Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau

Released Feb 27, 2015

1h 37m

Documentary

Adventure

List

100%

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

87%

Audience Score

250+ Ratings

Filmmaker David Gregory interviews director Richard Stanley, actors Fairuza Balk and Rob Morrow and others about the disastrous production of the 1996 feature.

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Alex McLevy

AV Club

It doesn't make for the strongest film, but it does work like a case of people swapping outrageous war stories over a few beers.

Rated: B

Mar 5, 2015

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

Variety

Gregory might have done a bit more to differentiate this more extensive investigation from those earlier pics' conventions. But the richness of the tale told here makes this competently packaged feature a keeper nonetheless.

Feb 24, 2015

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...‘…Stanley’s firing, then subsequent sneaking back onto the set disguised as a monster is the stuff of cinematic lore if not urban myth, but it’s only one of a wealth of bizarre stories captured here…

Rated: 4/5

Feb 7, 2024

Full Review

Christian Toto

LifeZette.com

Some of the worst movies give way to the best documentaries...

Rated: 3/4

Aug 13, 2015

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Jamie S. Rich

Oregonian

Whether you remember the actual movie or not, "Lost Soul" is an excellent dissection of a multi-million-dollar movie gone off the rails.

Rated: 3.5/5

Mar 6, 2015

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Brian Orndorf

Blu-ray.com

A wildly entertaining effort and a must-see for anyone who walked out of The Island of Dr. Moreau confused and maybe a little irritated.

Rated: B+

Oct 16, 2014

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Alec B

It's hardly a surprise that the Hollywood productions that fall apart do so because of ego clashes, creative differences, and bad luck. However, I'm sure it rarely happens with the high degree of drama and strangeness that befell the '96 version of "The Island of Dr. Moreau". I have no idea what the movie would have looked like if Stanley was allowed to actually make it, but I'm certain that it would at least have been more watchable than the one we got.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/13/23

Full Review

Wayne K

Having watched The Island Of Dr. Moreau a few years ago, and reading and hearing all about its infamously nightmarish shoot, I was keen to see this documentary, mainly to hear from the man who put the wheels in motion, but was tossed from the train when the terrain started getting rough. The movie itself is a complete mess, a hodgepodge of ideas that never coalesce into a satisfying end product, and the 3rd act is a perfect demonstration of the insane conditions on set, as well as the mindset of the cast and crew, who had long since given up on the idea of making a good movie. Lost Soul is largely told from Stanley's point of view, as he conceives his idea and brings it to life. An outsider in the world of Hollywood, his vision is ambitious and grand, a passionate but ultimately doomed attempt to bring the book to the big screen. Much of the documentary is composed of interviews with Stanely, studio executives and cast and crew members, who relay their experiences. I would have liked to have seen more contemporary footage, showing the people on set during filming, but the firsthand accounts provide ample insight into the troubled shoot. I like how Stanley plays the most prominent role at the beginning and end, since he brought the project to fruition, only to witness his dream crash and burn in the finale. It's not on the level of Hearts Of Darkness, what I consider the benchmark for movie documentaries, but if you'd like to find out more about Dr. Moreau, or about just how badly films shoots can go, then give Lost Soul a watch sometime.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

What a crazy fucking story.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Audience Member

A story about a properly decent weirdo getting fucked over basically by his antithesis. It's refreshing to hear about another doomed project from the mouth of the original Director and progenitor. There's no artistry behind this documentary, it's more just a structured telling of the process, but it's informative and fun and edited well. Absent is any information on David Thewlis, which is a shame, and there's a lot of missing information about the reception of the film and the actual nuts and bolts changes to the script and there's conspicuously a decent chunk of missing information that could have elevated it, and made it more personal throughout instead of just on behalf of the Director.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Better than the movie it documents, after hearing about Kilmer and Brando's beastly onset antics, you can't help but think Hitchcock was right when he said that all actors are cattle and should be treated as such.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Anyone who has seen the 1996 New Line movie The Island of Dr Moreau will have loved or loathed its perverse charms. Cards on the table, I'm in the former camp. Brando has the measure of what he's in and plays it like delirious farce. This fascinating documentary tracks the appalling personal journey of its original director Richard Stanley as he wrestles with Hollywood egos, abysmal weather and producers who seem to delight in sabotaging his every step.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

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David Gregory

Director

Richard Stanley

Actor

Kier-La Janisse

Actor

Michael Gingold

Actor

Edward R. Pressman

Actor

Robert Shaye

Actor

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Synopsis

Filmmaker David Gregory interviews director Richard Stanley, actors Fairuza Balk and Rob Morrow and others about the disastrous production of the 1996 feature.

Director: David Gregory
Producer: John Cregan, Carl Daft, David Gregory
Screenwriter: David Gregory
Distributor: Severin Films
Production Co: Severin Films
Genre: Documentary, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 27, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 9, 2015
Runtime: 1h 37m

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