FA+
Shop
Film Serial Review - Manhunt of Mystery Island
6 years ago
Well, my last film review of the year, and of the decade, is one of the old adventure serials. Serials we before my time, but according to wikipedia, serials were weekly, almost like a TV show, but at the cinema. With some inspiring famous blockbusters like Indiana Jones.
The plot has a man named Reardon, and a woman name Claire go to Mystery Island, to rescue Claire's father, who is being held prisoner by the evil pirate Captain Mephisto, who has a secret machine allowing him to change his appearance.
This cheesy set up could be entertaining, but unfortunately, the serial is boring, bland, and repetitive.
It has the usual serial problem of fake cliff hanger endings. For example, one episode ends with Claire's plane crashing into a mountain, but the start of the next episode shows the same scene, but the plane doesn't crash. It's a cheap trick I don't like but can be forgiven.
But each episode itself is boring and crammed with filler. I'm going to make up some numbers to explain what I mean. Each episode starts by showing the last minute or 2 of the previous one, sometimes with changes as said above. Whenever Mephisto transforms, we get the same footage of him using the transformation machine which is about 30 seconds to a minute. Let's say each episode is 15 minutes long. That's a quarter, if not a third of the show that's recycled footage.
This might be forgivable if the stories and action were good, but they're not. Fights are samey, though they usually destroy most of the room in the process. The plots are likewise samey, with the only progress being the first few and last few episodes. The final episode tries to have a few twists, but in order for it to work the final battle happens off screen.
So yeah, can't really recommend this one. It's too repetitive and boring to stay interesting. If you do watch it, watch the first few episodes, and skip to the last 2. You're not missing much. There is apparently a 100 minute movie edit, which I've not seen by it could potentially be better.
One thing I want to mention. Claire is not a damsel in distress. She is sometimes, but other times she rescues Reardon, and she's generally capable throughout. Not a bit deal, but just something you don't normally associate with the genre at the time.
Tomorrow, we'll be in the cyberpunk year of 2020. Have fun, and see you next decade.
The plot has a man named Reardon, and a woman name Claire go to Mystery Island, to rescue Claire's father, who is being held prisoner by the evil pirate Captain Mephisto, who has a secret machine allowing him to change his appearance.
This cheesy set up could be entertaining, but unfortunately, the serial is boring, bland, and repetitive.
It has the usual serial problem of fake cliff hanger endings. For example, one episode ends with Claire's plane crashing into a mountain, but the start of the next episode shows the same scene, but the plane doesn't crash. It's a cheap trick I don't like but can be forgiven.
But each episode itself is boring and crammed with filler. I'm going to make up some numbers to explain what I mean. Each episode starts by showing the last minute or 2 of the previous one, sometimes with changes as said above. Whenever Mephisto transforms, we get the same footage of him using the transformation machine which is about 30 seconds to a minute. Let's say each episode is 15 minutes long. That's a quarter, if not a third of the show that's recycled footage.
This might be forgivable if the stories and action were good, but they're not. Fights are samey, though they usually destroy most of the room in the process. The plots are likewise samey, with the only progress being the first few and last few episodes. The final episode tries to have a few twists, but in order for it to work the final battle happens off screen.
So yeah, can't really recommend this one. It's too repetitive and boring to stay interesting. If you do watch it, watch the first few episodes, and skip to the last 2. You're not missing much. There is apparently a 100 minute movie edit, which I've not seen by it could potentially be better.
One thing I want to mention. Claire is not a damsel in distress. She is sometimes, but other times she rescues Reardon, and she's generally capable throughout. Not a bit deal, but just something you don't normally associate with the genre at the time.
Tomorrow, we'll be in the cyberpunk year of 2020. Have fun, and see you next decade.
