Mysterious Island is a fun, light-hearted, fantasy flick highlighted by Ray Haryhausen’s incredible effects work combined with Bernard Herrmann’s score. The Blu-ray released under the Twilight Time line offers some decent features headlined by an extensive audio commentary, and good video/audio transfers.
Mysterious Island
– The Limited Edition Series –
(1961)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Fantasy, Adventure
Screen Archives Entertainment | NR – 101 min. – $29.95 | November 8, 2015
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PLOT SYNOPSIS |
| Mysterious Island—Jules Verne’s sequel to his own Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea—is brought to the screen in spectacular fashion by director Cy Endfield (Zulu) and special effects master Ray Harryhausen (Jason and the Argonauts), who weave the adventure-packed tale of a motley crew of Civil War escapees and shipwreck victims cast away on a remote Pacific isle. There they encounter the redoubtable genius, Captain Nemo (HERBER LOM), and the startling products of his scientific experiments, gigantic creatures of every description, all crafted with that special friend of Harryhausen magic. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.0/5 |
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This release comes with an 8-page essay booklet. The features are a bit light but better than nothing. We get an entertaining if not professorial Audio Commentary with Film Historians Randall William Cook, C. Courtney Joyner and Steven C. Smith; Ray Harryhausen on Mysterious Island (11:14; SD) is an interview with the effects maestro; Islands of Mystery (5:31; SD) news reel; and some Theatrical Trailers and TV Spots. |
VIDEO – 4.25/5 |
| Mysterious Island debuts on Blu-ray through Twilight Time presented in its original 1.66 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture, for a movie made nearly 55 years ago, looks pretty darn good. Detail is decent enough especially for close-up shots and colors appear to be vibrant and well balanced. I didn’t notice any major instances of artifacts, aliasing, dust marks or scratches so it seems some care was put into the transfer. |
AUDIO – 4.0/5 |
| The movie not only gets one but three tracks to choose from. The default track is a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio which is the best of the bunch showcasing good dialogue levels as well as Bernard Herrmann’s amazing score. The other options are 2.0 and 1.0 tracks both of which do sound nice and they give the more genuine aural experience. Also available is an Isolated Score track. |
OVERALL – 3.75/5 |
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Overall, Mysterious Island is a fun, light-hearted and cheesy, fantasy flick highlighted by Ray Haryhausen’s incredible effects work combined with Bernard Herrmann’s score. The Blu-ray released under the Twilight Time line offers some decent features headlined by an extensive audio commentary, and good video/audio transfers.
Published: 12/24/2015 ** Click Here to Purchase Mysterious Island on Blu-ray from Screen Archives ** |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.