Once the home of shlock drive-in movies AIP, American International Pictures, slightly transformed in the seventies, giving plenty of drive-ins movies to fill the screens but with more quality than had been seen in the sixties. Granted those classic films, in particular the Edgar Allan Poe flicks presented to us by Roger Corman, were great but times changed and so did AIP. Budgets while still small were upped a tad and the actors employed had name value other than as AIP stars. A perfect example of that was this film.Andrew Braddock (Michael York) is a shipwrecked engineer who finds himself casts adrift on the shores of an unknown island. When he goes in search of water the only other survivor is carried off by an unseen force. Unaware of this Braddock is being tracked as well and in running finds himself caught in a ground trap, saved actually from what was behind him.When he wakes he finds himself in bed and indoors, a man named Montgomery (Nigel Davenport) at bedside. Montgomery tells him he is the guest of Dr. Moreau, his employer and it isn't long before Moreau (Burt Lancaster) himself shows. Braddock is welcomed and told that it will be a while before another boat arrives.When feeling up to it, Braddock gets out of bed and sees Moreau talking to a young woman. He finds out her name is Maria (Barbara Carrera) and that as Montgomery puts it, is Moreau's. He rescued her as a young child and she is now willingly in his debt. Invited to dinner Moreau finds himself called away to handle a situation on the island and excuses himself.All moves along at a quick pace here with Braddock eventually learning what was out there in the jungle and what Moreau is up to. SPOILER ALERT. It seems that Moreau has been experimenting in gene therapy, converting animals into human beings but not quite. That elusive last element still eludes him and rather than humans he's created humanimals, animals standing on two legs with the ability to talk and think and yet still tied into those instincts placed there by the creator. How Braddock reacts, what transpires when he finds a group of these humanimals and the plans Moreau have for him unfold before the final credits.Based on the novel by H.G. Wells, the story has been used in several movies as well as this one. It is actually the fourth time the story was used. The movie is extremely well crafted with some great cinematography, acting, directing and some find makeup effects. At the same time there is nothing to make it stand out above the rest. It's well-made and not quite generic in how that comes across but not exceptional at the same time.And yet the movie never fails to entertain. The story holds your interests as does the telling of it which could have gone terribly wrong. Instead we're witness to one star whose glow was beginning to fade in Lancaster (who still remains a strong presence), an actor who was at his peak in popularity in York and an actress who made a splash with this film only to never rise much higher. Their combined efforts make the movie an enjoyable old style story that leans more towards science fiction than horror that will have you staying with it till the end.Olive Films has released this one with a minimum of extras including a commentary track, a visual essay and the original trailer. Still, the picture clarity is above most and the value is there. Fans will want to pick the film up, AIP completest will want to add it to their collection and horror/sci-fi fans will want to enjoy it as well.

The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Andrew Braddock (Michael York) shipwrecks and eventually washes up on a jungle island. Once there he is introduced to Dr. Moreau (Burt Lancaster) who at first seems like a nice guy simply doing research. Pretty soon Andrew begins to realize that the doctor is doing strange experiments between men and animals and the result are some mutated creatures living in the jungle.Whenever people speak about the H.G. Wells adaptations of this story, it seems this one here is forgotten and sometimes it doesn't even come up. Of course, they always discuss the greatness of 1932's ISLAND OF LOST SOULS and they always discuss the disastrous Marlon Brando version. Why is this film from 1977 rarely mentioned? I'm going to guess because it's not really a flat-out horror movie. The majority of its running time it appears to be trying to be a real medical drama and a showcase for Lancaster.Is that a bad thing? I personally don't think so but it does make for a rather slow running time and I'm sure some people would have preferred more horror elements or more of a spotlight being placed on the creatures. With that said, I think this is a mildly entertaining movie thanks in large part to the performances in the film. Lancaster always carried himself with such grace that he had no problem fitting into this role to where people could see this character and think that he was a good man. I thought Lancaster was good in the part, although the screenplay never really allowed him a chance to go crazy or mad.York was also good in the lead role, although his character too suffers from not getting too much to do until the very end. Nigel Davenport is good in the supporting role as the doctor's help and Barbara Carrera made for a good love interest. Richard Basehart got to play the role originated by Bela Lugosi and I couldn't help but think that Basehart had seen the earlier version and remembered Lugosi's performance.With all of that said, the film really does come to life during the final fifteen-minutes once the creatures decide that they have had enough. I thought the various animals that were used were great and I also thought the action was nice. There were some tense moments that happened during the final action sequence so overall the film at least goes out on a good note.

A shipwrecked survivor (Michael York) discovers a remote island with a mad scientist (Burt Lancaster).Some people argue there has never been a good adaptation of "The Island of Dr. Moreau". Maybe it is because I never read the book, but I think those people are wrong. "The Island of Lost Souls" is excellent, and I believe it is now part of the Criterion Collection (as it should be). And the 1990s version has its charms, despite its many faults.And this one is quite good, clearly the inspiration for Devo and House and Pain, probably even more so than "Lost Souls". Michael York is a brilliant actor and adds weight to science fiction. Burt Lancaster is pretty decent, too, and makes a good villain.

It's a little known fact that at any given time there are 273 crackpot scientists toiling away in deserted regions of the world on harebrained schemes, the initial good intentions of which are lost through said scientists' blind determination to achieve his objectives regardless of who or what he has to kill, maim, grow, shrink, create, resurrect or mutate. Sadly, for viewers of this film we end up in the company of one of the less interesting of these dedicated professionals. Dr. Moreau (Burt Lancaster) is like a rather intelligent but dull uncle who everyone forgets is there whenever more than two people are gathered together, and so makes for a rather uninspiring bad guy.The Island of Dr. Moreau is adapted from the novel by H. G. Wells, which was written somewhere around the beginning of the 20th Century. The trouble is, way back then, boys own horror/adventure stories like this didn't really have that much going on beyond the initial idea, so we have to wade through long passages of not-very-much-happening-at-all before we get to anything that can even come close to being described as exciting. Michael York plays Andrew 'Nice-but-Dim' Braddock with a permanent expression of bewilderment on his face, although whether that is because he is in character or is simply wondering how he ended up in such a dull movie is difficult to figure out. Barbara Carrera is absolutely stunning but has nothing to do other than look absolutely stunning, and is clearly only in the film for that reason. The mutants, when they finally appear look a little comical now. Back in '77 they were probably cutting edge, but time and technology move on and now they just look like actors wearing make-up. In fact Richard Basehart, who plays the Sayer of the Law, looks like that fine old English actor Dennis Quilley in need of a shave and a haircut.At 99 minutes, this film drags on for far too long. It looks pretty with its Virgin Islands locations, but that is no compensation for having to sit through such a lot of dullness. Give it a miss.