StuOz A group of people land on a mysterious island.Mysterious Island or The Out Of Control Balloon? What is the correct title? I say this because I have made several viewings of this film since the early 1990s, and when the movie is talked about I remember the wonderful opening footage of the balloon in the storm (scored by Bernard Herrmann). The rest of the film is fine as well, but not as mind-blowing as the start.Captain Nemo, the submarine, giant creatures, danger, adventure, science fiction, Gary Merrill, attractive young people, Bernard Herrmann going on all thrusters for the whole flick, this movie has the works...outstanding and better than 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954).

BA_Harrison A group of Union prisoners break out of a Confederate military prison and flee in an observation balloon (while being shot at by the enemy, who, luckily for the escapees, fail to hit them or the balloon). Caught in a storm, the men are whisked westwards for thousands of miles, before a tear in the balloon leaves them stranded on an uninhabited island in the Pacific, where they discover oversized animals, encounter a couple of castaway women, battle against pirates, and meet Captain Nemo (Herbert Lom), creator of the submarine Nautilus, who has been conducting experiments on the island in an effort to solve world hunger.Mysterious Island opens in superb form, with its wonderfully exciting US Civil War escape sequence, followed by the soldiers' perilous flight; once the characters land on the island, the film settles into routine adventure mode, as they explore the island, confront a variety of perils, and are faced with an erupting volcano, before putting into action a far-fetched escape plan. This mildly entertaining nonsense is enlivened by several impressive (for the day) Ray Harryhausen effects set-pieces (a giant crab, a huge flightless bird, some big bees, and a massive tentacled sea creature), but made far more enjoyable by the presence of gorgeous Beth Rogan, who plays shipwreck survivor Elena; once she sheds her Victorian gown for something a little (OK, a lot) more revealing, things definitely get more interesting!6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for sexy Elena and her yellow pants.

Ed-Shullivan I may have been only 8 years old when I first saw Mysterious Island and there were some scenes in the movie that gave me nightmares for years to come but more than 50 years later I maintain great memories of my first Ray Harryhausen film. This was also the very first film that I ever saw in the movie theaters and it turned me in to a movie junkie for the rest of my life. I did realize it was only a movie and through the passing of time, the nightmares vanished and some wonderful memories are what I have still retained. Movie makers like Ray Harryhausen are worth their weight in gold. By gold I mean Academy Award gold. With the sad passing of Ray Harryhausen in May 2013 at the age of 92, I sincerely hope the Academy honors him with a special tribute to his body of work and his vast contributions to the evolution of the special effects technique.Ray Harryhausen's creatures were the work of a true innovator. There is one scene in Mysterious Island where Michael Callan and Joan Greenwood are out exploring in the caves on the island and get caught when the giant bees return home to their honey comb hive. The bees try and devour the two explorers but they hide behind the honey combs until the bees fly out of the hive. One of the truly suspenseful scenes of all time.This is a great family film that provides full value for ones entertainment dollar. More than fifty years later I still watch this original adventure movie and I am still in awe of how well done this film was made. It contains superb special effects (without any of today's boring (CGI) computer graphic interface), adventure, heroism, action, romance, and based on a storyline from Jules Verne that was first published in 1874.Mysterious Island is a classic adventure film story that has been remade several times over the past five decades by many other production companies. Don't be fooled by the subsequent imitations, they may be good, but the 1961 Mysterious Island is "THE ORIGINAL" classic and I am hoping to see a clip of it in this years Academy Award ceremony as part of a special tribute to the late and great innovator of the special visual effects, the great Ray Harryhausen.A perfect 10 out of 10 rating!

FredScheit I remember seeing this movie as an end-of-term film at school MANY years ago.I have, of course, seen it many times since, and I have fond memories of it.I won't go over the synopsis of the movie; it's been said here many times.However, I must say that on reading the book, the movie is really a pale imitation! The book is awesome IMHO.For those who don't read or can't be bothered to read the book (it is a VERY LONG book!), you can also get the audio version from LibraVox.This is also an excellent listen.