Mysterious Island (Widescreen) | Michael Craig, Joan Greenwood

Mysterious Island (Widescreen) | Michael Craig, Joan Greenwood | A Ray Harryhausen / Bernard Herrmann classic!

DVDs:

Mysterious Island ...

	Mysterious Island (Widescreen) Michael Craig, Joan Greenwood Sony Pictures, 2002 average customer review:based on 45 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

It may not be Verne, but it is Harryhausen

Another Stop-Motion tour de force by the undisputed master of the art form.If you have to write a book report, make sure you read the book , it's very loosely adapted. The creatures scenes of note include a fight with a giant crab, and a giant bee sealing people in a honeycomb.While giantism abounds on the Mysterious Island, Harryhausen does slip in a prehistoric bird, in context most people assume it's a giant chicken.It may not be Harryhausen's best, but he's never made a bad film.Collect them all.

A Ray Harryhausen / Bernard Herrmann classic!

Finally we are treated to another Harryhausen/Herrmann masterpiece. Many young folk consider stop-motion archaic. I see just the opposite and find that stop-motion gives more life-like character to the created entities. Mr. Herrmann's trademark haunting scores always guarantee chilling and enjoyable cinema.

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One of Harryhausen's BEST!!!

After "JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS", this has always been one of my favorite pictures by special effects guru RAY HARRYHAUSEN. The story is great, the monsters (especially the giant crab) look fantastic and HERBERT LOM is wonderful as CAPTAIN NEMO ("Contact with my species has always disappointed me"). The picture and sound on the DVD is most pleasing. My only complaint (and its a minor one), is I'm tired of seeing the hour long special "THE HARRYHAUSEN CHRONICLES" as a bonus feature. I think its on every Harryhausen disc except "JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS". Its a nice feature (don't get me wrong) but does it have to be on EVERY DISC? But the movie is what's most important and this is a very enjoyable film given a nice presentation on this DVD. Buy it and enjoy!!!

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JULES VERNES' CLASSIC TALE....

Entertaining fantasy-adventure based on Jules Vernes' story about escapees from a Civil War prison who hijack a hot air observation balloon during a thunderstorm and get blown off course. They crash land on a strange island and discover it's inhabited by giant creatures. They are joined by two female survivors of a British ship wreck and forge together for survival. They battle a giant crab, a giant bird and a giant honeybee before they encounter the islands' oddest inhabitant---the infamous Capt.Nemo who has invented a submarine and learned to move about underwater with special equipment fashioned from giant sea shells. They are soon set upon by pirates whom Nemo dispatches when he sinks their ship. Nemo agrees to help them escape before a huge local volcano erupts. Great score by Bernard Herrmann and imaginatively filmed with a spirited cast. Only problem is the DVD transfer---it's not very good. Kind of a disappointment since this is a very colorful and stylish film. But since this is the best we can do for now I'll have to recommend it for lovers of escapist fare and Ray Harryhausen fans. The creatures are wonderful and the individual set pieces involving them are great. There's a marvelous underwater encounter with a giant tentacled shell creature near the end of the film that's mostly done in silence to great effect. The film is grand entertainment even if it's not the best quality DVD it should be.

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Mysterious Island

One of the last Ray Harryhousen films to be released on DVD. Unfortunately a very grainy print. and the mono soundtrack is fair at best. Bernard Hermann's score in stereo is breathtaking but you won't here it on this DVD. That's unfortunate. Fair job of remastering on this one! However,
The wide screen format is excellent. And the picture to this day is as entertaining as it was in 1961. Story and special effects are a treat!!! Fun and exciting to watch!

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, page 9

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