An ocean plane wrecked diplomat (Thewlis) is rescued and brought to an island inhabited by a Nobel winning now reclusive scientist (Brando) and his 'children;' the animals he has been genetically manipulating with human DNA in an attempt to create his vision of a pure species. When this film opened it was panned by the critics. I was never sure why. It opens strong, both visually and musically. The locale is beautifully claustrophobic, appropriate for a secluded tropical island. Stan Winston's creature make up is excellent. The body language of the "humanimals" is very interesting. The underlying commentaries on the savagery of society and the morality of biological scientific experimentation are intact. Brando makes a daring, and critics said poor, choice in playing his Moreau like an effete, physically feeble, unbelievably polite British University English Professor, more eccentrically insane instead of the usual madly insane. Kilmer, always a strong performer, as Moreau's assistant Montgomery, does a spot-on impersonation of him toward the end of the film. Balk, as Moreau's daughter Aissa and Thewlis as the "rescued" diplomat Edward round out the over all well done performances given by all. Ron Perlman, under a lot of ram-like make up, plays the Sayer Of The Law. It's a small role but as the name of the character suggests, it's all about The Voice. He talks about working on the film in The Perlman Pages section: "Ron Perlman Q & A Session: Beauty and the Beast Convention, 'A Kingdom by the Sea Revisited,' Orlando, FL, July 17, 1999." Favorite line spoken by Ron Perlman: "Going on two legs is very difficult." Availability: VHS and DVD. Suggest: Amazon.com. I have purchased from Amazon, both new and used items, for years and have had no problems. Please make sure to check that the VHS/DVD is compatible with your country/region. Definitely worth a rent/buy.
Availability
For the Perlman Pages section on "The Island of Dr. Moreau" click here
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