Monster Island (2004 TV Movie) User Reviews

Stop-motion monsters and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 14 November 2020]

I kinda expect someone like Carmen Electra to appear in a made for MTV piece of nonsense like Monster Island, but I was surprised to see Mary Elizabeth Winstead's name in the credits - it just goes to show that we all have to start somewhere. The presence of the lovely Miss Winstead was the impetus I needed to watch this movie, but to be fair, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the whole thing, regardless of Mary and her marvellous midriff.

The film is set on the eponymous island, located in the Bermuda Triangle, where MTV competition winner Josh (Daniel Letterle) and his classmates arrive for the recording of the channel's Tropical Weekend Getaway, the host of which is Carmen Electra. Unfortunately, as Carmen is performing a musical number in front of her fans, she is whisked away to a nearby mountain by a giant flying ant. In order to impress his ex-girlfriend Maddy (Winstead), Josh declares that he will rescue Carmen; he is accompanied on his quest by several others, Maddy included.

This deliberately cheesy film boasts deliberately cheesy performances (Adam West as Dr. Harryhausen being the hammiest), and features plenty of deliberately cheesy scenes with deliberately cheesy special effects, although, having said that, fans of stop-motion animation will almost certainly get a kick out of the film's massive praying mantises, which are far better than expected.

B-movie fans will also probably enjoy the silly 'man in a rubber suit' monster Piranha Man, who emerges from a swamp to attack the group, and the oversized ants at the mountain (which turns out to be a giant nest). In addition to the giant critters, the film features plenty of eye-candy: Carmen Electra wears a skimpy animal skin outfit, Winstead doesn't (but still looks hotter), and Chelan Simmons as Josh's ditzy blonde sister Jen is also appealing.

Monster Island is by no means a great film, but those who enjoy dumb creature features should still derive a reasonable amount of enjoyment from the crazy monsters and the general silliness of the whole thing.

When you're making a comedy, you need to know why it's supposed to be funny.

[MBunge · 3/10 · 24 June 2011]

Can you criticize a movie for being bad when it's intended to be bad? Yes, you can. Creating a film that's so bad it's good is tougher than you might think and most attempts either fall short or go too far and are so bad they're just bad. Monster Island is one of those misfires. This MTV production has set design that looks like it was done by Sid and Marty Krofft, special effects that never decide if they're honoring or mocking Ray Harryhausen, dialog that sounds like what you'd get if you hired Karl Rove to write an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, acting that would be more in tune with one of those commercials for acne medicine, Carmen Electra proving that she genuinely can't do anything else but stand there and look hot, as well as an appearance from an apparently heavily sedated Adam West.

Josh (Daniel Letterle) is one of those high school losers who hide behind a shield of sarcastic apathy. He just broke up with his "save the Earth" girlfriend Maddie (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) when he wins a trip from MTV for him and his fellow seniors to go to a tropical island and party with Carmen Electra (Carmen Electra). Then Carmen gets kidnapped by a giant flying ant and Josh leads a rescue effort along with Maddie, her new two-faced boyfriend Chase (Chris Harrison), Josh's two best friends (Cascy Beddow and Joe MacLeod) and his younger sister (Chelen Simmons). Oh, and a wannabe VJ named Lil Mandy (Alana Husband) tags along to film the mission.

They wander around the jungle, run into some monsters, Maddie gets possessed by a tribal amulet, Adam West shows up to mouth a bunch of "zany" dialog as if his son just died, they find Carmen, some other stupid stuff happens…The End.

Monster Island is clearly meant as a parody of 1950s drive-in monster movies. The folks who made it, however, just as clearly didn't understand what they were parodying or why it was worth parodying. So they basically just re-enact all the elements of a 1950s monster flick with some overly self-aware teen snark added on. Putting aside the questionable wisdom of mocking a sub-genre of cinema for a demographic that was born decades after the last picture in that genre was made, such mockery needs to have some sort of point. These filmmakers never figured out what it was about 1950s monster movies they wanted to make fun of or why doing it would be funny. So what they ended up with was a bad knock off of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys starring a bunch of generic characters from every bargain basement teen sex comedy.

The humor is Monster Island is about two steps to the side of someone sitting on a whoopee cushion. The drama is actually funnier than the comedy. The action sequences are as faltering as a donkey with a broken leg. Nobody gets naked. Nobody swears. There's virtually no gore. Carmen Electra lip syncs worse than Britney Spears after a three day crack binge.

The next time you hear somebody complain about MTV not playing more music videos, remind them that if they weren't making reality shows about New Jersey mulatto impersonators or inflatable California sex dolls that apparently came to life like Frosty the Snowman, the alternative would probably be more crap like Monster Island.

While I knew what the movie was trying to do, it just didn't work for me...

[TheLittleSongbird · 4/10 · 23 March 2013]

It wasn't as if I was deliberately trying to hate the movie, far from it, and I never try to do that watching any movie as I believe in being fair and encouraging when watching and critiquing. Any movie that aims to be a homage or poking fun at anything does promise to be good entertainment, and actually despite having Carmen Electra Monster Island did seem as though it would be one of those movies. Even when taking it for what it is though, the bad execution just took away from my enjoyment of the movie. It does have redeeming qualities of course, the production design is decent, the music score rousing, Adam West is a lot of fun even if hammy and Mary Elizabeth Winstead is very endearing here. However, I didn't like the look of the special effects at all, the monsters(looking at home in the 50s era but seem laughable now) seemed half-finished and fake, and actually I do agree with the commentator that wasn't sure about whether they were trying to honour or poke fun at those of Harryhausen(which I have always found amazing for their time and ones that still hold up). Some will like the tongue-in-cheek humour, for me the dialogue was lacking in wit and in freshness too and came across as awkward instead, the stupidest line going to West as outlined in a previous review. The story seemed stretched and contrived, with the horror elements ranging from tame to non-descript, while the characters are cardboard and irritating. Aside from West and Winstead, the rest of the acting is bland. That is especially the case with Carmen Electra, contrary to what was implied in the marketing she is only in the film 15-20 minutes and she doesn't do anything other than try and look pretty. Just in case I get flamed(and knowing the type of movie Monster Island is I know eventually I will do), I understand totally what Monster Island was trying to do, I just felt that it tried so hard that everything to make a homage/parody work just got lost. That is of course my opinion, and if you think differently(and I can completely understand if that's the case) that's fine, I have nothing against you. In conclusion, even when taking into account what Monster Island was trying to do I didn't care for it at the end of the day, sorry. 4/10 Bethany Cox

Great fun.

[willywants · 7 December 2004]

A group of boozehound teens win a trip to a tropical island in the Bermuda triangle. Everything goes fine at first, until they find out a mad scientist's monstrous fauna have taken interest in them. 'Monster Island' is a perfect throwback to the monster movies of the 1950's. The makers throw virtually everything you can think of into this flick. Stop motion monsters, giant insects, a contaminated island, unconvincing miniatures, explosions, a mad scientist (Played by Adam West, named 'Dr. Harryhausen' no less!) and more. The intentionally campy effects are fun and the fast-pace make the film great fun for bad movie enthusiasts who are looking for something cheesy but enjoyable. My rating for 'Monster Island'-7/10.

ABOUT THE DVD: The picture for 'Monster Island' is presented in a full frame 1.33:1 transfer. Not a bad looking picture at all. I noticed a little grain early on but that quickly fades away and colors are bright, skin tones are good and there's minimal edge enhancement. The 2.0 Dolby sound is good, dialogue is clear and crisp and the various pop tunes and sound effects are judicially used and remain effects throughout. Extras on the disc are plentiful. There a roughly 15 minute featurette that covers the films various effects, stop motion armatures, miniatures, and the construction of the large-scale creature effects. Next up are interviews with various cast and crew members, an enjoyable feature in which everyone expresses they're views on the film and are obviously had a good time making the film. Also included are scene selection, the trailer for the film, a French language track and awesome animated menus. My rating for the DVD: 8/10.

Was this meant to be funny?

[TOMNEL · 2/10 · 31 December 2006]

Watching this, it almost seems like it was filmed to be a comedy. But it's really hard to tell. If it's filmed as a horror movie, it's absolutely awful, and filmed as a comedy it's also terrible. The cover makes this look like a Carmen Electra versus the giant bugs movie, but it isn't. The plot is several teens win a contest and get to party with Carmen Electra on a deserted island. Problem comes when a giant flying ant swoops her up, and the select few kids that want to help, go on a journey to the big mountain to save her. The bugs were clay animated, and when the bug swoops her up, they have Carmen and her bodyguard clay animated also. It's a really ridiculous and tired premise, which moves from comedy, then to "horror" then back to comedy. The last 30 minutes of the movie are so painfully stupid it's hard to watch. And for anyone watching this because they enjoy Carmen's impressive resume'e, don't. She only has a total of maybe 15 minutes of screen time or less. Though I'm sure many people are amused by this, it's not a good movie and it's awfully stupid.

*Just to add, Adam West plays a role in the film as an island inhabitant, and has the stupidest line in the film, "You kids shouldn't be horsing around here." My rating: * out of ****. 91 mins. PG for language and violence.

Bad reality TV quality sprinkled with occasional good acting and scenes

[Blackbird013-1 · 3/10 · 28 April 2011]

As a horror movie it's anything but scary (other than some of the acting and posturing). As an adventure movie it's anti climatic. As a spoof it just isn't funny enough. As a cult film it just lacks conviction.

I was watching it for free and I admit it was good enough to finish but the commercials interrupting it were considerably better which only confirmed how badly it was done. On the other hand the fact that the computer graphics seemed to be intentionally bad it could indicate it's homage to pioneer science fiction horror. I have to agree with another reviewer and state I quite simply don't know what it was other than bad. Students of entertainment and film making are likely to find it uninteresting the project seems to have only survived due to a few names attached to it.

There is a lot of cheesy bad acting, with stereotype characters ripping off the styles and looks of other actors or actresses. At one point even the main character seemed to comment on the pointlessness of the scene. Some of the acting was true to the trade surrounded by others that seemed to scream "look, I'm on TV!" There was no quality continuity other than the headline entertainer's scenes were done fairly well while scenes without them seemed to just drop off the quality scale into oblivion. If you watch or buy it just because your favorite actor or actress is in it be assured they handled their scenes with dignity which they may have lost seeing the finished product.

Anyone looking for a well done movie will be disappointed but anyone in love with bad horror, low budget spoofs, or reality T.V. (hey look I'm on camera!) will probably be satisfied for bargain prices.

Its good for what it is...

[dfkennedy · 4/10 · 16 March 2012]

Think about it for a second, everybody. Did you really expect THAT much quality out of an MTV-original-made-for-TV movie? I went into this will fairly low expectations, however it was a fun movie to watch (with a group of people). That being said, its not really good per se. Most of the acting isn't very good, and the characters are pretty unlikable. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is the only real exception, she can actually act and her character seems to be the only level- headed character for the majority of the movie. Adam West is also pretty good in the movie. In typical Adam West fashion, his overacting is great. The movie has too many stupid moments to list, however the one that stands out is the scene where the two grasshoppers look like their going to start fighting and instead start mating. In conclusion, this movie can be a fun throwback if you're with some friends who like monster flicks, but if you're alone, or you're just looking to see some Carmen Electra vanity project, you might want to avoid it. 4/10

Land of the Lost Redux

[ghoulieguru · 1/10 · 8 December 2004]

Expectations for this movie were low. Carmen Electra, bad stop motion animated monsters, juvenile story. Still, even going into it with low expectations, this movie was worse than I could have imagined. Take the very worst episode of "Land of the Lost" that you ever saw. Make the effects worse (yes, worse than Grumpy the Dinosaur). Now put Carmen Electra into it. There you go, that's Monster Island. There are cave men, giant insects and a sleestack. Actually, I think the sleestack is supposed to be a Pirahna-Man, but it looked like a sleestack to me. I used to like "Land of the Lost" when I was 5 years old, but I have a feeling that even 5 year olds would find this movie insulting.

Cheapjack trash

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 17 March 2022]

Cheapjack trash from Canada, filmed under the MTV banner, so inevitably this is a film that feels very dated these days. It's a monster movie following the reality TV format, with a bunch of contestants heading to a remote island to rescue kidnapped starlet Carmen Electra. The island is inhabited by giant insects and in the right hands - had this been a proper B-movie with oodles of gore and the like - could have been fun. Instead this plays out as a lame comedy and is almost totally worthless. Adam West has a supporting role and a pre-stardom Mary Elizabeth Winstead co-stars.

Possibly the worst thing I have ever seen on TV

[gceomer · 1/10 · 7 March 2004]

Why does MTV even try anymore? Why does Carmen Electra even try? This was easily the worst piece of s*** I have ever seen. The acting at my high school is more believable than the 30 somethings playing teenagers in this one. Every frame of this movie is unbearably stupid. I think they tried to make it so bad that is was funny but failed miserably. It's just plain bad. However, if you have any taste, avoid this one at ALL COSTS.

Cheesy and terrbile are the only words I can use to describe this. Why make a low budget sci fi movie in this day and age. People don't want to watch it, they want The Lord of the Rings!

Teens having crazy fun

[jfarms1956 · 3/10 · 7 January 2014]

Monster Island is geared for the under 30 crowd and over 9 crowd. Since I don't fall into the ages between 9 and 30, this was not that great a movie for me. I might as well be watching Beavis and Butthead. The movie is silly and is good for a laugh or two for either a group of friends watching or watching the movie by yourself. I would think that this movie needs friends with you. Teens having crazy fun and out for a crazy adventure are not my ideas of a good movie. The movie does/can make one smile and forget about one's troubles. So, the movie does what it is supposed to do -- provide entertainment, important message, optional. Pizza and beer all around for those 21 and older and soda instead of beer for those younger. Enjoy

Fun, campy adventure

[Wuchakk · 8/10 · 28 August 2014]

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-

Carmen Electra being in it pretty much says it all.

[reggiebottomtooth123 · 7/10 · 10 August 2012]

Okay let me start off by saying that this is one of the greatest cinematic achievements of anyones lifetime, ever. It brought tears to my eyes with its magnificent beauty and special effects. The scene where the two praying mantis start getting it on was incredibly tasteful and romantic. I was scared out of my wits when the female praying mantis killed the male. I said out loud: "oh no." true story. Let me also say that the first have of this review should be taken no more seriously than this movie. It's not great if you're expecting laughs, it's not great if you're expecting scares, but if you go in expecting nothing, it might just reach your expectations. Maybe even surpass them! And even though the movie is one gigantic crap-fest brought to us by the always good (please catch the sarcasm) MTV, I still enjoyed the bodyguard and Adam West, who carried this movie. (Adam West is always a badass)

Utterly witless comedy homage to 50's monsters flicks.

[poolandrews · 2/10 · 29 May 2009]

Monster Island starts as everyday high school teenager Josh (Daniel Letterle) answers the door to find a film-crew from MTV informing him that he & a bunch of his classmates have won a competition to spend a weekend on a tropical island with the one & only Carmen Electra (Herself). Before you know Josh & his mates are on the island enjoying themselves when Carmen decides to take to the stage & do a dance number, while mid performance a giant Queen Ant swoops from the night sky & kidnaps Carmen flying off with her to a large mountain. Fearing personal injury most of the partying teens decide to head back to the safety of the ship while Josh & a few brave souls decide to stay behind, find Carmen & rescue her. On their way they come across giant mutant insects & other various perils...

This Canadian American co-production actually premiered on MTV & was co-written & directed by Jack Perez & while I understood what it was trying to do I thought Monster island was terrible & was even worse than the Spanish American early 80's co-production of the same name Monster Island (1981) which at least had Peter Cushing in it. Basically this Monster island is trying to be a fun, witty & clever homage to all those giant monster/lost world type flicks from the 50's & 60's & it fails miserably, there are so many awful attempts at humour that just miss the mark by the proverbial mile it's uncanny. I mean by the law of average the makers of this should have got a few of the jokes or gags to work even if just by the law of average or just plain dumb luck but no, Monster Island is one seriously unfunny film. The film moves along at a reasonable pace but it never grips you, the character's are awful Ameican teen stereotypes of the absolute worst & most annoying kind, the plot has no reason to exist & there's not so much a story as just a series of loosely connected events. I hate to say it but Monster Island is the sort of low-brow witless rubbish that looks as if it was made by idiots for idiots, at least I saw it on telly for free so at least that does ease the pain a little bit as I would be very upset if I had spent good money on it.

Just to try & stay authentic to it's original sources there's a character called Dr. Harryhausen & the giants bugs are stop-motion animated rather than CGI computer generated. The animation isn't too bad but it doesn't really sit that well aside the awful attempts at humour (the two Praying Mantis having sex with each other for instance) & the modern look & feel of the film as a whole. It just doesn't work. There's absolutely zero blood, gore or violence & nothing scary or exciting happens.

Filmed in British Columbia in Canada, the film has a cheap slick made for telly appearance that doesn't appeal to me. The acting is awful, Carmen Electra plays herself badly while former 60's Batman star Adam West has a cameo as a scientist.

Monster island is a terrible film made to appeal to the lowest common denominator, it has no wit, is not funny in the slightest & the stop-motion animation homage just looks out of place. The sooner I forget about this one the better as far as I am concerned.

A shinier, flashier piece of crap

[wingedcobra · 2 December 2004]

OK so far as crap movies go, I've seen worse and more worse. This one was bad but it had some decent parts, like the guy fighting the giant praying mantis with a bulldozer...awesome. And the part where the giant Queen ant dances along to Carmen Electra's song...wow.

Carmen Electra...sigh...isn't it sad that the only reason I rented this movie was for her? Yes. I know it is. Lucky for the movie makers there's thousands of men out there like me. We love you Carmen...keep making crappy movies like this.

Oh and Nick Carter...ya. His 'cameo' consisted of maybe 5 minutes (if I stretch it) of running out from a helicopter and asking if everyone was OK? Again...wow.

Also I would like to ask the two MTV VJ's who starred in this 'What the dilly yo?"

The Homage Wears Thin

[Theo Robertson · 4/10 · 24 February 2013]

One can certainly see what the producers are trying to do here - make a tongue in cheek homage to all these old B movies where an expedition lands on a newly discovered island and then finding themselves in a battle for survival . Certainly it's not made with an eye for the Oscars , just basic brainless witty fun that you can enjoy in front of the TV with a carton of popcorn . The problem is that writer/director Jack Perez has failed to develop that important word " witty " and it shows

Back in the day these type of movies would feature a host of recognisable B movie actors . You'd probably have a problem naming them but you'd know their faces . Here however the only recognisable names are Carmen Electra , Burt Ward and Nick Carter . Take out Burt Ward and you instantly see what the age demographic for this film is , a fact reflected in the age group of the characters who find themselves trapped on the Island . In days of old these characters would be considerably older and have clearly delineated characters . Okay they'd be clichéd stereotypes such as square jawed hero , selfish bad guy and damsel in distress but that'd be preferable than the whiny teens seen here

I notice some people have been slightly forgiving to MONSTER ISLAND thinking it's a deliberately bad movie that is not to be taken seriously but again you have to question if this is actually the case . It's not so much the cheap special effects and small budget that brings the film down - it's the lack of wit and affection to the genre that sinks this movie

ooooooohhhhh dear...

[hot_nibbler · 2/10 · 19 March 2007]

well people.. what can i say.. this is the worst film ever made... ever. This must be a joke right. Why make a movie that looks like it was made in the 30's. 4 year old school children could of done a better job. is this what the film industry has been reduced to ? to make us watch crap like this. there are no special cgi effects what so ever ... all the so called monsters which are in fact just giant insects are made out of plastic or rubber or another type of cheap material. all the backgrounds look totally fake and what was nick carter and Carmen Electra doing in this film. who made this film ??? i cant believe i wasted my time watching it ... its not good.. its not clever... its not funny and most definitely not scary !!! please people do something worthy with your time.. even if its just watching paint dry.

Trip Down Memory Lane

[aj246 · 5/10 · 1 December 2023]

Don't judge this film before you watch it. It is pure naughties chaos from absolutely terrible cgi to very questionable acting. It's a product of its time and a great trip down memory lane as there were so many films like this at the time. Have a few beers and sit back and enjoy the cheesy chaos, the plot holes and what teen cinema / life was like back in the day! This film is so bad it actually is good and surprisingly has a good cast before they "made it". It's a shame MTV don't make these types of films anymore as it is a corner of the market that is open! Just enjoy this film for what it is, don't over analyse it and enjoy some naughties madness!

Mary Elizabeth Winstead - That's Pretty Much It, but It Might Be Enough For YOU

[TheJonesBones · 5/10 · 10 June 2021]

Okay, so I gave three of the five stars in my vote only for one reason: Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Yeah, she's youngish in this campy affair but you'll see the edge that she brings to later work.

As for the movie itself, enjoy it the way an eight year old boy would do. Just let go. But only if you can actually waste 1.5 hours of your life!

Sure, Mary Elizabeth Winstead makes everything better, but even such talent (and beauty) can't patch this movie's soiled underpants. Still, this movie has Mary Elizabeth Winstead in it. For real.

Kinda sad

[lreese-1 · 3/10 · 24 November 2021]

Has all the hot chick's and dumb script necessary for this type of movie, but the lead, Daniel Letterle cannot act, making the movie difficult to watch.

Fortunately, it looks as if he's retired from acting. Good choice!

This was definitely something else...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 21 October 2021]

Well, given the movie's cover, I was expecting that I would be in for a movie that would be an homage to the 1950s and 1960s creature features, so of course I opted to sit down and watch the 2004 movie "Monster Island". Had I heard about the movie prior to sitting down here in 2021 to watch it? No.

And I will say that writers Jack Perez and Adam Glass didn't really manage to concoct a wholesome movie. There was just something ultra cheesy and low budget about this entire movie, and not in a good sense. It was so difficult to get into the vibe of the movie and enjoy it. I suppose it was a combination of the dubious acting performances and the insanely laughably bad special effects.

The storyline in "Monster Island" wasn't exactly innovative or particularly interesting. It was all something that had been done and seen before, so the writers weren't exactly dishing out new stuff here. And I do enjoy monster movies, but the special effects in this movie definitely had emphasis on 'special', believe you me.

Visually then "Monster Island" was bad, so very, very bad. And those laughable effects just made it so very difficult to sit through this movie and take it serious. Sure, "Monster Island" is labeled as an adventure comedy horror movie, but it didn't really deliver much on any of those accounts.

The movie does have the likes of Carmen Electra and Adam West on the cast list, if that would tickle your fancy.

Ultimately, then "Monster Island" was a lousy movie experience, and certainly not one I would recommend you waste your time, money or effort on.

My rating of "Monster Island" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.

Not Bad At All!!

[coon12-1 · 10/10 · 14 July 2010]

I noticed one reviewer said people didn't want to see movies like Monster Island, they wanted Lord of The Rings. Speak for yourself man, I loved this film and much prefer it over anything like Lord Of The Rings. I will watch anything with sexy Carmen Electra and this movie was entertaining and funny at the same time. The effects are cheesy, but that is part of the charm of this movie and it did remind me of the old Land of the Lost TV show, of which I am also a fan. If you get the chance watch this film and I bet if you have an open mind you'll enjoy it for what it is, simply entertainment that does it's job well. I bought the DVD and have watched this many times. Some people are just too picky about what they watch.

A good movie? That depends

[professorjeffreypbrown · 7/10 · 2 July 2020]

If you're an adolescent, this is probably the movie for you. An adult? Probably not. More of a family movie. A play on 1950s special effects sci-fi. Silly antics with a trite plot, but it's not for the discerning adult. Enjoy kids

a true cable-tv surprise

[donnyg · 8/10 · 12 March 2004]

This little flick was way above average for cable-tv fare. In fact, it was quite good on its own terms, mixing a simple but entertaining teen storyline with some surprising satire of corporate t.v. practices and clever, affectionate nods to the monster movies of Bert I. Gordon and Ray Harryhausen. In terms of acting, the younger members of the cast acquit themselves well (especially Mary Elizabeth Winstead) but it's Adam West who steals the show. His take on the 'grizzled scientist' archetype is campily amusing and genuinely likable all at once - the kind of witty celebrity-cameo perf you'd expect from a latter-day John Waters film. The filmmakers also deserve a round of applause for bypassing the usual lame CGI effects in favor of genuine stop-motion animation - it seals the film's b-movie appeal. In deference to 'gceomer,' this may not be LORD OF THE RINGS but it is a thoroughly likable little genre flick that is well worth the time for those of us predisposed to such fare.

Ray Harryhausen Type FX In 2004

[StuOz · 24 November 2021]

Spoof of 50s science fiction films complete with old school Hollywood star - Adam West - on board.

With Adam West and clever retro monsters, this could have been better than it is! The monsters are stuck in the past but the island teenagers are totally stuck in 2004. The two don't go together. The young MTV crowd watching this have probably never even seen a 50s sci-fi movie!

However, after a very rocky first 30 minutes, the movie grabs your attention when Adam West appears! From this point on you are in for a wonderfully retro ride!

As well as the Harryhausen tribute there is a sort of tribute to Creature From The Black Lagoon as well.

Hit and miss best describes Monster Island but I personally find it more pleasing than all the recent Jurassic World movies put together - make of that what you will.