Why does nobody talk about how 'The Island of Dr. Moreau' (1996) is actually a wild comedy?

I always hated it until I watched it as a dark comedy after reading about all the behind-the-scenes chaos, and now I can't stop laughing at Kilmer and Brando's ridiculous performances. Has anyone else tried watching it that way and actually enjoyed it?

3 comments

3 Comments

victorb7413d ago

Hold on, is this really the hill you want to die on? I mean, sure, Brando wore a bucket on his head and slurred half his lines, but calling a movie with that much studio interference and a dead director a "wild comedy" feels like giving it too much credit. It's more of a car crash you can't look away from than a comedy. Kilmer was clearly trying to sabotage the thing, not be funny on purpose. Are we really gonna pretend the behind-the-scenes drama makes the actual film good now?

oscarb7713d ago

So you're saying the chaos behind the scenes makes the movie worse, not better? That's an interesting take, but doesn't the fact that it's a trainwreck kind of make it more entertaining in its own weird way? The bucket on Brando's head alone is worth the price of admission, even if it wasn't intentional. A comedy doesn't have to be a tightly crafted joke machine to work, sometimes the mess itself is the punchline. Kilmer probably wasn't trying to be funny, but the end result is still hilarious. Are you really telling me you watched that whole thing and didn't crack a smile at least once?

william_jackson6513d agoMost Upvoted

@victorb74 I'd argue the real comedy is watching a studio burn millions hoping the mess would somehow fix itself.