The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers (WGA):

H.G. Wells (novel)
Richard Stanley (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

23 August 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Through DNA experimentation Dr. Moreau has upset the balance of nature. By turning animals into humans, he's turned heaven into hell.

Plot:

After being rescued and brought to an island, a man discovers that it's inhabitants are experimental animals being turned into strange looking humans, all of it the work of a visionary doctor.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Homosexual Subtext | Explosion | Cult Favorite | Death Of Title Character

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

David Thewlis	...	Edward Douglas
Fairuza Balk	...	Aissa
Ron Perlman	...	Sayer of the Law
Marlon Brando	...	Dr. Moreau
Val Kilmer	...	Montgomery
Marco Hofschneider	...	M'Ling
Temuera Morrison	...	Azazello
William Hootkins	...	Kiril
Daniel Rigney	...	Hyena-Swine
Nelson de la Rosa	...	Majai
Peter Elliott	...	Assassimon
Mark Dacascos	...	Lo-Mai
Miguel López	...	Waggdi
Neil Young	...	Boar Man
David Hudson	...	Bison Man

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence, horror and gore involving mutant creatures.

Runtime:

96 min | USA:99 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Indonesian

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | Iceland:16 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #34098) | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Brazil:12 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 (w) | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | UK:12 | USA:Unrated (director's cut)

Filming Locations:

Australia

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

The ship's name was originally Ipencacuanha, in H.G. Wells's book. The filmmakers changed it to Ombak Penari. In Malay/Indonesian language, Ombak Penari translates directly as Wave Dancer (ombak means wave, penari means dancer). However, to make it grammatically accurate, the phrase should be Penari Ombak instead of the other way round.

Goofs:

Continuity: Prior to injecting Douglas' I.V., Montgomery places the syringe cover between his teeth. Following the injection, Montgomery retrieves the syringe cover from the bedside table.

Quotes:

Dr. Moreau: [Aissa walks behind Dr.Moreau and massages his shoulders] Ah God yes, oh yes God, oh please, forcefully, forcefully
[Aissa puts more force into it and causes pain on Dr.Moreau]
Dr. Moreau: Oh... oh no, oh my God
[Dr.Moreau clears his throat, coughs and removes Aissa's hands from his shoulders]
Dr. Moreau: Not so strong, you have no idea how strong you can be. You must be very, very careful.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "South Park: Cartman Joins NAMBLA (#4.5)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Night Bird

Excellent film

This is one of my favourite movies. I'm a fan of H.G. Wells' books and I think this movie is true to the book. It's much better than the 1977 version. Brando does a great job and Thewlis instantly became one of my favourite actors. Fairuza Balk is absolutely gorgeous!

Wells' stories are surprisingly advanced and mature. Island of Dr. Moreau and War of the Worlds were completely believable, unlike some of the modern adaptations of his works (e.g. the movie Independence Day). Considering that this story was written in the late 1800s, it's held up quite well and is more relevant than ever.