Most of us have heard the expression, "That film is so bad it's good," but truth be told, it really is hard to identify any film that's "So bad it's good." The grim truth about "Unknown Island" is that it's "So bad it stinks." In this regard "Unknown Island can join "Robot Monster" and "Plan 9 From Outer Space" among the worst films ever made, and in each case they too, are "So bad they stink."
What prevents "Unknown Island" from being "So bad it's good," are the same problems that plague films like "Robot Monster" and "Plan 9". "Unknown Island" has a ridiculous script, tedious pace, sub-mediocre cast, pedestrian direction and in the case of the latter, the most absurd looking dinosaurs in film history.
The plot involves a scientist, Ted Osborne (Philip Reed) and his scrawny fiancee Carol Lane (Virginia Grey) inexplicably chartering a ship from a man who's a complete lout, (Barton Maclane) for the purpose of going to an island to take photos of prehistoric creatures somewhere in the Pacific. A local drunk, John Fairbanks, (Richard Denning) is hijacked by the captain because he's already been to the island, and so might prove to be valuable as a guide.
There's an interminable scene to start the film in a decadent cafe where Osborne & Lane charter the ship from Capt. Tarnowski, whose lewd behavior toward Virginia Grey is so exaggerated, that it's hard to believe this young couple went through with the charter. Denning sobers up fast, and proves to know every nook and cranny of the prehistoric island so well, you'd think he lived there for years. Denning is supposed to be the good guy, who is concerned about the safety of Virginia Grey, when Reed inexplicably begins focusing more on his photographs than her safety. But Denning can't help coming across as a snidy, snippy guy, as usual. No matter what he does in films, Denning is always a short-tempered, sneering character. He gives an identical performance in "Creature From The Black Lagoon", but at least there he's supposed to be the villain.
It is impossible to have a kind word about the dinosaurs. I know some viewers are going to say, "Well, at least they're not iguanas," but, and it pains me to say this, give me the iguanas. These men-in-suits Tyranosaurs are almost completely immobile, and an ambitious group of kindergarten children could have put together a more credible looking beast. When one considers that "Godzilla, King of The Monsters" is a man-in-a-dinosaur suit, we KNOW that it's possible to achieve good results. But what we have here can only be described as pathetic. The DVD price for this film is $9.00 or $10.00, but although that sounds like a fair price, in this case it's way too much money.
What prevents "Unknown Island" from being "So bad it's good," are the same problems that plague films like "Robot Monster" and "Plan 9". "Unknown Island" has a ridiculous script, tedious pace, sub-mediocre cast, pedestrian direction and in the case of the latter, the most absurd looking dinosaurs in film history.
The plot involves a scientist, Ted Osborne (Philip Reed) and his scrawny fiancee Carol Lane (Virginia Grey) inexplicably chartering a ship from a man who's a complete lout, (Barton Maclane) for the purpose of going to an island to take photos of prehistoric creatures somewhere in the Pacific. A local drunk, John Fairbanks, (Richard Denning) is hijacked by the captain because he's already been to the island, and so might prove to be valuable as a guide.
There's an interminable scene to start the film in a decadent cafe where Osborne & Lane charter the ship from Capt. Tarnowski, whose lewd behavior toward Virginia Grey is so exaggerated, that it's hard to believe this young couple went through with the charter. Denning sobers up fast, and proves to know every nook and cranny of the prehistoric island so well, you'd think he lived there for years. Denning is supposed to be the good guy, who is concerned about the safety of Virginia Grey, when Reed inexplicably begins focusing more on his photographs than her safety. But Denning can't help coming across as a snidy, snippy guy, as usual. No matter what he does in films, Denning is always a short-tempered, sneering character. He gives an identical performance in "Creature From The Black Lagoon", but at least there he's supposed to be the villain.
It is impossible to have a kind word about the dinosaurs. I know some viewers are going to say, "Well, at least they're not iguanas," but, and it pains me to say this, give me the iguanas. These men-in-suits Tyranosaurs are almost completely immobile, and an ambitious group of kindergarten children could have put together a more credible looking beast. When one considers that "Godzilla, King of The Monsters" is a man-in-a-dinosaur suit, we KNOW that it's possible to achieve good results. But what we have here can only be described as pathetic. The DVD price for this film is $9.00 or $10.00, but although that sounds like a fair price, in this case it's way too much money.