This is the third version of The Island of Dr. Moreau that I've seen (fourth if you count Island of the Twilight People) but it's the first one I've seen that's set in the proper period. I have a problem with adaptations which set H. G. Wells in a contemporary setting. What I really like about his novels is that they're a hundred-year-old vision of the future. To me it's much more fascinating to read about Martians that launch themselves to Earth from a giant cannon than watch flying saucers or some weird lightning/subterranean invasion strategy. That being said, this movie isn't all that great. It's no Island of Lost Souls but it's definitely better than you know what. It's pretty impressive that they got Burt Lancaster and Michael York to be a part of this.
Watching this I couldn't help but notice that Dr. Moreau, who essentially made himself a god to the creatures on his island, is very reminiscent of Col. Kurtz. Then I couldn't help but think about how this film was made after Heart of Darkness was written (which was written after The Island of Doctor Moreau) but before Apocalypse Now was made and therefore well before Marlon Brando played both roles . . . and that made my head hurt. I was also impressed by a scene where the Sayer of the Law noted that "He tells us not to kill and yet He kills". That's a fairly impressive critique of religion from a manimal.
By the by, this is the greatest movie review I've ever read.
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