REVIEW: 'Forgotten Island' is a nostalgia-filled love letter to Pinoy culture
Forgotten Island transports moviegoers to a land of magic and wonder, one hitherto unexplored by mainstream Hollywood: The Philippines. Helmed by co-directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado (who’d previously collaborated on Puss in Boots: The Last Wish), the film takes viewers on a whimsical, nostalgia-infused love letter to Pinoy culture and mythology unlike any audiences have seen from Hollywood.
Set in the 1990s, the story centers around best friends Jo (H.E.R., The Color Purple) and Raissa (Liza Soberano, Lisa Frankenstein) who are growing up in the Philippines under the watchful eye of Jo’s Lola Fatima (Dolly de Leon, Triangle of Sadness). Raissa is a straight-laced honor student, a far cry from Jo, a free spirit on the lookout for the next adventure. When the two are faced with going their separate ways after high school, fate will send them on a supernatural adventure to an incredible world that neither will ever forget.
Building on their success with Puss in Boots, Crawford and Mercado blend fun character design with various styles of 3D- and 2D-animation to keep the action moving at a brisk, irreverent clip, giving the proceedings more aesthetic commonalty with the Spider-Verse films than something like Minions or recent Disney fare. Action sequences, in particular, are wonderfully realized, with the chase sequences being particularly well handled.
The film is anchored by Jo and Raissa’s friendship, made more refreshing by the incorporation of localized elements (that should be) familiar to anyone who grew up in pre-smartphone-era Philippines. To be fair, not much has changed, with extended families, karaoke celebrations, congratulatory tarpaulins, and judgy relatives having all entered the 21st century intact, but the fun here lies in how precisely the filmmakers wield their references. The film is replete with period-specific songs (no spoilers here), household accoutrements, and OFW family concerns that don’t necessarily disrupt the story, but will likely resonate with Pinoys more than say, a general audience. The filmmakers embrace their characters’ Philippine roots wholeheartedly, and it goes a whole lot further to showcase the culture than any number of live-action attempts (The Bourne Legacy doesn’t count).
Granted, there are one or two “Philippine-isms” that are more awkward than were probably intended (such as the incessant use of “Mabuhay” as a casual greeting, or one character identifying their snack as “banana lumpia” when the word “turon” exists), but we’ll let these pass because the rest of the film is so entertaining. Indeed, aside from these and pretty much every character speaking with an American accent, it’s easy to forgive Forgotten Island as a foreign-lensed gateway to the Philippines, as Shang-Chi was to Chinese culture – it’s not entirely accurate, but its heart is in the right place for those interested in learning more.
“Real-world” elements aside, the inclusion of Philippine mythology and lore here is amusing, especially for the fact that most of it has never been presented in a mainline Hollywood family film before; the titular Island is inhabited by kapre, sarimanok, tiyanak, and everything in-between, with the highlight being a Napoleonic duwende (played by comedian Ronny Chieng) and a monstrous manananggal (named, “Manang”, and voiced by Lea Salonga!) While very much in line with the film’s overall irreverent tone (which may annoy purists), the creatures are largely faithful to their respective established lore (which may please purists).
If one had to nitpick, it would be to say that Dave Franco as an overly-eager half-human, half-aspin creature is mostly superfluous, adding nothing to the story beyond standard-issue comic relief, all the while resembling The Simpsons’ infamous Poochie (look it up). Undoubtedly, the film is at its best when it sticks to Jo and Raissa dealing with the consequences of having to grow up and the future of their friendship. Sure, we know there’s going to be a misunderstanding along the way that will threaten everything they’ve built, but they’ll make up before the end credits, the fun lies in seeing how they get there. While this reviewer generally finds few things as annoying or contrived as a “power of love” resolution, it’s hard to deny the effectiveness of one that’s done right, and Forgotten Island definitely qualifies.
All told, Forgotten Island is a fun, briskly-paced, adventure packed with enough humor, action, and eye-popping visuals to entertain the whole family. Best of all, it’s a rare chance to see our culture presented affectionately on the big screen and, I’m happy to say, the filmmakers were able to pull it off. Hopefully, it does well enough to justify more.
Mabuhay!
Forgotten Island hits theaters on Sept. 23.