Five men and two women, who survive an airplane crash, discover that they may be the only survivors of a world disaster. The question arises: whether the human race can survive, or will man kind destroy itself. Cult Epics presents The Last Island, a futuristic drama featuring Paul Freeman (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Shelagh McLeod, Kenneth Colley (The Empire Strikes Back) and British stalwart Patricia Hayes (Willow). The third film in a trilogy of Marleen Gorris, produced by Laurens Geels and Dick Maas (Amsterdamned, The Lift).

For thoughts on The Last Island, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/aZzGzUFbAHY?si=F7nqHvgSuwaZDC9P&t=2888]

Video Quality

The Last Island comes to Blu-Ray with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original aspect ratio derived from a 2K restoration of the only existing English-language 35mm print. With the Original Camera Negative being unavailable, there are some major deficiencies that this transfer cannot overcome, but the film still delivers a watchable, occasionally great viewing experience. The most obvious complaint when it comes to this transfer is the near-constant sheen of nicks and specks of damage that fill the screen. It is hard to overlook in many spots due to the excessive level of damage, but most of the time it is kept at a level that is acceptable.

There are moments of softness, but this transfer is still able to show off subtle details in the clothing and environment of the island. Black levels are not the strongest, but you can avoid a good amount of crush in the shadows. Digital noise is not a major issue to contend with – the distractions are mostly kept to the quality of the original source. While we wish the Original Camera Negative still existed, this presentation allows us to be able to view the film in a pretty decent way, and we are grateful for that. Cult Epics has done a solid job with what they were provided.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with the original LPCM 2.0 stereo track and a new DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio stereo track, both in the original English. The score maintains a fair fidelity throughout the duration of the film with only some swings in quality due to the condition of the source. Dialogue is firmly centered as the spotlight of the mix without any fear of being swallowed up by competing sounds. Environmental sounds such as the waves of the ocean are rendered favorably alongside everything else. Instances of age-related wear and tear present themselves sporadically such as some fuzziness and quick dropouts on occasion. This audio presentation is flawed, but like the video presentation, it accomplishes what it needs to do. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Scholar Peter Verstraten provides a very thorough and informative commentary track in which he discusses the development of this project, the shooting locations, themes and visual motifs, the backgrounds of the talent involved on screen and behind the camera, the career of Marleen Gorris, the music of the feature, the legacy of the film and more.

Intro by Dick Maas: An optional 28-second introduction from the producer which sets up the film with broad information about the origins.

Interview with Annemarie Grewel: A 12-minute conversation with Politica Columnist Annemarie Grewe from 1990 which is not presented in English or with English subtitles.

Behind The Scenes: A 17-minute selection of footage from the production of the film which gives you a fly-on-the-wall look of the set.

Promotional Gallery: A collection of posters and stills from the movie are provided here.

Trailers: The three-minute Dutch trailer is provided for The Last Island. Trailers are also provided for A Question Of Silence, Pastorale 1943, The Debut, Mysteries, and Julia.

Final Thoughts

The Last Island presents itself at first as a more traditional effort from Marleen Gorris, but as the story develops you can spot some familiar themes from the creative figure. The film explores the fear that all women live with of a man letting loose his baser tendencies and attempting to dominate by force. The way this unfolds throughout the story is paced very effectively as you see social etiquette strip away layer by layer as the survival situation becomes more intense. The film is the weakest in her original trilogy of features, but it is still a worthy effort all the same. Cult Epics has delivered a Blu-Ray with a passable A/V presentation given the source limitations and a fine selection of special features. If you are intrigued by stories of crumbling social dynamics, this is worth a spin. Recommended

The Last Island is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Cult Epics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.