There are few more disastrous film sets than that on which was staged the shooting of The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996).  As for why I picked it, I had just gotten back from a Caribbean cruise, so I thought it would be fitting to watch something with the word “island” in the name.  I also have a vague recollection of seeing this movie, possibly in the theater, when I was younger and thinking it awful.  This is hard to understand when you consider it has a cast with the likes of Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer, Ron Perlman, and David Thewlis, not to mention some other familiar faces.  Finally, as a Catholic reviewer and historian, I knew the movie would have something to offer in terms of the cautionary spiritual tales I prefer to give to you.  It did not disappoint on the first and last of these ideas.  As for the middle, well, I think what I am about to describe will give you some sense of the awfulness involved.

Speaking of awful, Edward Douglas (David Thewlis) is having a tough time as he drifts on a life raft not too far from The Island of Dr. Moreau.  What follows from here is meant to be a narration of events put upon him when, after two other survivors from his down plane kill each other fighting over the last can of water, the representative of the United Nations (UN) is picked up by Dr. Montgomery (Val Kilmer).  This neurosurgeon is on his way to the title location and is able to rescue the adrift Edward.  Nonetheless, Edward is about to depart with the local boat that brought them to this deserted Pacific outpost when Dr. Montgomery convinces Edward to stay until they can radio for help.  Dr. Montgomery appears hospitable, if strange, but things turn dark when the physician locks Edward in his room.  When he is able to escape, his furtive steps take him into a laboratory where he comes face-to-horrifying face with the gruesome experiments being done in this remote location.  In short, Dr. Moreau (Marlon Brando) is trying to create animal-human hybrids by splicing human deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and body parts, with those of animals, and vice versa.  Edward cannot contain his revulsion, leading to him being noticed, but is aided in further flight by Aissa (Fairuza Balk), whom Edward had earlier met.  “Flight” is probably the wrong word as she takes him to the Sayer of the Law (Ron Perlman).  He is part goat, part man, and his role is to reinforce to others like him the rules of the land, which mainly involve an imposition against killing of any kind.  Bringing Edward to this area fully introduces him to the extent of Dr. Moreau’s genetic tinkering.  It is in this beast village that Dr. Moreau finds Edward, the doctor showing up in a sort of mock pope-mobile and robes (much to this Catholic’s irritation) and demonstrating the power he holds over his creatures.  Upon witnessing recalcitrant behavior, such as the ones that instantly want to kill David for threatening Dr. Moreau, their so-called father pushes a button that sends a signal from a controller hanging from the scientist’s neck that inflicts pain.  Pain is the law, or so the saying goes in this place.  From here, Edward essentially resigns himself to being a prisoner, though there are a few unsuccessful attempts at getting the radio working.  It continues to be inoperable because, as Dr. Montgomery reveals, he has removed its circuit board.  This is only the beginning of the madness.  Earlier, Dr. Montgomery had rabbit served to him as dinner in Dr. Moreau’s presence.  When the older doctor sees the flesh at his table, it is immediately clear that the prohibition had been broken, leading Dr. Moreau to state that there will be a trial the next day.  Dr. Montgomery says nothing, though another bunny had been spotted dead in the woods.  This is blamed on Lo-Mai (Mark Decascos), a leopard mutant.  At the so-called hearing, Azazello (Temuera Morrison), one of Dr. Moreau’s closest “children,” steps up and shoots Lo-Mai in the head, a summary execution.  The one who takes this the hardest is Hyena-Swine (Daniel Rigney).  I will let you work out the animals with which he is crossed.  After Lo-Mai’s cremation, Hyena-Swine discovers a chip on the inside of Lo-Mai’s charred rib.  Hyena-Swine concludes, especially after finding a similar device in his own flesh, that this is how Dr. Moreau is able to keep them all in check.  Hyena-Swine spreads this bit of information to a few others, and together they pay a visit to their “father.”  They end up murdering Dr. Moreau, who is shocked when his pain clicker does not work.  Meanwhile, a dazed Edward is wandering the compound when he stumbles upon data suggesting that he had been experimented on shortly after being brought to the island.  It is not clear when this happens, but whatever.  Aissa tells him that she is regressing into her cat-form, barring her fangs, but Edward sadly informs her that Dr. Montgomery had destroyed all the serum to prevent the transformation.  He adds that his DNA was supposed to have been the breakthrough Dr. Moreau needed to complete his work.  At any rate, Hyena-Swine and his posse continue their rampage, which leads to the death of Dr. Montgomery.  This happens in the beast village, which is where Aissa and Edward are caught.  Aissa dies trying to save Edward, but he is captured anyway and brought before Hyena-Swine.  The newly self-appointed leader wants Edward to call Hyena-Swine a god.  Edward points out that if Hyena-Swine is a god, so too are the others who removed the pain chip.  Instantly jealous of his newfound power, Hyena-Swine attacks the others.  In the confusion, there is an explosion that kills Hyena-Swine eventually and allows Edward to get away.  Though Sayer of the Law entreats Edward to stay, Edward insists that he must depart.

I should have departed The Island of Dr. Moreau about halfway through it, but I rarely like to do that with my time. Instead, watching it became an exercise in which direction I would take my Catholic analysis.  There are the obvious parallels attempted in this adaptation of H. G. Wells’ original novel of the same title, first published in 1896.  One could gloss over that little detail considering this is a modern version of the tale, but it bears some further scrutiny.  The late nineteenth and into the early twentieth century was a time of so-called scientific racism.  It was thought that science could solve all of society’s ills, such as the conflict between different ethnicities, by academically proving the inferiority of one versus the superiority of another.  It is all a load of crap, of course, much like this movie, but Dr. Moreau’s theory aims at ending all strife between humans.  The problem with this solution, if I may call it that, is that we are all different by God’s design.  Dr. Moreau thinks he knows best, he casts himself in a benevolent, god-like role, but it is those same creations of his that rebel and murder him.  I have similar thoughts when I see signs in some yards that read “Science is real,” among other platitudes, as if being a Christian means not believing in gravity, for example.  One can look at this film as saying a society without God is chaos, even if they seem better off in the end.  Such a sentiment is wrong because we have witnessed this country become more antithetical to Christianity, and more violent in the process.  I do not approve of the title character, or the movie, but one can hardly blame Dr. Moreau for retiring from the world in order to try to save it.  Monks and nuns do the same thing, though they use prayer rather than mutilating the living.  And it is in that final point that the movie and faith depart because the ends do not justify the means.  That is not some convenient cliché but official Church teaching.  Wanting to make the world a better place is good, but not at the cost of others’ lives.

Between murder in the sake of science, and the grotesque nature of the mutants, The Island of Dr. Moreau should be a hard pass for most.  What needs to also be remembered, as the Church also teaches, is that if such creations did come to life, they would have as much a right to life as anyone else.  This still does not make the film worth your while, but it is something.