Taking every aspect of the "lost island" movies that began the giant monster genre, Unknown Island is a cheap, quick knock-off. Even with a parade of clichés, there's still potential with dinosaurs romping around the screen. That never happens, and the special effects make sure of it.
Starring Richard Denning, who would go on to work in numerous other sci-fi projects in the '50s, this outing concerns that proverbial island that man has never visited. A ship is obtained, the captain paid, and the cast moves out to sea. It's around the 20-minute mark that the first dinosaur appears, an immobile prop on a miniature set that was embarrassing back in 1948, let alone 2006.
A few disagreements and fights for the sake of some action pad the running time until a herd (flock?) of Tyrannosaurs pop up on screen. One of the crew was dumb enough to try and make a run for it. He would have been safe most likely since the guys in the suits have almost zero mobility, running into each other or stumbling over themselves in an attempt to create some type of movement. The tiny arms simply hang on the outside of the suit, wiggling uncontrollably.
That's not the only species alive on this island. The crew went all out to recreate a giant sloth that looks nothing like a giant sloth and a finned critter that has less mobility than the T. Rexes. Well known Virginia Gray spends most of her time yelling at her fiancée or in close-ups with a look of horror as the stumbling beasts randomly move around.
There's a lack of care here, too. The suits may have been given a pass, but what was surely a lacking budget prevented any sense of scale. Not only do the dinosaurs avoid making their way on screen with humans at every turn, there are shots where the monsters aren't even as tall as a small tree. It literally looks like this was filmed out in the open with no care as to sets or miniatures.
.jpg?t=20120527181101)
Article comments