TL;DR – The ending might be messy, but you cannot deny the charm and style that is throughout the film.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no end-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Forgotten Island Review Introduction

Today I get to dive into a world that I have not experienced before. Through my work and study, I am familiar with a lot of the world’s mythologies, but not with the myths of the Philippines. This does mean I won’t be critiquing in this review how well they represent that mythology, but it does mean that I get the joy of new experiences.
 
So, to set the scene, Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano) have been friends since they were kids because no matter how different they are, they share a love for mythology, and a care for each other. The bonds of friendship run deep, but they get a major test when Raissa is accepted into CalTech in America. It is the last day they will be together when Jo finds a star in the ocean creating a portal to a new world. The two girls wake up 12 hours later with no memory of the night before and the realisation that they have both lost their only way home, and upset Manang (Lea Salonga), the Dreaded Manananggal, the one creature you never want to upset.

Leans into the Vibe

One thing that is very clear with Forgotten Island is that they have pitched the film at a very specific target audience. I was surprised just how much I enjoyed this, even being very far from that audience, because the film commits to it fully. The animation has a frantic energy to it that works because you feel it in the character design. The style is so interesting because it is consistently inconsistent throughout. I love that Manananggal moves in this stilted, halting gait, it perfectly sums up character. I also loved that every person’s flashback is in a different style of animation, because everyone views their past differently.

I think that positioning this narrative on one of life’s grand threshold points, the end of high school, was a strong anchor for the film, because for those of us who have been through it, we can relate, and those coming up to it understand the coming dread more than anyone. That framework does lead to an inevitable conclusion, but you feel it is a natural outcome rather than forced. You do also care about Jo and Raissa’s friendship, which invests you into all of the shenanigans.

A Whole New World

For me, one of the delights were entering this world, and being completely unprepared for what was coming next. I can tell you that Mermahn (Kevin McCann) has starfishes covering his nipples, but you won’t prepare you for how they make that work. Each new reveal was such fun to find. To add to this, Nakali is rendered in such gorgeous detail that you absolutely want to visit it and hang out with the tree people and their karaoke nights. While I did enjoy my time with the film, there were a couple of things that did start to stick out to me as the movie went on. Not all the emotional moments landed for me, I’m maybe a touch too old, but they did for my friend I brought along, so your mileage may vary. Also, the narrative does get a bit messy towards the end as they speed run a conclusion, and Dave Franco’s accent ripped me out of the film every time he spoke, I’m not sure what they were doing there.       

Recommendation

In the end, do we recommend Forgotten Island? Yes, we would. I am sure this film will not be everyone’s cup of tea. However, However, I was charmed by how completely the filmmakers committed to the concept and by the rich new world they created for audiences to explore. Indeed, I could recommend it for the best use of the Predator film in cinema alone, or maybe because it has the best Jesus joke. But instead, I will recommend it because it was a blast of fun, a cool new world, and a solid story to boot.    

Have you watched Forgotten Island? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked Forgotten Island, we would recommend Coco to you because it also brought us into a new world of mythology in a way that both delighted and emotionally moved us.  

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Bluesky at @Tldrmovrev, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Feel free to share this review on social media and check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Forgotten Island
Directed by – Joel Crawford & Januel Mercado
Written by – Joel Crawford & Januel Mercado
Music by – Nathan Matthew David
Edited by – James Ryan
Production/Distribution Companies – DreamWorks Animation & Universal Pictures
Starring – H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Manny Jacinto, Jenny Slate, Lea Salonga, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, Kevin McCann, Amielynn Abellera, & Sophia Laforteza
Rating  – Australia: PG; Canada: PG; Germany: 12; New Zealand: PG; United States: PG