Rating: 
Summary: Before there was Jurassic Park there was...UNKNOWN ISLAND!
Review: "Unknown Island" offers the spectacle of "king tryant lizards in deadly combat!" Actually this one will remind you as much of "King Kong" as it does "Jurassic Park." John Fairbanks (Richard Denning) and Carole Lane (Virginia Grey) end up on the Unknown Island and spend the rest of the film trying to escape with their lives. Fortunately Captain Tarnowski (Barton MacLane) has plenty of seamen who can serve as snacks to distract the beasties. We are talking men dressed up in rubber suits playing the dinosaurs, except for the guy in the hairy suit playing the gorilla. This 1948 film, directed by Jack Bernhard, is one of the earliest monster movies made in color. One drawback to the DVD version is that there are no extras, but all you need for this one is a bowl of popcorn. Your children are not going to be able to stand to watch the low-budget, non-digital special effects, but there is a certain element of nostalgia for those of us who fondly remember such films. So, as the original tagline said, "See man's first attempt to destroy monstrous beasts! See pre-historic denizens that defy the imagination!"
Rating:
Summary: Before there was Jurassic Park there was...UNKNOWN ISLAND!
Review: "Unknown Island" offers the spectacle of "king tryant lizards in deadly combat!" Actually this one will remind you as much of "King Kong" as it does "Jurassic Park." John Fairbanks (Richard Denning) and Carole Lane (Virginia Grey) end up on the Unknown Island and spend the rest of the film trying to escape with their lives. Fortunately Captain Tarnowski (Barton MacLane) has plenty of seamen who can serve as snacks to distract the beasties. We are talking men dressed up in rubber suits playing the dinosaurs, except for the guy in the hairy suit playing the gorilla. This 1948 film, directed by Jack Bernhard, is one of the earliest monster movies made in color. One drawback to the DVD version is that there are no extras, but all you need for this one is a bowl of popcorn. Your children are not going to be able to stand to watch the low-budget, non-digital special effects, but there is a certain element of nostalgia for those of us who fondly remember such films. So, as the original tagline said, "See man's first attempt to destroy monstrous beasts! See pre-historic denizens that defy the imagination!"
Rating: 
Summary: Barton MacLane fans rejoice!!
Review: A tyrannesaurus with a spike on its nose? Well, I guess all the old movies got it wrong. We now know that if these meat eating dinosaurs walked upright they would break their backs. Here they do so with no trouble, in a lumbering walk fashion, and make nasty faces at visitors to the island. Would there be enough food for these monsters on an island ten miles square? Ah, real science is ruining these movies for me. Unlike most films of this genre from the 40's and 50's, it is filmed in expensive CINECOLOR. Not rated, it was released in 1948 by Albert Jay Cohen Productions Inc. The DVD is released through Image Entertainment and runs 72 minutes with no extras. It is a picture reminescent of King Kong with the sea journey and an island of jungle and prehistoric beasts. Stereotypes abound in the characters and the plot is totally predictable. Viewers may recognize scenes that were salvaged for the film, HORROR OF THE BLOOD MONSTERS (1970) with John Carradine. The plot is simple. Philip Reed, played by Ted Osborne and Virginia Grey, played by Carole Lane hire Captain Tarnowski, played by Barton MacLane, to take them by steamer to an uncharted island. During the war, Reed flew over the island and caught sight of prehistoric creatures. He wants to return and take photographs to prove his discovery. They are introduced to John Fairbanks, played by Richard Denning, the lone survivor from a shipwreck upon its shores. Surviving mutiny at sea, they reach their objective and the native crew become fodder for the beasts and the sea. The captain suffers from malaria, is a drunkard, wants a specimen for the return journey, and also wants the girl. Here is where the real plot tension emerges. Reed shows himself more interested in his photos than in Grey who sponsored the expedition. A romance buds between Fairbanks and Grey. Not giving any more away, that is about it. Richard Denning has done several films in science fiction/horror, including CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON and THE DAY THE WORLD ENDED. He gives a good performance although his sailor suit is rather silly. There is a giant sloth on the island that has taken to killing people, looks rather ape-like. The man in the suit was Ray Corrigan, who often dressed up for the movies, i.e. DR. RENAULT'S SECRET, THE WHITE GORILLA, NABONGA, and "It" in IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE. Like the dinosaurs, the costumes look silly, but hey, even Godzilla is a man in a rubber suit. The script could have used more work. Note these lines from Fairbanks: "It's quicker having your throat cut by a lascar's knife than to be crushed by a monster you don't even see or hear until a shadow as big as a mountain falls on you." Huh? Where's the logic in that? Despite the danger, Fairbanks permits Grey to go off into the jungle by herself (unarmed) saying simply, "Stay on the path." Pleeeeease! Do the dinosaurs avoid the path? As for the dinosaurs, I liked them, not because they were good, but because they were funny looking. Hey, at least they did not strap ridges and hornes to lizards and pretend they were giants! The dinosaurs get a kill but you would have to be a one-legged stroke victim to really be caught by these guys, they are so slow. The alignment in the mouthes of the creatures is a bit off and they remind me of Henson's early sock puppets. The full-screen DVD is not too bad and even younger kids can probably watch it in ease. >No nudity.
>The Captain makes unwanted advances upon Grey.
>Fight scenes and murder (hey even pirate and cowboy movies have these).
>Some hard language but nothing really foul.
Rating: 
Summary: UNKNOWN ISLAND or Better Yet, Muppet Island
Review: A tyrannesaurus with a spike on its nose? Well, I guess all the old movies got it wrong. We now know that if these meat eating dinosaurs walked upright they would break their backs. Here they do so with no trouble, in a lumbering walk fashion, and make nasty faces at visitors to the island. Would there be enough food for these monsters on an island ten miles square? Ah, real science is ruining these movies for me. Unlike most films of this genre from the 40's and 50's, it is filmed in expensive CINECOLOR. Not rated, it was released in 1948 by Albert Jay Cohen Productions Inc. The DVD is released through Image Entertainment and runs 72 minutes with no extras. It is a picture reminescent of King Kong with the sea journey and an island of jungle and prehistoric beasts. Stereotypes abound in the characters and the plot is totally predictable. Viewers may recognize scenes that were salvaged for the film, HORROR OF THE BLOOD MONSTERS (1970) with John Carradine. The plot is simple. Philip Reed, played by Ted Osborne and Virginia Grey, played by Carole Lane hire Captain Tarnowski, played by Barton MacLane, to take them by steamer to an uncharted island. During the war, Reed flew over the island and caught sight of prehistoric creatures. He wants to return and take photographs to prove his discovery. They are introduced to John Fairbanks, played by Richard Denning, the lone survivor from a shipwreck upon its shores. Surviving mutiny at sea, they reach their objective and the native crew become fodder for the beasts and the sea. The captain suffers from malaria, is a drunkard, wants a specimen for the return journey, and also wants the girl. Here is where the real plot tension emerges. Reed shows himself more interested in his photos than in Grey who sponsored the expedition. A romance buds between Fairbanks and Grey. Not giving any more away, that is about it. Richard Denning has done several films in science fiction/horror, including CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON and THE DAY THE WORLD ENDED. He gives a good performance although his sailor suit is rather silly. There is a giant sloth on the island that has taken to killing people, looks rather ape-like. The man in the suit was Ray Corrigan, who often dressed up for the movies, i.e. DR. RENAULT'S SECRET, THE WHITE GORILLA, NABONGA, and "It" in IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE. Like the dinosaurs, the costumes look silly, but hey, even Godzilla is a man in a rubber suit. The script could have used more work. Note these lines from Fairbanks: "It's quicker having your throat cut by a lascar's knife than to be crushed by a monster you don't even see or hear until a shadow as big as a mountain falls on you." Huh? Where's the logic in that? Despite the danger, Fairbanks permits Grey to go off into the jungle by herself (unarmed) saying simply, "Stay on the path." Pleeeeease! Do the dinosaurs avoid the path? As for the dinosaurs, I liked them, not because they were good, but because they were funny looking. Hey, at least they did not strap ridges and hornes to lizards and pretend they were giants! The dinosaurs get a kill but you would have to be a one-legged stroke victim to really be caught by these guys, they are so slow. The alignment in the mouthes of the creatures is a bit off and they remind me of Henson's early sock puppets. The full-screen DVD is not too bad and even younger kids can probably watch it in ease. >No nudity.
>The Captain makes unwanted advances upon Grey.
>Fight scenes and murder (hey even pirate and cowboy movies have these).
>Some hard language but nothing really foul.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth viewing to appreciate how far films have advanced!
Review: At the age of seven, it was the film UNKNOWN ISLAND that introduced me to prehistoric life and, consequently, the fact of evolution. At that time, I was very impressed with the dinosaurs; it eventually lead me to the writings of Charles Darwin, paleontology and anthropology. Today, this movie is almost completely forgotten. But to truly appreciate how far special effects have improved, give this film a view and you'll believe in cinematic evolution. Still, it holds a special place in my heart for, as a youngster on a farm, it took me across space and through time. Never underestimate the power of movies ... even this one! Submittted by H. James Birx, Ph.D., D.Sci. (now a professor of anthropology).
Rating:
Summary: Matinee Fun
Review: Call me crazy, but I actually like this movie. It's a reminder of a time when a good adventure story was all it took to keep a kids attention glued to the screen. The special effects are far from special, but that's part of the charm of this rather obscure man vs. dinosaur film.
I've been an enthusiast of b-movies for years, but wasn't familiar with this one until I caught it on AMC recently. I was intrigued by the well-worn story, the wretched dino costumes, and the truly horrible acting. (just watch the ship captain!) All this and color, too. That must be the cause of the total lack of budget for the remainder of the production, as color was something special in the '40s, and usually reserved for only the high-end films. This isn't art, but if you're in the mood for a bit of mindless retro-adventure, this may be the ticket.
Rating:
Summary: Matinee Fun
Review: Call me crazy, but I actually like this movie. It's a reminder of a time when a good adventure story was all it took to keep a kids attention glued to the screen. The special effects are far from special, but that's part of the charm of this rather obscure man vs. dinosaur film.
I've been an enthusiast of b-movies for years, but wasn't familiar with this one until I caught it on AMC recently. I was intrigued by the well-worn story, the wretched dino costumes, and the truly horrible acting. (just watch the ship captain!) All this and color, too. That must be the cause of the total lack of budget for the remainder of the production, as color was something special in the '40s, and usually reserved for only the high-end films. This isn't art, but if you're in the mood for a bit of mindless retro-adventure, this may be the ticket.
Rating:
Summary: Unknown Island
Review: I first saw this movie around 1950, and in my opinion it still holds up well today. The dinosaurs are not up to computer generated standards, but at least they are not lizards. And the movie avoids my least favorite cliche, that of an exploding volcano. The movie does follow the template for a lost world story, with the deliberate buildup, being stranded, character conflicts, attacks by monsters, etc, but it has a good script within these limitations and the characters are well acted. I was also pleasantly surprised by the tape quality, the colors especially not being faded. All in all, a classic movie of its type.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring and uneventful....
Review: I'm usually a sucker for this genre but I found myself agreeing with Maltin for once. The acting and dinosaur effects were good enough for this type of movie. It was the storyline and lack of creativity with the effects that killed it for me. I also feel that this being filmed in color all but destroyed the b/w Saturday matinee atmosphere that makes these movies so fun to watch. Overall, worth a watch, but I'd recommend investing in 1957's 'The Land Unknown' with Jock Mahoney before you spent a dollar on this one. It is in glorious b/w, has a similar storyline with more action/adventure and was handled much, much better.
Rating:
Summary: Boring and uneventful....
Review: I'm usually a sucker for this genre but I found myself agreeing with Maltin for once. The acting and dinosaur effects were good enough for this type of movie. It was the storyline and lack of creativity with the effects that killed it for me. I also feel that this being filmed in color all but destroyed the b/w Saturday matinee atmosphere that makes these movies so fun to watch. Overall, worth a watch, but I'd recommend investing in 1957's 'The Land Unknown' with Jock Mahoney before you spent a dollar on this one. It is in glorious b/w, has a similar storyline with more action/adventure and was handled much, much better.
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