Are we not men? This is the question posed to us by the 1996 film adaptation of the classic novel "The Island of Doctor Moreau" by H.G. Wells. The story begins as United Nations functionary Edward Douglas (David Thewlis) suffers a shipwreck and is found by a man named Montgomery, (Val Kilmer) who takes him to the eponymous isle. It doesn't take Edward long to discover that the island is populated with hideous half-man half-animal hybrids, created by the brilliant yet twisted Doctor Moreau, here portrayed by an aged, corpulent Marlon Brando. Faster than you can say "four feet good, two feet bad," the animal-men revolt and the island descends into madness, owing to Montgomery and Edwards' actions. The main problem with the film is that it is simply boring to watch. The plot only seems to last for the first half, after which the film wanders around showing us random, sporadic scenes of violence hoping to somehow stumble back into its narrative structure. The acting is for the most part lethargic, and Thewlis in particular delivers a particularly narcoleptic performance. The only halfway decent performance in the whole film comes from Brando, but it is clear he is straining just to deliver a mediocre job. It's sad to see a once-shining talent reduced to such a state, spending most of the film clad in ridiculous makeup and downright silly costuming. Speaking of silly costumes, the animal-men's appearance is unconvincing and look better suited for a second-rate monster movie, which by the end of the film is what it has become. Overall, "The Island of Doctor Moreau" is yet another example of how a great literary classic can be turned into a great Hollywood joke.
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