Monster Island is a fitting movie to watch during these dog days of summer. At under 90 minutes, it's a creature feature with no fat. Though the film is light on character development, it's an entertaining and bloody romp that wears its influences proudly.
Set during World War II, the film stars Dean Fujioka as Saito and Callum Woodhouse as Bronson. During the opening, the two are chained together on a Japenese prisoner ship. Saito is dubbed a traitor and faces execution in his home country, while Bronson is a British POW. When the prisoner ship is attacked, the two survive but wash up on well, monster island.
From the opening minutes, the feature contains plenty of action and doesn't relent with its fast pace. Saito and Bronson are immediately attacked in the water by the Gil-man-like creature. For the rest of the runtime, they evade the monster, before eventually devising a plan to kill it, along with its unborn child. The movie's influences are evident from the get-go. Creature from the Black Lagoon is a big one, along with James Cameron's Aliens and even Jaws.
Until about the halfway point, writer/director Mike Wiluan doesn't show the creature in full. Instead, like Jaws, we're treated to a few underwater shots from the POV of the monster. We see glimpses of the scaly beast, but when the monster is shown, it looks pretty good, played by Alan Maxson. Its teeth especially look fierce, and it tears through a few other crew members from the prisoner ship that also washed ashore. The movie certainly doesn't skimp on the gore.
The film's main flaw is that it's incredibly light on character development. It's not even revealed until the last few minutes why Saito is considered a traitor. We're given very little information about him and his past. The same is true of Bronson, and for too much of the film, they're one-note characters. That said, there are moments, especially early in the film, where the two bond, even if they fought on opposite sides during World War II. They're forced to rely on each other to survive and defeat the monster, which is called Orang Ikan. However, unlike Creature from the Black Lagoon, it's hard to feel much sympathy for this particular Gil-man, even when its unborn child is introduced. It mostly just kills and kills.
Despite some flaws, Monster Island has plenty of nail-biting suspenseful moments and great action sequences. There's a riveting scene in which Saito wields a katana and faces off against Organ Ikan. This movie has no bloat and jumps from one perilous situation to the next.
Monster Island may be light on character development, but it's an entertaining ride that's a thrilling summer watch. Though we've seen the creature design before, it still looks cool. Overall, the movie warrants a stream, especially for fans of gory monster movies.
Monster Island debuts on Shudder on July 25.