David Thewlis is very good as air-crash survivor who is taken to mysterious island in the South Pacific where recluse Marlon Brando mutates various animals with human genes; Fairuza Balk is Brando's daughter, Val Kilmer (in arguably his weakest performance ever) plays Brando's assistant. Uncontrolled version of H.G. Wells' horror story is crippled by behind-the-scenes strife and ego clashes. It opens well, sustains itself for about forty-five minutes, but then goes completely to hell afterward. John Frankenheimer is credited with the scrappy direction, though he stepped in mid-production and finished the picture after Kilmer had the original director canned. Too bad, with more focus this could've been incredible. Story previously filmed in 1933 (as "Island of Lost Souls") and with Michael York and Burt Lancaster in 1977. ** from ****
Review of The Island of Dr. Moreau
