Island Escape (2023) (Review)

Island Escape (2023) Surprisingly, I liked this movie. The amazing thing is that there are good movies I hate and bad movies I love. This one really had all the makings of a bad one, and yet I had a great time. What was I looking for in such a film? I think I was looking for the pleasure I’d had with Predators (the third installment). To aim for the pleasure of the first would have been a little too ambitious. I may also have been looking for the pleasure of films such as Wrong Turn 3 (2009) or the more recent Apex (2021).Back in the ’70s, there was a Hulk episode based on the fact that there was a billionaire who owned an island and took people there for the purpose of gambling, stalking and hunting. This concept may seem old, seen, revised and corrected. But I still find it terribly effective. Even “Battle Royale” is reminiscent of this theme. Bruce Wemple’s third film. Not sure I’ll see the other two, maybe just the first. That said, sometimes you don’t want to see certain films, when they’re gems you’ll never discover. And there are films that we jump at and are quickly disappointed by. Island Escape features actors I didn’t know and enjoyed. The idea behind the film is brilliant. Here, there’s no need to create a new monster. What we have here is a new form of mutant zombie. There’s no need to go to the trouble of creating a scary new creature: a few hours’ make-up is all it takes to turn people into the living dead. Except that it’s not the bite that transforms them, here.And the most incredible thing is that I thought it was an excellent film, without suspecting for a second that I was going to make such a connection. But, yes: this film is reminiscent of “Triangle (2009)”, a film I regretted not having given 5 stars to in my review, such was its merit.