MONSTER ISLAND (ORANG IKAN) (NETFLIX) (2024)

SYNOPSIS: After being torpedoed by allied submarines, a Japanese soldier and a British POW are stranded on a deserted island and soon discover that they’re being hunted by a ferocious mythological creature, the Orang Ikan.

MOVIE REVIEW:

If you recall the beginning of Kong: Skull Island (2017), there’s a brief scene where a WWII Japanese pilot and an American pilot crash-land on an island inhabited by Kong. Monster Island also known as Orang Ikan takes that very concept and stretches it into a full-length feature. But instead of King Kong, we get a monstrous, amphibious creature: the Orang Ikan.

Produced under Eric Khoo’s Gorylah Pictures, Monster Island is a little-known multinational co-production that quietly debuted on Netflix. It promises a mix of folkloric intrigue and creature-feature thrills but writer-director Mike Wiluan (Buffalo Boys) struggles to deliver on either front.

The film opens with a CGI-heavy prologue involving a Japanese warship transporting prisoners of war for forced labor. Among those onboard are Saito (Dean Fujioka), a Japanese soldier and Bronson (Callum Woodhouse), a British soldier. After a torpedo attack sinks the ship, the two survivors wash up on a mysterious island, where they’re hunted by a fish-human hybrid.

And… that’s pretty much all the narrative has to offer. Despite Wiluan’s efforts to build a story around two former enemies forming a bond, the emotional payoff never lands. The supposed transformation from adversaries to allies feels hollow likely due to stilted dialogue, wooden performances and perhaps a lack of chemistry (or a language barrier) between Fujioka and Woodhouse. Whatever the reason, their friendship simply doesn’t feel earned or convincing.

As for the creature itself, the makeup and practical effects are surprisingly solid especially in close-ups for what is clearly a low-budget production. Unfortunately, any goodwill earned there is quickly undone by disorienting, hyper-edited action scenes. The editing during creature attacks is so frenetic that it’s hard to make out what’s happening. Yes, the violence is bloody, but what’s the point of gore if it’s obscured by rapid cuts and chaotic camerawork?

Strangely, despite the title, Monster Island (aka Orang Ikan) barely connects to any known elements of Malay folklore. Aside from one local prisoner whispering “Orang Ikan” before meeting a grisly end, the mythical roots are left unexplored. Clocking in at just 80 minutes, the film does make the most of Batam’s lush rainforest and waterfalls but it ultimately squanders its potential with a flimsy script and erratic editing.

There was a good monster movie buried somewhere in Monster Island but it never quite makes it to the surface.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee