Dead Man's Island

One of the best films I have seen. I can understand people's comments about clichéd themes, but the acting is great. It has beautiful scenery, and a good plot. I have been trying to get it on video, but, obviously, is not available. I believe it is an enigmatic, atmospheric film with great music and attitude. Fabulous!

Based on the 1993 novel of the same name by Carolyn Hart, which is in itself inspired by the Agatha Christie's masterful mystery/thriller novel called 'And Then There Were None' (1939), 'Dead Man's Island' features an entertaining 'whodunnit' story starring the charismatic and lovely Barbara Eden as Henry 'O', William Shatner, and Southern belles Morgan Fairchild and Traci Lords. Traci Lord's acting was mediocre at best, but she was definitely stunning.

I did not really appreciate the ending, however. Without spoiling anything, I think that the story could have gone in a different direction, I think that it was slightly exaggerated.

William Shatner is a millionaire convinced someone is trying to kill him and Barbara Eden is a journalist and an old girlfriend of his trying to solve the mystery on a creepy island mansion. Whodunit plows along and some secrets from his past add to confusion. Ending surprises but somewhat disappoints, too. The underemployed stars playing the parts help keep it watchable. An Indian giving boat rides also mentions a little history behind the real Dead Man's Island in Vancouver.

I knew nothing about "Dead Man's Island" when I started watching it, other than the casting of Barbara Eden and William Shatner (whose famous shows aired during the same years on NBC in the '60s), and the setting on an island. As it progressed I noticed a little similarity between the movie and Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None". In the end the movie turned out to be OK, not great. What caught my eye throughout the movie was that Eden's reporter stood out from the rest of the characters: most of them wear neutral colors most of the time, but she almost always wears bright colors, as though she's an anomaly in this group.

What I mainly say about the movie is that the casting of Barbara Eden, William Shatner, Roddy McDowall, Olivia Hussey and Don Most means that a beautiful genie meets a captain traveling through space meets an intelligent ape meets drama's most famous lover meets a 1950s goof-ball.

What can I say! It has Barbara Eden in it and that is all you need! A rich man who believes someone is out to kill him hires his ex to solve the case. Who would want to divorce Barbara? Check it out if you can!