01-29-2023, 06:53 PM
A motley crew on an unseaworthy yacht set sail on the ocean only to encounter a storm that leaves them helpless and drifting. They come upon an uncharted island and try to survive on it. Food is scarce, except for an abundance of mushrooms, which they don't trust and try to avoid. But over time the group is sorely tested, especially with rations running low.
I may have seen this in my teens on late night TV. I know I saw Attack of the Mushroom People, which is much different. Roger Corman might have gotten hold of one or both and butchered them for American consumption. Greg might know. I'm pretty sure a Japanese-American friend informed us that Attack of the Mushroom People was actually quite good, but Americans have never seen the original version.
But I'm less sure of Matango.
The ocean storm and wrecking of the yacht is filmed remarkably well. Also, the mushrooms on the island. So many mushrooms of different types and strategically placed to make great sets. So many wonderful scenes. They must have had an army of mushroom wranglers. Visually arresting. A fun drinking game would be to do a shot for every mushroom spotted. But it would be a very short-lived game.
The plot is simple. It's something of a morality play. The group consists of a female lounge singer who's not shy about using her beauty to bend guys around her finger. There's the filthy rich guy, owner of the yacht. There's the great writer, who enjoys being surrounded by female groupies. There's the goody-two-shoes girl, naïve in the face of so much corruption. There's the good guy narrator. And there's the guy who will steal anything and breaks into the carefully rationed food stash. All of them (and a couple others) set upon each other in a fight for survival.
This could have used a professor and a movie star... But I'm starting to drift off-topic, hopefully not towards this island.
Those who do eat the mushrooms slowly start turning into mushrooms. Also, the island is inhabited by prior shipwreckers who've completely turned into mushrooms that walk about terrorizing all.
Not really recommended because of the simplistic plot, but it does have some impressive sets.
Best watched while slurping mushroom soup.
P.S I might be wrong about Attack of the Mushroom People being a different movie. I think this is the original version. So... What was the other movie I watched? It was much different, with different scenes.
I may have seen this in my teens on late night TV. I know I saw Attack of the Mushroom People, which is much different. Roger Corman might have gotten hold of one or both and butchered them for American consumption. Greg might know. I'm pretty sure a Japanese-American friend informed us that Attack of the Mushroom People was actually quite good, but Americans have never seen the original version.
But I'm less sure of Matango.
The ocean storm and wrecking of the yacht is filmed remarkably well. Also, the mushrooms on the island. So many mushrooms of different types and strategically placed to make great sets. So many wonderful scenes. They must have had an army of mushroom wranglers. Visually arresting. A fun drinking game would be to do a shot for every mushroom spotted. But it would be a very short-lived game.
The plot is simple. It's something of a morality play. The group consists of a female lounge singer who's not shy about using her beauty to bend guys around her finger. There's the filthy rich guy, owner of the yacht. There's the great writer, who enjoys being surrounded by female groupies. There's the goody-two-shoes girl, naïve in the face of so much corruption. There's the good guy narrator. And there's the guy who will steal anything and breaks into the carefully rationed food stash. All of them (and a couple others) set upon each other in a fight for survival.
This could have used a professor and a movie star... But I'm starting to drift off-topic, hopefully not towards this island.
Those who do eat the mushrooms slowly start turning into mushrooms. Also, the island is inhabited by prior shipwreckers who've completely turned into mushrooms that walk about terrorizing all.
Not really recommended because of the simplistic plot, but it does have some impressive sets.
Best watched while slurping mushroom soup.
P.S I might be wrong about Attack of the Mushroom People being a different movie. I think this is the original version. So... What was the other movie I watched? It was much different, with different scenes.
