Mysterious Island

1961

1h 41m

Sci-Fi

List

82%

Tomatometer

17 Reviews

65%

Audience Score

2,500+ Ratings

After using a hot air balloon to escape from a Confederate prison camp, Capt. Harding (Michael Craig), Cpl. Neb Nugent (Dan Jackson) and Sgt. Pencroft (Percy Herbert) crash into the ocean and are later washed up on the beach of a strange island. The men soon run afoul of the local wildlife, which include giant crabs and prehistoric creatures. To make matters worse, the island's central volcano begins to erupt, threatening to take the whole island down with it.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

..while the stop motion is great, the different film stocks, poorly matched studio and location shots, sub-par glass paintings and film-stock deterioration all take a toll, the technical limitations may leave modern audiencest cool to its many charms..

Rated: 3/5

Jul 21, 2024

Full Review

Chris Hunneysett

Daily Mirror (UK)

{A} still very watchable film, one of the superior adaptations of Verne's book

Rated: 4/5

Aug 30, 2021

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Director Cy Endfield takes the reigns on this big budget spectacle which tends to suffer from a bout of sequel-itis as regards the bombastic fervor of gigantic, menacing creatures taking precedence over characterization or narrative energy.

Rated: 2.5/5

Oct 14, 2020

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Amusingly, human pirates provide grimmer antagonists than the colossal flora and fauna, though a detracting element of the film is an overabundance of players.

Rated: 6/10

Aug 27, 2020

Full Review

Nathanael Hood

The Retro Set

...a wonderful piece of sci-fi/fantasy with solid acting, a crackerjack script, and otherwise timeless Harryhausen wonder.

Rated: 7/10

Dec 28, 2018

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

Allows Ray Harryhausen to showcase some superb stop-motion animation effects and the great Bernard Herrmann (Citizen Kane, Psycho, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad) to add another smashing score to his resume.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 9, 2016

Full Review

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James B

at age 12 this was a intriguing movie. special effects were spell binding. remember this wes 1964.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/07/24

Full Review

j F

The special effects were over the top. I just couldn't take the movie seriously, they were so baaaad!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/01/24

Full Review

Bill M

Love this movie. I liked as a kid. It's nostalgic to me. I like the old shows.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/10/24

Full Review

Blobbo X

Gilligan's Island with monsters.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/30/23

Full Review

Rick R

very entertaining. The music was particularly interesting. good story.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/13/23

Full Review

dave s

After all of the low-budget monster movies released in the 50s, Mysterious Island is actually a pleasant surprise. Based on the Jules Verne novel, it tells the story of a group of Union soldiers who escape via balloon from a Confederate prisoner of war camp in 1865 Virginia. Before you know it, they've drifted across America and a good part of the Pacific before they land on…well…a mysterious island. Alongside a great score by the legendary Bernard Herrmann and fantastic special effects from the equally legendary Ray Harryhausen, our castaways find themselves battling giant crabs, chickens and honey bees in their struggle for survival. Despite the implausibility of the whole thing, a bunch of slow parts, and the presence of an echoey and annoying voiceover, it is surprisingly well-made and entertaining and most certainly superior to other films from the genre during the time period.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Charles De Latour

Director

Michael Craig

Capt. Cyrus Harding

Joan Greenwood

Lady Mary Fairchild

Herbert Lom

Captain Nemo

Michael Callan

Herbert Brown

Gary Merrill

Gideon Spilitt

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Synopsis

After using a hot air balloon to escape from a Confederate prison camp, Capt. Harding (Michael Craig), Cpl. Neb Nugent (Dan Jackson) and Sgt. Pencroft (Percy Herbert) crash into the ocean and are later washed up on the beach of a strange island. The men soon run afoul of the local wildlife, which include giant crabs and prehistoric creatures. To make matters worse, the island's central volcano begins to erupt, threatening to take the whole island down with it.

Director: Charles De Latour
Producer: Charles H. Schneer
Production Co: Columbia
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Runtime: 1h 41m
Sound Mix: Stereo

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