Adventure

Comedy

Horror

TV Movie

Monster Island

MTV Productions

Shavick Entertainment

Insight Film Studios

United States of America

Canada

France

English

Daniel Letterle

Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Chelan Simmons

Cascy Beddow

Joe MacLeod

Carmen Electra

La La Anthony

Nick Carter

Chris Harrison

C. Ernst Harth

Adam West

Alana Husband

Jeff Geddis

Marcus Manton

Patti Bishop

Reiko Kobayashi

Todd Elyzen

Jack Perez

Donald L. West

James Shavick

Kirk Shaw

Ryan Nicholson

Kylie Furneaux

Allen Benjamin

Sarah Bergeest Still

Randy Lee

Steve Brooksbank

Robin Antin

Sandra-Ken Freeman

Vanessa Giles

Dave Campbell

Mark Klausmayer

Adrian Hein

Darryl Quon

Jeffrey C. Robinson

Kim Howey

Heather Feeney

Kevin Brown

Dustin Brooks

Jeannine Dupuy

Rachel Leiterman

Rob Hayter

Jeff Weddell

Maggie Malina

Jullin Hadden

Kelly Cole

Iain Pattison

Mary Jo Slater

Darren Robson

Jacqueline Cristianini

Scott J. Ateah

Christopher Gordon

Sandy Hegyi

Caroline Field

Rick Pearce

Adam Glass

Michael Richard Plowman

Douglas Kerr

_**Fun, campy adventure**_

Released to TV in 2004, "Monster Island" is a fun, campy adventure with intentionally bad non-special effects that combines elements of movies like 1961's "Mysterious Island," "King Kong," "The Land that Time Forgot" and "Scooby-Doo" (but without the dog); it pokes fun at the stop-motion effects from decades ago and even has a character named after stop-motion guru Ray Harryhausen, played by Adam West.

I'm surprised at the bad reviews, which shows these people didn't "get it," because "Monster Island" delivers the goods in practically every department. For one, the adventure story works even though it's obviously not to be taken too serious; it's just serious enough. Secondly, the cast is great, which includes an excellent assortment of women -- cutie Chelan Simmons, blond dancer Jana Berengel, Carmen Electra, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, etc. And, thirdly, a notable score and soundtrack (including the main song "Jungle Fever" sung by Carmen). Really, everything just clicks for a entertaining, fun adventure movie.

Around the mid-point I realized that I had stumbled on to something special with the introduction of Dr. Harryhausen's ugly-but-cute pet Rudy and the subsequent nigh-moving scene between Dr. Harryhausen and Maddy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). The way Maddy starts to morph into the queen (or goddess) of the Matambas due to the tribal necklace is another highlight.

I'm grading this flick according to what it is and what it aspires to achieve: "Monster Island" is a campy TV-movie with intentionally bad F/X and a fun adventure story, which is taken just serious enough. With this in mind, it's superlative on practically every level and, in my opinion, is more entertaining than "Goonies," the two "Scooby-Doo" movies, "At the Earth's Core" (which isn't saying much, lol) and even "Star Wars" (yes, there are some Star Wars elements). In other words, I'd happily watch "Monster Island" before any of these five movies.

The film was shot in British Columbia and the studio and runs 92 minutes.

GRADE: B+/A-

Monster Island Trailer

Best Movies

Monster Island

Cast & Crew

Videos

Cast

Daniel Letterle

Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Chelan Simmons

Cascy Beddow

Joe MacLeod

Carmen Electra

La La Anthony

Nick Carter

Chris Harrison

C. Ernst Harth

Box office

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