| Cutthroat Island | | Cast : | Geena Davis, Matthew Modine | | Director : | Renny Harlin | | Studio : | Artisan Entertainment | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | December 22, 1995 | | DVD Released Date : | October 21, 2003 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Original Language), French (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 20, 2005 | | Summary | A swashbuckling yarn of epic proportions | Content
 | If you liked Pirates of the Carrabean, then you will love it's predescessor Cutthroat Island. A great tale of gold, treasure and buccaneers. An adventure on the high seas with a heroine played by the devine Geena Davis who pays Morgan, captain of the rag-tag crew bound for a treasure hunting trail which starts in the infamously piratical paradice of Port Royal. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 23, 2005 | | Summary | Compare this one to that Jonny Depp movie. | Content
| Do you ever notice how when people talk about Pirates of the Carribean, they'll say that it was VASTLY superior to Cutthraot Island? I dare anybody to take those two movies and watch them back-to-back... then tell me what made POTC the superior film aside from the fact that the critics told them it was okay to like and Cutthroat Island okay to bash. As pirate movies go, there are a lot of similarities between them all, when they were made and the quality of effects seem to be the distinguishing factor. I was unimpressed with POTC (not so much bad as just highly overrated), I actually thought that Cutthroat Island was an alright movie when it was released(not GREAT, but enjoyable). Most of the naysayers saw the movie around the time when it first came out, but this movie was a little ahead of its time. I'm not saying that it was revolutionary, but keep in mind, 1995 was before the popularity of the Tomb Raiders and the Alias', basically before the widespread acceptance of female action leading roles and thus an easy target of ridicule. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 09, 2005 | | Summary | The ol' switcheroo | Content
| Ever wonder what Geena Davis would look like as a man? Well, speculate no longer and put your imagination at ease! Watch in amazement at the miraculous spectacle as Geena Davis is repeatedly replaced by a male stunt 'double'! And that's not all! Stare in shock as she/he gains a good 50 pounds, as she becomes broad-shouldered and buffs up in mere moments when she becomes a he! She must have eaten a whole lot of red meat really, really fast! Yes, Geena Davis's character's power to turn into a man at will, or at least whenever she falls down, jumps back up, jumps from a ledge more than 3 feet up, or performs any sort of other middling feat of acrobatics or strength in this movie, is QUITE a USEFUL talent INDEED! I can hardly imagine what it would have been like if there were a gratuitous sex scene in the movie! Would he have replaced her then too? Heck, the stunt man did all the hard parts, why didn't they just cast HIM in the movie from the very start and save some money? (I guess they had their heart set on Davis, or maybe she had something to do with its production...) Sure, he'd make a rather funny-looking woman, but he does that regardless, and considering he's who you see half the time anyway, what harm could it do? Hey, they should get that guy to take her place in the Olympics! She'd really clean up!
So much for trying to have the oh-so-tough female pirate warrior-for-feminism-everywhere save the day!
Now, special effects are only made unimportant by an otherwise good movie. 'Spaceman' had almost no special effects, and yet it's my second favorite of all movies. Monty Python and the Holy Grail spent almost no money on special effects, yet it's practically seemless. The Matrix sequels I think are crud, but at least they're visually impressive crud. This is the worst of all possibilities. As for the watchability of Cutthroat Island, I had to watch it in 3 pieces, i.e. I watched it until it ticked me off, then I came back later and stopped when I could stands no more, and again came back to finish the sucker off. Why give it 2 stars instead of one then? Well, I DID finish it, after all, and if I give THIS one star, then giving a movie like Mortal Kombat Annihilation or Scary movie one star doesn't have as much meaning. Compared to them, this is on a whole other level for the better. 'Nuff said. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 07, 2005 | | Summary | Don't Listen to Them | Content
| Those self-titled 'critics' who assess Cutthroat Island as a high-budget B-movie with flat acting and a predictable plot are merely attempting to display their own notion of 'good taste' by showing contempt for someone else's (namely Geena Davis's and Renny Harlin's) creative work. Not considering themselves true artists in their own right, the only way critics can prove their own relative creativity to themselves and to us is by bashing someone else's work. Pity them.
To flame this film by calling attention to the fact that its plot is 'stereotypical' and its dialogue is 'flat' is to ignore the fact that they're SUPPOSED to be that way. What one person calls 'stereotypical', a less anal observer (Renny Harlin maybe?) calls 'CLASSIC'.
And what is 'a high-budget B-movie with flat dialogue and a predictable plot', after all? Well, I'll give you a few examples: ALIEN was a high-budget B-movie with flat dialogue and a predictable plot. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK was a high-budget B-movie with flat dialogue and a predictable plot. That didn't stop either of them from being highly enjoyable films, and Cutthroat Island's plot is no more flat or predictable, its characters no more stereotypical, and its acting no more cheesy, than either of them. Those who flame Cutthroat Island for the fact that the character of Dog Brown is a cardboard cut-out of a pirate villain no doubt flame Raiders of the Lost Ark for the fact that its German villains are just as flat.
Cutthroat Island is a great action movie. It's not a drama, it's not a romance, it's not a comedy. It's an action movie, PERIOD, and a superb one at that. SEE IT if you like action. SEE IT if you like swashbuckling. See it for those reasons and you won't be disappointed. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 14, 2005 | | Summary | "Love...who can explain it?" | Content
| I'm not sure if it's still true, but at one time Cutthroat Island was considered biggest box-office loss of all time. Sometimes when a film isn't a success the reasons why are obvious. Sometimes a film comes out at the wrong time. Sometimes a film is too radical to have mainstream appeal. And sometimes...I have absolutely no idea why a film isn't a success.
This film is a great movie in the modern sense. By that I mean tha the dialog is cheesy, the plot is predictable, the characters are lovable and the budget is massive. In some movies you wonder where all the money for the special effects wnet. Not this time. In this spectacle of celluloid you will witness the destruction of entire towns, and see a ship literally blown into toothpick-size pieces! As you would hope for, there is a ton of action-filled swordfights and silly romance as well.
With awesome sound effects, a rousing musical score, and lavish cinematography, perhaps the real deciding factor in a person's feeling of love or hate toward this one will be Geena Davis' portrayal of the Mogan Adams, possibly the toughest female ever to sail across the silver screen. Visibly doing most of her own stunts (some of which look incredibly dangerous, if not outright painful), pretty much all of the drama, comedy, romance, and action is centered on her. Personally, I find her performance charming and her stuntwork through the numerous action sequences inspiring.
I think everyone should see this film at least once, if only for the stunts, explosions, swordfights, and wonderfully cheesy dialog. Pirate movie fanatics should order a copy immediately and prepare to set sail! |
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