Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Jemima It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Winifred The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

classicsoncall I couldn't get over how Confederate Sergeant Pencroft (Percy Herbert) put one over on the entire band of Union soldier escapees by stating he could fly the balloon. The only control a balloonist has over his aircraft is when to release the tether rope, and after that, just up and down depending on the amount of hot air forced into the envelope of the balloon. And this balloon didn't have any means of propulsion for lifting it off the ground!!! Oh well, a lesson in balloon physics isn't what your average viewer would be tuning in for anyway. Personally, I thought the Mysterious Island would be home to all manner of dinosaurs for some reason, so it was rather a surprise to see all those otherwise normal looking animals blown up to monstrous proportions. I believe the giant crab scene was the basis for one of those Dell Comic Book covers back in the Sixties, and if it wasn't, it should have been. The mega-chicken was pretty cool too, but for some reason I expected an even larger mother hen to come blazing around the corner.Captain Nemo (Herbert Lom) turned out to be an interesting guy. I get a kick out of characters who's idea of championing world peace involves killing off unsavory competition like those pirates approaching the island. Sure they might have deserved it, but how does one responsibly become an arbiter in this sort of equation? The movie certainly looks dated from the standpoint of 2016 as I write this, but there's a certain charm and mystique in films like this from a half century ago. They might be saying the same thing about the "Star Wars" films some day too. Check this one out for another excellent example of Ray Harryhausen's handiwork. His prior films featured creatures filmed using the 'dynamation' process, this one upped the ante by going for 'super dynamation' according to the picture's opening credits.

Wuchak "Mysterious Island" (1961) based on the classic Jules Verne book, is outstanding for a number of reasons: A truly awe-inspiring score by Bernard Herrmann, one of cinema's best ever.Likable cast & characters, including Michael Craig as Captain Harding and Herbert Lom as the eccentric genius Captain Nemo. Good acting & script.Fantastic stop-motion creature F/X by Ray Harryhausen, which hold up pretty well.Compelling adventure/survival story (unlike, say, the comparatively boring "Jason and the Argonauts").A mysterious ambiance.Some interesting musings on humanity's penchant for war & violence and possible solutions, etc.Fabulous Spanish coastal locations; with interesting fake mountain & volcano backdrops (which, I admit, get old after awhile).If you're a red-blooded male you'll find it hard to take your eyes off cutie Beth Rogan (Elena) and her skimpy island outfit. She blows Raquel Welch and her infamous cavegirl outfit in "One Million Years BC" out of the water.Lastly, the seven castaways include African-American Dan Jackson as Corporal Neb Nugent, a likable character just as important as any of the others. This is no big deal today, of course, but keep in mind the film was made in 1961 BEFORE the Civil Rights Movement and five full years before Star Trek featured Uhura as an important cast member in 1966.CONCLUSION: Although "Mysterious Island" is from 1961 it's so well made that its age is irrelevant. It's a must for all fantasy/adventure/survival fans.The film runs 101 minutes.GRADE: A-

AaronCapenBanner Cy Endfield directed this non-Disney sequel to "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" also set during the Civil War by author Jules Verne. A group of Union soldiers escape from a Confederate prison in a nearby hot air balloon, only to float over the ocean into the south seas, where they land on the mysterious island of the title. There, they discover a land of giant animals, like a chicken and lobster, as well as the remains of pirates, who will later return to the island, which is their occasional hideout from the authorities. As if that wasn't enough, a volcano threatens to erupt, and then Captain Nemo(played by Herbert Lom, in place of James Mason) turns up... Exciting and well-made film has excellent F/X by Ray Harryhausen and an engrossing story with few lulls. A real classic of its kind, fine for adults as well as kids.

MartinHafer This movie must have looked great back in 1961, though the special effects today look pretty dated. Now I am not trying to be nasty--I can respect the work Ray Harryhausen did with the film but in this age of incredible CGI work, his stop-motion work does look pretty quaint. Plus, the superimposed backgrounds and other effects just seem to have aged poorly. HOWEVER, the film still looks good and is entertaining--making it sort of a 'turn off your brain and enjoy' sort of film.It begins at a Confederate prison camp during the US Civil War. A group of Union soldiers have a remarkably easy time escaping and seizing an observation balloon. But, once in the balloon they hit a huge storm that takes them way out over the Pacific Ocean. After many days, they arrive at an odd island--odd because there are some HUGE creatures there and also because oddly fortuitous things keep happening. First, some ladies conveniently land there as well (yet the island is supposedly in the middle of no where). Second, when pirates or giant animals attack, Captain Nemo suddenly appears and saves the day. Third, when the island decides to explode and kill them all, they manage to create a means of escape.Now you might think this would make for a silly film, but the overall effect was actually pretty cool. The acting, while most of the actors are relative unknowns, was quite good. The only really familiar faces I saw were Herbert Lom (who played a nice Captain Nemo) and Gary Merrill (one of Bette Davis' many husbands and a very underrated actor). I think kids, fantasy and Harryhausen fans will enjoy this. However, if you are a person who only watches DVDs from the Criterion Collection or the latest and most up to date films, you probably won't enjoy this film nearly as much. I liked it because it was charming for its kitsch value--plus it was pretty fun.By the way, although there are several silly effects in the film, the one that made me laugh is one I see all the time. At one point the folks find a skeleton and it is fully articulated--in other words, all the bones are connected like you'd see in a skeleton in a science classroom. Well, despite seeing these all the time in movies, once the flesh is removed from a skeleton, the ligaments and tendons become disconnected from the bones and the whole thing falls apart. In other words, you'd just find a pile of bones. That's your biology lesson for today, kids!