotional. I wish his whole performance was like that. Anyway, unless your abig fan of any actors in this I can't really recommend this to anyone. Or if you wanna see a more stable version of the 96' disaster.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/13/23

Full Review

A.L.Jude P

The best out of the Dr.Moreau saga with a human touch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/02/23

Full Review

robert p

This is the second The Island of Dr. Moreau but I liked the first one with Charles Laughton. Even the third one stank. This is not the original movie!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

delysid d

Those who Break the Law, must go back to the House of Pain!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/28/17

Full Review

Audience Member

Samuel Z. Arkoff AIP production of the H.G. Wells novel is pretty entertaining. Burt Lancaster plays the mad scientist Moreau on his isolated desert island where he's created a pack of man-beasts who he controls like a maniac prison warden. Michael York (who in my mind is the epitome of oddball 1970s film heroes) plays our protagonist who's washed up on the island after his ship sunk at sea. York raises questions the ethics of Moreau's experiments and Moreau slowly beings to lose control of his creatures. Wells' story raises interesting questions about the animalistic nature of humans and despite this being an Arkoff exploitation flick, manages to also be smart. The special effects are good and Lancaster is particularly good in the lead as Moreau. However, the film does come off a pretty silly at times, particularly a fight between the bull-man and a real tiger, which although is fun to watch a stuntman go at it with a tiger felt corny and out of place with what otherwise seemed like a pretty smart bit of science fiction. Overall this film is probably the most faithful adaptation of Wells' story, though it's nowhere as good as 1932's "Island of Lost Souls" but is leaps and bounds better than the 1990s Marlon Brando/Val Kilmer debacle. Barbara Carrera and Richard Basehart also appear in the film

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie was stupid..ik it was the 70's but I don't blood was orange even then. I kept thinking the budget on this movie must have been 5 bucks. The acting was horrible, the costumes, the plot everything was tacky and crappy!!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

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Don Taylor

Director

Burt Lancaster

Dr. Paul Moreau

Michael York

Andrew Braddock

Barbara Carrera

Maria

Nigel Davenport

Montgomery

Richard Basehart

Sayer of the Law

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The Island of Dr. Moreau: Official Clip - The Possibilities Are Endless

3:14

The Island of Dr. Moreau: Official Clip - Tiger vs. Tigerman

0:45

The Island of Dr. Moreau: Official Clip - No More Law

1:32

The Island of Dr. Moreau: Official Clip - Opening the Cages

2:37

The Island of Dr. Moreau: Official Clip - What Were They?

1:38

The Island of Dr. Moreau: Official Clip - Escaping the Island

2:13

The Island of Dr. Moreau: Official Clip - Let Him Up

0:51

The Island of Dr. Moreau: Official Clip - What Are You Doing to Me?

1:16

The Island of Dr. Moreau: Official Clip - His Is the House of Pain

1:44

The Island of Dr. Moreau: Official Clip - I Remember It All!

1:55

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Variety Staff

Variety

Lancaster, despite his ungodly ideas, is given some resonance as a man who thinks his demented work is for the betterment of the human race. York gives one of his best performances, and Barbara Carrera's enigmatic beauty is evocatively treated.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

David Pirie

Time Out

Only Michael York's metamorphosis into a beast has any impact, and the film predictably fails to follow through even on that.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Vincent Canby

New York Times

The performers display a kind of disciplined intelligence that keeps them from bursting through the style of the film into comic limbo.

May 9, 2005

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Less an exercise in stark horror and moody ambience -- the defining traits of the classic 1932 adaptation Island of Lost Souls, starring Charles Laughton as Dr. Moreau -- and more a straightforward adventure yarn with a sci-fi bent.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 11, 2021

Full Review

Ruth Batchelor

Los Angeles Free Press

It scared the hell out of me and I loved it.

Oct 22, 2019

Full Review

Fernando Trueba

El Pais (Spain)

This adaptation features moments that are truly unsettling, which is one of the few achievements of this type of cinema. Burt Lancaster is convincing in his role of the complex Dr. Moreau. [Full Review in Spanish]

Jul 26, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

After his ship sinks, Andrew Braddock (Michael York) washes ashore on a tropical island owned by Dr. Moreau (Burt Lancaster). While waiting for a ship to return him to civilization, Braddock becomes disturbed by the strange creatures roaming the island, and at the same time falls for the lovely Maria (Barbara Carrera), who lives with Moreau. Soon Braddock discovers that the creatures are the results of Moreau's sinister experiments, and plots to escape before he himself becomes a victim.

Director: Don Taylor
Screenwriter: Al Ramrus, John Herman Shaner, Richard Alan Simmons
Production Co: American Internat'l Pics
Rating: PG
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016

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