MovieChat Forums > The Island (1980) Discussion > How the Hell!

How the Hell!

posted 16 years ago by oxo100
21 replies | jump to latest

Just watching this film - How the hell did this movie get the green light?

I have never seen so many cheesed off British actors look so embarrassed. David Warner looks as if he's in rehearsals for pantomime! And the geezer from Lovejoy looks as if he has just stepped off a sketch from the Muppet Show!

I am sure Mr Caine stores this one in the dark recesses of his memory with the hope that he is not asked to provide a commentary on an upcoming DVD release.

To correct it's tagline from 1980 - "This summer the most terrifying thing in the cinema is . . . The Island"

This movie is a total dud, watch at your own risk - no doubt some idjiit will attempt to remake it.

Everybody be cool. YOU - be cool.

[–] pandkduke 16 years ago

Could not agree more with you oxo100
My wife and I thought we would watch it last night on ITV3 however by about just past half way we both looked at each other and thought 'What a load of rubbish'
So we turned off and went to bed.

After a promising start with the mystery of ships going missing and wealthy and rather unpleasant passengers getting bumped off, we thought this looks good. But as soon as he got to 'The Island' it did as you so rightly say look like some kind of pantomime, and a pretty poor one at that.

Never saw the end, and quite frankly, we are not that bothered.
Dreadful.

Michael Caine has made some great films in his time.

But this is certainly not one of them.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] jentom 16 years ago

Has Koch Media released it already? How much does it cost? I'm in Australia and have been waiting for this for ages (as well as for Wake in Fright).

[–] adieulami 16 years ago

it's out next week and will cost me around £16 GBP from Germany to England.

[–] smerd_70 16 years ago

" watch at your own risk"

What exactly is the risk? I keep seeing these warnings for movies and I don't get what the risk is? The risk that somebody may end up watching a movie they don't like? Or the risk that someone will like a movie you don't?

Hey, this guy's not gonna leak all over my ice cream, is he?

[–] Cube_TX 15 years ago

I guess the risk is watching a movie you won't like... but I think that "risk" is taken whenever anyone watches ANY movie they've never seen before.

[–] kvnnagel 15 years ago

If the acting in the early 80's wasnt Cheesey, it wasnt a movie. I like this movie, as I did when it came out. Its has a greta story line and good character development. This one would be a good candidate for a 2k remake.

[–] Cube_TX 15 years ago

Michael Caine wasn't exactly John Cazale -- not every film Caine appeared in was a bonafide classic. Remember, this is the same Michael Caine who appeared in that clunker "The Hand" immediately after the cheesefest of "The Island". "The Hand" is literally about a guy who gets his hand cut off in an accident, then the disembodied hand goes off killing people. It's not as cheesy as it sounds... it's 1000 times WORSE.

A few years before he was in that hilarious flick "The Swarm" that was pretty much another reason for the mass hysteria in the 80s that many people felt about the "Africanized" bees that were going to be invading the US in the early 80s.

"Victory" wasn't exactly an Oscar winner either. Watching Stallone play soccer with Pele is hilarious stuff though. Let's not forget "Deathtrap" with the late Christopher Reeve. Then there's the box-office smash "Blame it on Rio".

Wait! I can't forget the all-time worst flick Caine ever made (and this is REALLY saying something considering the list of turkeys I just gave you!) -- "Jaws: The Revenge"!!!! It's AWFUL! Watching Mario Van Peebles fake an accent is bad enough, but -- despite explosions by oxygen tanks, electrocution and grenade explosions -- the SAME SHARK is blamed for having a personal vendetta against the Brody family. Yes, Caine is in this crapfest too!

I wish we could blame all of Caine's clunkers on the 80s, but junk like Bewitched were made just 4 years ago.

Caine can't have THAT much space in the dark recesses of his memory. He's made enough lousy flicks to fill up two people's memories to the maximum.

Don't even bet me started on David Warner... unless you think The Last Leprechan, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, My Best Friend is a Vampire, The Man With Two Brains, Tron (sorry fanboys, it was 80s cheese), Airport 79, and the remake of Planet of the Apes are examples of fine feature films.

[–] rddav 15 years ago

LMAO!!!

[–] present_day 15 years ago

He had some choice roles now didn't he that Michael Caine. It was painful just remembering them all. And that accent by Mario Van Peebles. I can hear it now, simply deardful.

Considering all those Caine films, this one isn't all THAT bad. I kinda liked it actually, although I expected more from the ending after sitting thorough the whole thing

[–] hatr 15 years ago

This is almost so bad that it's good - almost

[–] justin-243 14 years ago

Michael Caine gave this great quote when asked about Jaws 4 The Revenge. He was asked if he'd seen it, and his reply was something to the tune of, "No, but have you seen my house in France?" He makes movies and doesn't let it bother him whether they're received well or not. Funny stuff.

[–] nlecro 14 years ago

Yeah Michael Caine made a lot of movies where his paycheck and acting was the only thing above average, but 'Blame it on Rio' is a funny movie and IMHO not that bad (slightly below average).

'The Hand' is a horrible movie, but Caine's acting in that movie is one of the best performances he gave in his career. If you watch that peace of crap and tell me Caine was not brilliant in that movie then I found your taste in acting weird.

[–] JackRussellDog 14 years ago

You forgot David Warner in Waxworks; Michael Caine in "On Deadly Ground". That was weird seeing him with dark hair. Even SCTV ripped on "The Hand".

[–] shadesofhades 13 years ago

Your post had me rolling on the floor with laughter. BUT - and it's big enough for Sir Mix-a-Lot to drool over - I have to disagree with you about The Man with Two Brains.

Re your point in general, though, it IS a shame that such fine actors - and I think Warner's a great actor - have to appear in films such as the ones listed, but I'd rather do that than any job I've had.

[–] badgerno1 13 years ago

I'm assuming your American? You just don't get Michael Caine! He did,as he has admitted,make many of those terrible movies just for the cash-The Swarm paid for a new garage! you can see on his face in The Island that he's just thinking,think about the money,think about the money as he sleepwalks through the film. He once said,'If I want to see art,I'll go to an art gallery'! it's a very down to earth London working class attitude.

As for The Hand,it isn't as silly as you described,it's not really a hand going round killing people,it's Caine's character's psychosis.It's a psychological film-a bit daft but entertaining and with plenty of good scenes.

Caine's pride,luckily,ensures that he makes the odd classic here and there between the dross

watch my video-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTpYKfppC3g

[–] livingdead70 11 years ago

How did it get green lighted? Because movies of Peter Benchley's other 2 novels, Jaws, and the Deep, made millions at the box office.
The Island is not a perfect movie, but its far from the worst movie Ive ever seen.
And to the commenter who said Tron was cheesy, Tron had its flaws also, but it was far from cheesy.
trey

[–] scifi75 10 years ago

I guess it comes down to the actor and what they are willing to do to get paid. I think Michael Caine is not the type to obsess over failures. He got a paycheck, and he put up a performance as a result. He's a good actor, and he could very well look at his skills as a job and nothing more.

I do laugh at the misguided notion that some actors have to be protectors of the trade, and that they most take a stand on what is considered appropriate for "the craft" even if it means turning away from a large pay check.

[–] alifeatthemovies 8 years ago

In his first memoir, What's it All About?, Caine explains that he would wait until he needed money, and then accept whatever role was on offer at the moment. He also says that he gets paid the same for a bad movie or a good one, and says that making a bad movie with a bad director isn't easier than making a good one, but harder, so people shouldn't be too hard on him.

[–] Bernnard_Black 7 years ago

Thing is, the book was a f()cking train wreck, too. Benchley got famous for Jaws (and it's one of only two instances I know of that the book is actually worse than the movie), so pretty much anything of his he wrote, someone would try to make a movie out of it. Water + the author of Jaws? Hellz yeah!

But the book and film were just abysmal. I mean, really, truly bad. A secretary that's into S&M. Group fish oil enemas. Just weird sh!t that made no sense. It's the only of his books, including the horribly stupid and cheese Beast and White Shark that I only read once.

Whores will have their trinkets.

[–] TinaKimo (872) 7 years ago

LOL. Thanks for telling us. Now I don't have to read the book. This movie actually shook me. I had no clue what was going to happen next! Can't believe some folks said Michael Cain was miscast. Hell, I was rooting for him!!!!