Mysterious Island is a 1961 sci-fi adventure film. The film was produced by Charles H. Schneer (Clash of the Titans, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger), who is a producer who worked on many Ray Harryhausen effects films. The film is loosely based on the classic novel written by Jules Verne (which was a sequel to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea).

The story takes place during the civil war. At the start of the film, a group of union soldiers and 2 confederates find themselves taking off in a giant hot air balloon. The balloon travels across the stormy sea and ends up crashing on a strangely mysterious pacific island.

The cast of characters in Mysterious Island includes the Captain Cyrus Harding (Michael Craig), Lady Mary Fairchild (Joan Greenwood), Herbert Brown (Michael Callan), Gideon Spilitt (Gary Merrill), Captain Nemo (Herbert Lom), Elena Fairchild (Beth Rogan), Sgt. Pencroft (Percy Herbert), and Cpl. Neb Nugent (Dan Jackson).

The film has little plot and character development. The film goes from an action-packed opening into the storm across the sea and then to the crash-landing on the island. The characters must try and survive on the island. However, it isn't an ordinary island. The island is inhabited by a gigantic lobster, giant bird, and enormous bees. The characters in the story also encounter an underwater sea-creature during the course of their adventure.

The film utilized the efforts of several screenwriters and screenplays from John Prebble (Zulu, White Feather), Daniel B. Ullman (The First Texan), and Crane Wilbur (House of Wax). The film was molded from those scripts into the version finally produced. The original idea was to focus more on prehistoric times but the concept shifted over time while keeping some of those original elements (such as the giant bird).

The film is significantly less entertaining than it could have been because of the mish-mash of ideas in the final screenplay. The characters are poorly developed and the story isn't really all that engaging from scene to scene. There is no emotional core to the story and the film shifts back and forth between different set-pieces without developing a more engaging storyline.

The main reason to see this film adaptation of Mysterious Island is the visual effects work that was done by Ray Harryhausen (One Million Years B.C., First Men in the Moon, Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad). Harryhausen's effects work is certainly terrific. The effects were advanced for their time and are still significant to this day. The work is creative and noteworthy throughout the production. The visuals created by Harryhausen are a large reason for the enduring classic status which is held by Mysterious Island.

The film features strong cinematography by Wilkie Cooper (Jason and the Argonauts, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Stage Fright). This is a beautiful looking production with interesting color cinematography and style. The music by Bernard Herrmann (North by Northwest, Psycho) is remarkable. Herrmann is one of the great classic masters of film music and the score sounds terrific in Mysterious Island. The themes and orchestration are truly superb. The film is a lot more exciting and adventurous because of the music.

Directed by Cy Endfield (Zulu), Mysterious Island is a decently directed production overall. The team pulled together by Endfield includes a visual effects maestro in Harryhausen, the genius of the composer Bernard Herrmann, and the strong cinematography of Wilkie Cooper. Yet the film lacks a good pace, storytelling structure, and the performances of the cast selected by Endfield is disappointing. The film shines in some areas and disappoints in others. Mysterious Island is ambitious in some respects but it doesn't work as cohesively as one might hope.

The Blu-ray:

Video:

Mysterious Island arrives on Blu-ray (again) by Twilight Time in a 1.67:1 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition presentation. The presentation is a good one with strong color, detail, and overall clarity. The image is naturally filmic and impressive. The release also has a solid 30mbps bit-rate encode. Fans of the film will be quite pleased with the presentation quality.

Audio:

The release includes two lossless audio options: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo. The surround sound presentation includes a more enveloping sound design that is centered around the score by Bernard Herrmann. Dialogue clarity is excellent. The music score sounds superb as well. The release sounds excellent overall.

Extras:

The release includes a booklet featuring an essay about the film. The release is also packaged in an impressive clear-case design.

On-disc supplements include:

Audio commentary with film historians Randall William Cook, C. Courtney Joyner and Steven C. Smith.

Lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo isolated score track featuring the music by Bernard Herrmann.

Ray Harryhausen on Mysterious Island (11 min.) offers the special effects wizard auteur talking about his contribution to the film and its production.

Island of Mystery (6 min.) is a classic news featurette.

Lastly, the release includes TV spots, TV trailers, the original theatrical trailer, and the theatrical re-release trailer.

Final Thoughts:

Mysterious Island is considered a classic adventure film by many film buffs. The film is an interesting and sometimes effective piece of filmmaking (especially in regards to the great effects work of Harryhausen and the brilliant music of Herrmann). Alas, the film isn't as effective as one might hope.

Fans of Mysterious Island will want the Blu-ray release by Twilight Time. The release features terrific PQ/AQ and a decent assortment of extras (including the isolated score composed by Bernard Herrmann ). Yet it's a film worth renting first for those who haven't seen it before. Though the film is technically impressive and has a strong score the storytelling isn't as impressive.

Rent It.

Neil Lumbard is a lifelong fan of cinema. He aspires to make movies and has written two screenplays on spec. He loves writing, and currently does in Texas.