Shudder’s Monster Island comes dressed like a love letter to classic creature features—most notably Creature from the Black Lagoon—but unfortunately, its surface-level thrills can’t quite mask a hollow core. Set during WWII, the story centers on a Japanese soldier (Dean Fujioka) and a British POW (Callum Woodhouse) who find themselves stranded on a remote Indonesian island, forced to work together against a lurking, mythic threat: the Orang Ikan, or “Fish Man,” as the film’s original Indonesian title loosely translates.
There’s some solid craftsmanship here. The film was shot on location in the lush jungles of Indonesia, and that natural scenery goes a long way in selling the atmosphere. The creature suit itself looks great—practical, detailed, and only slightly hampered in a few brightly lit scenes. Blood and gore effects are largely practical too, which is always a plus for genre fans. You can tell the budget was tight, but they put most of it in the right places.
Where Monster Island starts to unravel is in its script. The setup may be rich with dramatic potential—two enemies from opposite sides of a global war forced into uneasy alliance—but the film doesn’t do much with that. The characters feel one-dimensional, and their emotional arcs barely register. A handful of quiet bonding moments between the leads are too sparse to give their connection any real weight. By the time the final showdown with the monster hits, you’re more invested in the creature’s design than who lives or dies.
At only 83 minutes, the movie also feels undercooked. Ironically, this is one of those rare instances where an extra 20 or 30 minutes could’ve actually helped—especially to flesh out the relationship between the leads and give the story some breathing room.
As a piece of horror, it’s not particularly scary—more of an action-adventure with horror flavor. And while it’s easily my favorite of Shudder’s original films this year, that’s not a high bar. If you’re a fan of creature features and just want a decent-looking fish monster to terrorize people in the jungle for a bit, you’ll find things to enjoy. But if you’re hoping for a modern take on Creature from the Black Lagoon with strong characters and real narrative bite, this one’s likely to swim by and be forgotten.
Rating: 6.5/10.