Unknown Island (1948) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Carole Lane (Virginia Grey) agrees to finance her fiancés (Philip Reed) trip to a tropical island where there are rumors of prehistoric monsters. They hired Captain Tarnowski (Carton MacLane) to take them there but he forces an alcoholic (Richard Denning) into going with them because at one point he claimed to have been on the island and saw the monsters.I stumbling into this movie because I was looking for Unknown WORLD but this one came up. I'm really shocked that I hadn't seen it before since I had seen a lot of these KING KONG inspired movies but I'm glad I got around to this one because it was a lot better than I was expecting it to be. Obviously they were working on a very small budget but the screenplay offered up some entertaining character and the rubber monsters are certainly fun as well.The main reason people are going to be watching this movie are for the monsters and for my money they certainly delivered. The monsters were played by actors in rubber suits and this is quite obvious as the movements are very slow and it's obvious that the people inside are having trouble walking in them. There's also a large ape, which is obvious a rip of KING KONG but I actually liked the costume and its rat face. Again, the rubber suits are rather laughable but there's plenty of action with the ape and the dinosaurs, which help keep the entertainment high.When the monsters aren't on the screen we're also entertained by the very good cast. Bruce is certainly as lovely as ever and MacLane is perfect as the snake Captain who I'm sure people hissed at when this was first released. The supporting players are strong as well. With all the silly action and good characters, UNKNOWN ISLAND is a real winner for such a low-budget movie.

(Get it? Adult noir on a Kiddie Saturday afternoon)... Some of the lines from this true classic (a product of its time and place)bear repeating for any who question whether or not they should watch it with a young boy: "Men have been killed before in 'the interest of science'." ' "Cordite Shells..." ' "Grenades? We could use field artillery and still not be sure..." ' "I think I'll go for a little walk..." - "I don't think that's such a good idea..." ' And finally a line from captain Tarnowski - the great supporting heavy, Barton McLaine: "After all, there's some MEN going along..." ' "I want to hear you when you start screaming!" ' The FX Technician, Ellis Burman, fathered TWO namesakes who are both fine achievers in their own right. See their profiles and involvements here at IMDb. The grenades in this movie are launched by the M-1 Garand grenade launching attachment and are novel to watch. There is at least one very good crane tracking shot on a dinosaur track. ' And finally, see the film for the fine work of the Howard A. Anderson Co. - process shot-masters extra-ordinaire! They also did "Target: Earth!" which, as we learn from another fine poster here, also stars Denning and Grey! YAY! I plan to watch them as a double feature with my 6 and 7-year old grandsons, as soon as they attain those ages . . . .

Unknown Island is a significant dinosaur movie because it was the first one to be made in colour, despite the very low budget. It was a treat to watch though.An expedition travels to an uncharted island in the South Seas where strange creatures were sited during the Second World War. Once they arrive, they discover T-Rexes (men in suits), Brontosauruses pulled by wires, a plastic Dimetrodon and a giant Sloth played by Ray Corrigan (It! The Terror From Beyond Space). These monsters don't look too bad though. Several members of the party are killed by the beasts, including the captain. One of the best parts of the movie is the fight between the Sloth and a T-Rex. The movie also stars sci-fi movie regular Richard Denning (The Creature From the Black Lagoon). This movie was enjoyable despite the cheap looking monsters. A treat.Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

The year was 1948 and by this time Willis O'Brien had already had much success with the prehistoric special effects in "King Kong." Wasn't he around during this filming? The dinosaurs in this film look like mechanical toys with licorice for arms. Actually they were men in rubber suits with licorice for arms. Man, what a waste of time and money! And the "sloth man!"(?) When he appeared for the first time I said, "What the hell...?!"Was this Richard Denning's encore film or something? He must've been actually drunk to play this part (he plays a drunken, trauma-stricken sailor who is hired by horny drunk Barton MacLane to sail to this Unknown Island with a reject from the Three Stooges shorts, an air-headed photographer and an equally air-headed female accomplice (couldn't they have chosen a cockatoo instead?).The only sensible characters in the film were the "native" crew, and they all sounded like they had Brooklyn accents. They sail to the island, find these brand-X dinosaurs and this excuse of a cross between the abominable snowman and the Cyclops in "Sinbad," called a "sloth-man." Whatever it was supposed to be, the makeup sucked. I wasn't born at the time, but when I was old enough to see monster flicks at the movies, I certainly wouldn't have wasted my time with this junk. I caught it on American Movie Classics (I thought they showed classics, not crap) because I got tired of the early morning news (all bad); when I saw Richard Denning I thought it would be a pretty good horror flick on the lines of "The Creature from the Black Lagoon." It was worth a few giggles, though. I guess all wasn't wasted. But next time I'll opt for Johnny Bravo on the Cartoon Network.