Underplayed Gems

Manhunt of Mystery Island (1945)

Manhunt of Mystery Island poster
Directed by
Wallace Grissell, Spencer Gordon Bennet, Yakima Canutt
Genre
science fiction film
Country
United States
Runtime
3h 39m
Rated
NR
Rating
5.5 of 10 from 4 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A scientist invents a machine that can transform matter. A criminal mastermind called Captain Mephisto uses the machine to try and take over the world. A hero must stop him across a series of dangerous situations.

pulpfast-pacedcliffhanger-heavyformulaicadventurousdatedcampynoir-ish

What happens

Manhunt of Mystery Island is a 1945 science fiction movie serial. It was the thirty-sixth serial produced by Republic Pictures (of a total of sixty-six) and the first released in 1945. It is the penultimate 15-chapter serial to be released by the studio. The year 1945, the end of the Golden Age of Serials, was the last in which Republic released any 15-chapter serials, the remainder being either 12 or 13 chapters in length. In 1966 footage from the serial was edited together into the 100-minute film Captain Mephisto and the Transformation Machine. Three of the serial's cliffhanger gags and set pieces are copied in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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