IslandoftheFishmen

Island of the Fishmen (1979)

A group of dehydrated and disheveled men adrift in the middle of the ocean during the dead of night are attacked and have their lifeboat capsized by an unseen, fishy menace. Several survivors wash ashore on an idyllic island with dangerous secrets and deadly conspiracies. They find shelter at the palatial estate of Edmond Rackham, a nefarious landowner flanked by indigenous tribal henchman. Rackham, (played by Richard Johnson of Zombie fame) has a voodoo priestess in his employ and an unwilling concubine played by Barbara Bach. As the story unfolds, so does the nature of Rackham's twisted plot to genetically modify the captured men into half fish creatures who can withstand the deep-sea pressure so as to facilitate his master plan of looting treasure from the lost city of Atlantis!?!?

It all looks ridiculous on paper, but is played in the film as serious as a heart attack. It is this unlikely marriage of disparate subject matter and tone however that so immeasurably elevates the enjoyment factor. This isn't some schlocky camp fest, constantly winking at the camera for cheap laughs; this is a fantastical adventure story that earnestly endeavors to entertain you and succeeds winningly.

I'm not going to suggest this is high art or political parable, it's simply pure fun. The gorgeous island setting is the perfect backdrop for this lurid tale and its exotic spirit of adventure. The fishmen themselves are at turns rubbery, silly, menacing and sympathetic. The sets and models have been lovingly constructed by caring craftsmen and the direction and cinematography (apart from some dodgy lighting now and again) is all competent enough.

It's the mincing, devilish villain turn by Richard Johnson and the surprisingly nuanced script that distinguishes this film from typical creature feature fare. The evil Rackham character comes across like a pairing of Dr. Moreau with a white boss man plantation owner while uttering lines like "I wouldn't say I exactly hate my fellow man, let's just say I resent them imposing their laws upon me." Classic, sociopathic bad guy stuff here folks! It's like having a golden era Bond villain dropped in the middle of a monster movie and it plays beautifully.

This little seen curiosity was recently released for either the first time, or the first time since going out of print many moons ago. In any case, I highly recommend checking this out. It's light on gore and mean spirited sadism, but blessed with an abundance of good-natured adventurous entertainment.

3 out of 4

reviewed by Matt Risnes