Being a big Krakatoa buff, and a lover of disaster movies in general, I had great expectations for this film, especially given that it had a decent cast of capable, well-known 60's actors. However, this movie is an absolutely stunning (as in, being hit with a blunt object) example of why films need editors who know what they are doing. The scenes just seem to be thrown together and change so abruptly that you sometimes wonder if you are still watching the same movie. An example: a scene where Krakatoa is spewing cinders and lava, darkening the sky to almost black, as the passengers of the Battavia Princess look on solemnly - suddenly changes to clear blue sky, with happy people cavorting on the deck while the insipidly upbeat theme song plays cheerfully in the background. There are glaring incongruities, such as scantily clad girls diving happily into an ocean which in a previous scene was littered with dead fish and birds killed by the volcano. Many of the plot elements are ridiculous because they were poorly researched (among them the glaring fact that Krakatoa is actually west of Java), and others which were researched are skimmed over so as to be rendered almost insignificant (such as the piercing whistle created by steam escaping from Krakatoa's vent - an occurrence which must have been truly terrifying but which is treated as "Well, that was weird, what's for dinner?"). Way too much time is spent on silly subplots, such as a search for sunken treasure. In the opening scenes, we see a group of school children, frightened by the loud explosions. In a later scene, they are rescued from a dingy - but we never find out how they came to be there (never mind the fact that in reality, they would have been doomed no matter where they were). The saddest thing is, in the hands of a capable editor and research department, this could have been an excellent film, at least in the same category as Titanic. Instead, we get dull action, contrived plot devices, an absolutely horrendous musical score, and very little of what was likely the most spectacular natural disaster in recorded history. I agree with the commentator who suggested that this movie would make a great candidate for a remake. With the right director, a better script, a competent editor and a dash of CGI, the eruption of Krakatoa could be the back drop for some very impressive storytelling.
Review of Krakatoa: East of Java
