retrorocketx Unknown Island (1948) has a similar character structure to King Kong (1933). It also features a few elements of noir movies.In King Kong, a movie maker hires a girl and a ship and heads off to Skull Island, hoping to become rich and famous. In Unknown Island, a scientist/movie maker and his girl hire a ship and head off to an unknown island, hoping to become rich and famous. From here, the respective plots go off in different directions. The big question in any 'Lost World' movie is how will the explorers react when thrown into a primeval world? What I like about Unknown Island is that it tells a story about a seriously dysfunctional and aggressive group of explorers, at each others throats from the start of the movie to the finish. It's quite a contrast to the adventurous, charming, loyal, and naive group that sets sail in King Kong. Fifteen years and a world war have changed the nature of the game considerably! The attitudes of the characters are so violent, cynical and opportunistic I think they can be fairly called a noir characters. Another noir feature is shady morals, and boy does this movie have those! Wow! Some examples include, shooting a guy surrounded by T-rexes instead of charging in to save him, abandoning a beaten, sick man to be killed by an orange ape-sloth thing, and constant verbal and physical abuse of each other. One of the subplots is a love triangle involving Carole (Virginia Grey) and two rivals Ted (Phillip Reed) and John (Richard Denning). This triangle smacks of noir, as love is portrayed in a corrupt and cynical light. It's hard to like any of the characters. Compare the movie producer character in King Kong to Unknown Island. Carl Denim is eccentric and obsessed maybe, but he is lovable and beloved by the other explorers. Here, Ted Osborne, the supposed organizer of this expedition, is harassed at every moment and ridiculed constantly for expressing more interest in filming than his fiancée - and this on the very first day on the island! It does not get any better for the poor guy, he is duped throughout the movie. His fiancée Carole Lane, is some sort of rich society woman but underneath that polished exterior she is aggressive, opportunistic, and not shy or timid at all about going after what she wants. Compare her character with Anne Darrow of King Kong, the difference is like night and day. The hunky John Fairbanks is a recovering alcoholic, bitter, cynical, slimy, and just plain nasty. Compare him to the hero in King Kong, they both do whatever it takes to get the girl, but in very different senses. By far my favorite character is the captain of the ship. Watching him in action is what makes this movie worthwhile. He and his first mate are two-fisted, violent bullies who surely have gotten drunk in, and fought their way out of, every bar in every port along the South China Seas. The captain's personality so dominates this movie that only a recurring bout of malaria and a major drinking binge can level the playing field for the other characters.Unknown Island would be much improved if the underlying noir-feel were ramped up to a greater extent. A claustrophobic, dark, fatalistic atmosphere would kick this movie into uber-coolness, but the opportunity is missed. The dinosaurs are played for horror, at least that is how the characters typically react to them and talk about them. This would be a great angle for the movie, but at no time does the movie deliver a lurking sense of danger, or a brutal attack by any of the dinosaurs. Only one guy is killed because of dinosaurs and that only at the end of the movie. Big let down! The dinosaurs themselves are not anywhere near the bar set by Lost World (1925) or King Kong (1933), but that's okay. What is annoying is that they are not used to any great effect.Unknown Island is interesting to watch because of the 1940s post-war, noir-style take on a 'Lost World' type movie. It could have been a brilliant film. But even with its missed opportunities, I like this movie.

unbrokenmetal For 1948, "Unknown Island" is pretty good: shot in colour which was not going to be possible for most monster movies of the next decade, the only problem is the men in monster suits. They move slowly and clumsily and never seem more dangerous than the Muppet Show critters, but then again, also stop-motion and especially "enlarged" lizards have their disadvantages and nothing else was possible at the time.The story goes like this: a photographer wants to visit an island full of dinosaurs he spotted from a plane. His fiancé agrees to charter a ship. The only man who ever returned alive from the dinosaurs encourages them with the words: "I'll blow my brains out first before I go back to that island!" However, not the creatures become the biggest danger, but the conflicts between the crew, the captain, the photographer, his fiancé and the above mentioned adventurer. Shall they just take pictures, capture one of the monsters - or just run for their lives? "Unknown Island" does wisely not just to rely on the dinosaurs, but also create serious reasons (love, greed, superstition) for arguments and fights between the human beings. Thus it becomes an adventure still worth watching 60 years later even if the effects don't impress anyone anymore. Today we have many movies whose effects do impress - but nothing else does, and that's hardly better.

lordzedd-2 Bad. Really bad!! But it's not one thing wrong with it; it's many, many little things that turn this into garbage. The acting in this film was very good. But if the Captain had a disease like malaria then he should have been in a hospital and not on this trip. The goofy effects and dinosaur costumes were just lame. Now I know what the people who like this movie are saying to themselves. It's 1948, give them some slack, the technology was around. But take a look at King Kong of 1933 and tell me they could have done better if they tried.

Chris Gaskin Unknown Island is a significant dinosaur movie because it was the first one to be made in colour, despite the very low budget. It was a treat to watch though.An expedition travels to an uncharted island in the South Seas where strange creatures were sited during the Second World War. Once they arrive, they discover T-Rexes (men in suits), Brontosauruses pulled by wires, a plastic Dimetrodon and a giant Sloth played by Ray Corrigan (It! The Terror From Beyond Space). These monsters don't look too bad though. Several members of the party are killed by the beasts, including the captain. One of the best parts of the movie is the fight between the Sloth and a T-Rex. The movie also stars sci-fi movie regular Richard Denning (The Creature From the Black Lagoon). This movie was enjoyable despite the cheap looking monsters. A treat.Rating: 4 stars out of 5.