Monster Island, 2025.
Directed by Mike Wiluan.
Starring Dean Fujioka, Callum Woodhouse, and Alan Maxson.
SYNOPSIS:
Set during WW2, a Japanese soldier and a British prisoner of war are stranded on a deserted island, hunted by a deadly creature. The two mortal enemies must then come together to survive the unknown.
The official synopsis for Shudder’s latest exclusive, Monster Island (aka Orang Ikan, or “Fish Man” as it roughly translates from its native Indonesian), cites a number of key reference points to whet the appetite of prospective viewers — ranging from Malay folklore to old-school B-movies like Creature from the Black Lagoon.
You can certainly detect hints of these outwardly declared inspirations in the film itself, what with the aquatic scares, its allusions to Southeast Asian cryptids, and the fact that the main antagonist is a web-footed, quasi-sympathetic amphibian that’s hell-bent on defending its territory. What the promotional materials fail to mention, however, is that the most blatant touchstone you’ll find yourself comparing Monster Island to is surely Predator. An influence that director Mike Wiluan doesn’t so much wear on his sleeve as he does sear it into the exposed flesh of his arm!
Unless you somehow haven’t seen the 1987 Schwarzenegger favourite, you simply won’t be able to ignore the glaring parallels. You’ve got military types traipsing around a tropical jungle for half the runtime, a camouflaged beastie that makes its presence known by emitting guttural clicking sounds, and a climax that revolves around our hero relinquishing modern weapons to instead engage his foe in a more primal showdown. Not to mention, the filmmakers recycle certain key scenes from Predator wholesale, including that one where the titular hunter tends to its neon green wounds during a moment of downtime.
In Orang Ikan’s defence, there aren’t many beloved movies — other than perhaps Alien and Mad Max — that are as easy for low-fi productions of this scale to emulate as John McTiernan’s machismo-fuelled classic. After all, the premise doesn’t require a large ensemble or any expensive sets. All you really need is access to a nearby forest and a performer who is willing to suffer the indignity of getting slapped around in a cheap Halloween costume for an hour and a half.
Credit where credit’s due, though, this is a cut above most other Predator rip-offs. It might not be particularly original when it comes to its storytelling, but the script is decent, the acting solid, the technical craftsmanship more than serviceable, and the creature suit actually holds up to scrutiny for once! Throw in some nice exotic scenery, owing to a convincing blend of soundstage and on-location shooting, and it all makes for enjoyable Friday night fare.
Effectively a period piece, Monster Island takes place at the height of WW2 and opens aboard a Japanese “hell ship” that’s transporting prisoners of war back to the mainland (so that they can be exploited as slave labour). If you’re not familiar with these vessels, they were notorious for keeping their human cargo in the most cramped, humid, unhygienic and generally inhospitable conditions imaginable. Disease was rife, ventilation was poor, and captives were routinely forced to endure cruel torture and starved of basic necessities like food and water.
It’s as the subjects of this horrendous treatment that our two main characters are introduced to both the audience and each other. In one corner we have Saito (Dean Fujioka) — a disgraced member of the imperial army who, for undisclosed reasons, has displeased his superiors — and, in the other, we have Bronsan (Callum Woodhouse): a British POW who lashes out at his jailers every chance he gets.
In reprisal for whatever act of insubordination he has committed, we’re told that Saito is due to be made an example of when they reach Japan and that he will be put to death for all the nation to see. However, this execution is fortuitously stayed when an allied sub torpedoes the hell ship, unaware that it is carrying friendlies.
Using the ensuing chaos as an opportunity to escape, Saito and Bronsan end up as castaways on an uncharted land mass somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Chained together by the ankle — a sadistic punishment that was enforced mere moments before that chance naval attack — their fates are now entwined, and they’ll have to overcome their differences (not to mention, a pretty steep language barrier) if they’re to have any hope whatsoever of surviving.
Honestly, the film doesn’t make as much of this subplot as it could. You’d think there’d be some tension to mine from the mutual distrust harboured by these two servicemen, but the pair seemingly become besties overnight and not 25 minutes of screen time have elapsed before they’re already liberated from their iron bonds. Indeed, the script seems to be in a real hurry to get to the aforementioned Predatoring, so we kind of speed run through any potential human drama.
Speaking of which, this picture ain’t called Monster Island for nothing! Soon after Saito and Bronsan untether themselves, a small unit of imperial officers wash up on shore and, in a wonderfully graphic sequence, are eviscerated by the native “Orang Ikan”. Boosting piranha-like teeth, jet black eyes and a scaly dorsal fin, it’s essentially what you’d get if you crossbred the typical Gil Man with those trench dwellers from the first Aquaman. And it’s a great antagonist to centre the flick around, thrusting our heroes into a primitive game of cat-and-mouse from which death is almost guaranteed.
Not to labour the point, but it’s all very Predator from thereon out. The expected checkboxes are dutifully ticked off; from rainforest stalking sequences to moonlit fight prep and a climax that involves a big old bomb. We’d feel bad about giving too much away yet, if you’ve seen one of these films before, there are precisely zero surprises waiting.
Still, execution is what ultimately matters with a movie, and it’s done rather well in this instance. There’s an engaging buddy dynamic between the two leads — aided by Fujioka and Woodhouse’s considerable chemistry — and when the practical gore effects get going, they are suitably squelchy.
As with the ankle-chain idea, which has very little bearing on proceedings, there are some missed opportunities. For example, despite being an amphibious threat, the Orang Ikan is conspicuously bound to dry land for the most part. It could just be the case that underwater photography would have stretched the production beyond its means, nevertheless, you kind of need your fish man to have at least a couple of on-screen dips. Otherwise, he might as well be a terrestrial creature. We’re not asking for The Way of Water here, just something that takes advantage of the beast’s aquatic nature.
That one slipup aside, director Wiluan is very shrewd about how he spends his limited budget, allocating it to all the places that really matter, as opposed to wasting it on guff that wouldn’t bring any more eyes to the project. So, in lieu of B-list stars, we’re able to have legitimate production value in the form of a (brief but impressive) CGI naval battle, an exciting crocodile attack, and a terrific, downed aircraft set.
Of course, the most important thing the money went towards was the Orang Ikran itself, upon which much of the movie’s success obviously depends. Resembling a top-tier Buffy the Vampire Slayer creation (which makes sense, given that designer Allan B. Holt cut his teeth on that Joss Whedon show), the suit is well detailed, manoeuvrable, has articulate facial features, and even holds up decently in broad daylight. You also get to see it in a few different permutations over the course of the story — as the Gil Man gets sliced, stabbed, shot up and burned — which is an appreciated bit of extra effort that they didn’t have to go through.
On balance then, Monster Island isn’t going to join the pantheon of Shudder’s greatest acquisitions (like Revenge or last year’s Oddity), but it will keep you entertained if you’re looking for some Predator-esque viewing that doesn’t suck. If nothing else, you’ll definitely want to keep an eye on Wiluan to gauge how his directorial career progresses because, based on this evidence, he’s got promise.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Harrison Abbott
