Monster Island

"Tickets to Paradise... or ParaSITES?"

2004 1h 28m EN

💀

4.4

SKIP

★4.4TMDB · 32

AdventureComedyHorrorTV Movie

Synopsis

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Mutant radioactive bugs attack VJs, Carmen Electra and an island full of MTV contest winners in this tongue-in-cheek tribute to B-movies, monster flicks and even MTV. MTV Original Movies presents Monster Island, a flick with old school effects mixed with hot new celebrities. There’s action, romance and big bugs--now is that something you really want to miss?

“Tickets to Paradise... or ParaSITES?”

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Cast

Daniel Letterle
Josh
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Maddy
Chelan Simmons
Jen
Cascy Beddow
Andy
Joe MacLeod
Stack
Carmen Electra
Self
La La Anthony
Self
Nick Carter
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jack Perez
Writers: Jack Perez
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, Canada, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: United States of America, Canada, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jack Perez, shot by Todd Elyzen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michael Richard Plowman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Marcus Manton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Daniel Letterle and Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Chelan Simmons carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Tickets to Paradise... or ParaSITES?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jack Perez directs. Todd Elyzen behind the camera. Michael Richard Plowman scores. Marcus Manton cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America, Canada, France. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 22 years ago.
3International production across 3 countries: United States of America, Canada, France.
4Directed by Jack Perez, shot by Todd Elyzen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Michael Richard Plowman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Marcus Manton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Daniel Letterle and Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Chelan Simmons carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Tickets to Paradise... or ParaSITES?".
9IMDB entry: tt0382856 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 32 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Todd Elyzen
Original score: Michael Richard Plowman
Editing: Marcus Manton
Production design: Reiko Kobayashi
Costume design: Patti Bishop
Makeup / hair: Ryan Nicholson
Sound: Iain Pattison
Stunt coordinator: Randy Lee
Runtime: 88 min · 1h 28m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Monster Island (2004)

Also by

Jack Perez

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2020-10-28
★ 8/10
Fun, campy adventure Released to TV in 2004, "Monster Island" is a fun, campy adventure with intentionally bad non-special effects that combines elements of movies like 1961's "Mysterious Island," "King Kong," "The Land that Time Forgot" and "Scooby-Doo" (but without the dog); it pokes fun at the stop-motion effects from decades ago and even has a character named after stop-motion guru Ray Harryhausen, played by Adam West. I'm surprised at the bad reviews, which shows these people didn't "get it," because "Monster Island" delivers the goods in practically every department. For one, the adventure story works even though it's obviously not to be taken too serious; it's just serious enough. Secondly, the cast is great, which includes an excellent assortment of women -- cutie Chelan Simmons, blond dancer Jana Berengel, Carmen Electra, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, etc. And, thirdly, a notable score and soundtrack (including the main song "Jungle Fever" sung by Carmen). Really, everything just clicks for a entertaining, fun adventure movie. Around the mid-point I realized that I had stumbled on to something special with the introduction of Dr. Harryhausen's ugly-but-cute pet Rudy and the subsequent nigh-moving scene between Dr. Harryhausen and Maddy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). The way Maddy starts to morph into the queen (or goddess) of the Matambas due to the tribal necklace is another highlight. I'm grading this flick according to what it is and what it aspires to achieve: "Monster Island" is a campy TV-movie with intentionally bad F/X and a fun adventure story, which is taken just serious enough. With this in mind, it's superlative on practically every level and, in my opinion, is more entertaining than "Goonies," the two "Scooby-Doo" movies, "At the Earth's Core" (which isn't saying much, lol) and even "Star Wars" (yes, there are some Star Wars elements). In other words, I'd happily watch "Monster Island" before any of these five movies. The film was shot in British Columbia and the studio and runs 92 minutes. GRADE: B+/A-

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