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Young lovers Paul (Ezra Godden) and Barbara (Raquel Merono) celebrate the success of their
lucrative business ventures from aboard a yacht. But just as when they are trying to have a relaxing trip to the Mediterranean, a freak storm impales their vessel and they are
forced to abandon ship. Soon, they wash up near a mysteriously quiet fishing town. Residents of the island gradually shuffle out of their dwellings, but they appear to be
flat, emotionless, and physically incomplete. After a series of chases by the mutants, Paul soon learns the history of the Imboca island and how the village people have mutated
into half man and half fish. As there seems to be no way out of the village, Paul stumbles across a woman (Macarena Gomez) (who has haunted his dreams for so long) who
actually holds the key to his frightening dark roots that he would never want to know.
The Lost Island is said to be the most expensive Spanish horror film in years with its first rate
gory effects and production design. Veteran horror director Stuart Gordon, who has veered away from horror films for so long, makes a comeback in the genre with an attempt to make
an epic out of The Lost Island's over-the-top concept on creepy half fish-half human creatures. The result may be a visual treat for the horror fanatics but the prolonged,
and non-linear plot structure may dismay the larger audiences. Consistent with the movie's title, the audience gets lost in the web of story as the film progresses. Though
dialogues are in English, actors cannot do away with their Spanish accents that make their speaking lines quite difficult to decipher.
The theme of The Lost Island
revolves around the premise that humans might be genetically linked to a strain of gill-sprouting sea monsters. The film is consistent on this up to the end that leaves the audience with the question: what if sea creatures become more powerful than humans? Questions and tensions on humans and animals co-existentialism are quite overused story concepts for ages but
The Lost Island
tries to give a fresher outlook by exploring the possibilities of human-fish reproduction with mutants as a result. With the tale of the ImbocaIsland, the film says that people should be cautious on having objects of faith other than God. The only disturbing element in the film, aside from many scenes of gore and some nudity, is the apparent dominance of animal instincts over that of humans that makes evil triumph over goodness. .
(Date Reviewed: December 19, 2003)
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