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List Price: $19.94 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 7777
Released: October 29, 2002 |
| Our Price: $5.44 |
| Used Price: $5.25 |
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MPAA Rating: Unrated
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Escaped prisoners find an uncharted island inhabited by giant animals. Based on the jules vernes novel. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 12/21/2004 Starring: Michael Callan Herbert Lom Run time: 100 minutes Rating: Nr
Description of Mysterious Island (Widescreen):
Jules Verne's classic adventure is perfectly matched with Ray Harryhausen's timeless movie magic in Mysterious Island. Based on Verne's sequel to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, this rousing Civil War-era fantasy begins when a band of Union war prisoners (and one Confederate straggler) escape in a hot-air balloon, which crash-lands on the titular island of mystery. Verne's novel doesn't include any gigantic creatures, but Harryhausen's version--under the capable direction of genre specialist Cy Endfield--features giant oysters, bees, a prehistoric Phororhacos (a giant chickenlike bird!), an undersea cephalopod, a giant crab, and enough danger to keep its resourceful ensemble on constant alert. Captain Nemo (Herbert Lom, ably filling James Mason's shoes) is a third-act hero, pursuing an ill-fated dream to save humanity from hunger and war. The action may be too intense for younger viewers, but Endfield's pacing and Harryhausen's stop-motion mastery make Mysterious Island a wondrous precursor to Harryhausen's follow-up classic, Jason and the Argonauts. --Jeff Shannon
Mysterious Island (Widescreen) Reviews:
This has it all 
2008-08-06 - Yes, this does have it all. Great creature effects by Harryhausen, great music score by Hermann and Beth Rogan running around the island in a great "island outfit". Lot's of fun.
Fantastic fun
2008-04-07 - A great family movie. Still enjoyable after all this time. Another Harryhausen movie that helped to bring delight to thousands of cinema goers.
Classic from yester-year
2008-03-12 - I agree with others about beauty in the simplicity of the special effects. When this movie was made it was cutting edge. I watched it with my husband (who has seen it several times before) and rather enjoyed it. The battle scene with the giant chicken is priceless. I look forward to catching up on other movies from Ray Harryhausen. Truly enjoyable for the whole family!
Mysterious Island 
2007-08-31 - Any Jules Verne or Ray Harryhausen fan should have a good time watching this movie. It's not " 20,000 leagues Under the Sea " or " 7th Voyage of Sinbad " , however...it's still fun fantasy.
The Creativity, Idealism, and Venality of Captain Nemo 
2007-03-14 -
I first saw this film as a child, and remember being thrilled by the scenes. It was a delight to see it again after some 40 years. But there is more to this film than meets the eye. Other reviewers have extensively discussed the adventure aspects of this film, and I will instead focus on some deeper issues raised.
Captain Nemo said that he lived alone on the island because he had become disillusioned with humanity. He especially opposed war, and, in previous years, had used his invention of the submarine to sink battleships. One of the Union soldiers stranded on the island pointed out Nemo's inconsistency: Nemo opposed violence, yet used violence to promote his goals! The Union soldier also pointed out that he himself was using violence to promote a worthy cause--the freeing of the slaves in the American Civil War.
Nemo said that he changed his mind about living alone forever as a result of the determined struggles of the castaways in attempting to survive. That is what motivated Nemo to help the castaways surreptitiously by such things as dragging one of the nearly-drowned soldiers to shore and building a fire for him, shooting the giant chicken, sinking the attacking pirate ship at a critical time, etc.
Nemo also came to believe that war was caused by human want. This is what motivated him to make these giant versions of creatures such as the crab, chicken, and bee. These giant creatures would provide an inexhaustible supply of food for all humans, and there would be no more need for war.
Nemo was creative, and said that he was a man of reason, not faith. Yet at a critical time, Nemo became resigned to death because of the unexpectedly-early erupting volcano. Ironically, he had to be prodded by the castaways to not give up and to adopt one of their ideas. They used the balloon to raise the sunken pirate ship for the escape. The castaways make it, but will Nemo? I will not spoil the ending by revealing it.
