Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Mysterious Island (孤島驚魂) and Blood Money: A Movie Review


Director: Rico Chung.

Writer: Lan Yang.

Cast: Jordan Chan, Yang Mi, Hayama Hiro, Janel Tsai, Maggie Lee, Mini Yang, Shaun Tam, Wong Yau Nam, Tsui Tin Yau, Jessica Xu and Anya.

Not to be confused with other similarly titled products, this latest incarnation of Mysterious Island comes from China and involves the paranormal. Game contestants, as reported by the fictional TV show "Search Planet," are taken to a remote piece of rock on the Binlusai Island chain for a final round of "Survivor." But no one in the group knows about the land’s dark past; it was once the home to a leper colony.

But after the transport gets damaged as they approach land, everyone, including the show hostess Stanley (Jessica Xu) and cameraman Ken (Shaun Tam), have to do more than to fend for themselves.

Greed overcomes the eight people, show creators excluded, who think nothing of their plight. As far as they are concerned, they want to capture the flag and win the one million dollars. But the weather is taking a turn for the worse. Even after one cheap scare—thanks to a very poorly made puppet boar trying to scatter the contestants—not even this film is off to a good start. Everyone survived that initial welcome and that’s a shame. In order to keep up with the cast, everyone is paired up.

But when they all individually arrive at an abandoned chapel, the gang slowly learns what this island was originally used for. There are some interesting moments with this film as the history of the leper colony is unveiled, but unfortunately, this product does not go far enough. This movie had the potential to make a social commentary about the treatment of lepers but it did not.

And instead of hungry ghosts (as tradition dictates), they are angry ghosts with only one reason; to do harm to the living. The deceased are mad because they were left alone to fend for themselves. If this film did not have to deal with how the Chinese traditionally respects the dead instead of displeasing them, then there may have been more of a film to enjoy.

In true missionary form, only the Roman Catholics helped these abandoned Chinese lepers to live out their last days with some peace. Everyone else, including the lepers’ families and fellow comrades, could not be bothered with them. Had this film placed more emphasis on developing this cultural milieu, Mysterious Island could have been a very interesting product.

Instead, it’s more of a B-movie in the same vein as Evil Dead, especially with some funky camerawork going on. The cheap thrills offered bring recollections of 80’s styled effects in the likes of The Fog and also some of Stephen King’s earlier movie products. There are plenty of smoke effects, perhaps to hide the lighting cables, and a nice gothic looking set piece, the cathedral, where most of the action takes place. But a good set does not help fix a weak script.

Had this film stayed in its native language, the effectiveness might have been interpreted better. And like the end, the final twist is in the grand reveal. At least that proved to be this film’s saving grace.

Overall: 5 out of 10.

| | |

Advertise Here - Contact me Michael Allen at 28DLA

Subscribe to 28 Days Later: An Analysis Email Subscription

0 comments: