Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978)

Fantastic!

Best movie ever!

A Masterpiece!

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

"Rescue from Gilligan's Island" came out 11 and a half years after the series ended. The movie was a huge hit on TV simply due to the show's gazillion of fans, multiplied by a decade of syndicated reruns. Unfortunately, the film doesn't measure up to the zany-but-excellent series, particularly the last two seasons.For one, at 95 minutes it seems to have a lot of filler. Many of the scenes could've been cut down by about 40%. It also seems rushed at times, like the actors learned their lines an hour before filming; and a lot of the humorous situations/dialogue aren't entirely successful, to put it nicely. Also, Tina Louise refused to return as Ginger, evidently because they didn't offer her enough money (which is funny because she wasn't exactly an in-demand actress at the time; the only significant role I remember her in after Gilligan's Island was in the 1975 film "The Stepford Wives"). The woman they got to replace Tina looks fine but she comes off as an airheaded bimbo and Ginger was never a bimbo. She's a sexy starlet, yes, but also smart.Most of the cast look pretty good a dozen years later and Mary Ann (Dawn Wells) looks incredible. Surprisingly, it's Gilligan (Bob Denver) who has aged the most, which is strange since he was supposed to be a "boy" of about 19-21 during the original run. As such, he should only be about 30-32 during this movie, but he clearly looks to be in his mid-40s or older (in real life Bob Denver was 29-31 during the series and was 43 at the time of this movie). Still, this isn't a big deal.BOTTOM LINE: "Rescue from Gilligan's Island" comes across as a lame version of the series with too much filler, but it's worthwhile for fans of the show because, of course, we have to know how they finally got rescued after almost 15 years as castaways. But, as they say, you can never go home again and neither can the castaways; they became their own family on the island, which is one of the reasons the show was so endearing.GRADE: C

This movie must have disappointed legions of fans upon it's 1978 television premiere, over a decade after the original show had been taken off the air. And why? Well, let's have a look. It starts off decent enough, but the scene where Gilligan and his pals escape from the island was overlong and dull. It is immediately followed by another overlong and unfunny scene where the castaways are at their welcome home party. The castaways then go separate ways, which is all well and good, but we don't get too in depth about any of their personal lives. The Professor, Mary-Ann, Ginger, and the Howells only get one scene each of their lives in civilization. The rest of the movie is Gilligan and the Skipper bumbling around trying to prove that they didn't cause the accident that landed them on the island in the first place. This doesn't constitute much of a story. Oh, and there'as some stereotypical Russians who try to get some disk back from Gilligan. In the end (Spoilers) they crash again and end up back on the island, making this movie completely pointless. And then, before I knew it, it was over. I know it's just a stupid sit com, and plots really don't matter, but the worst part is, it was not funny! Not in the slightest.

To all the Gilligan's Island Fans out there this is a must see if the 3 seasons of the original t.v. series wasn't enough. This movie however is also a let down after such an irreplaceable classic of such proportions.One of the main things that caught my attention was the fact that Tina Louise (Ginger) wasn't included in the movie (this was a complete letdown). Although Judith Baldwin was an o.k. look alike (only from certain angles) she tried to hard to be Tina Louise, which really took away from the character. I however will say this it is not easy to replace such a person so good job at doing your best Judith (props to Judith) Another important aspect as mentioned in another comment is the laugh tracks. These tracks are what help mad Gilligans Island an epic classic which helped in showing the viewers the true comic genius of the classic Gilligans Island.Another aspect was the way the movies plot was a total letdown. As the castaways try to adjust to the society, their issues are poorly and boringly expressed in what in my opinion are to short and not enough issues to truly show their contempt with society. I however feel the best portrayed was that of the professor (wont tell you how).I myself find this a good continuation for my fascination with Gilligan's Island after buying the first to seasons and waiting for the third. I see this as a good continuation for my curiosity. Gilligan's Island t.v. series remains untouched (as far as same comic genius is concerned competition wise). I however find this another refreshing clean version of t.v. and movies which gives me hope as a teen in this world that there might be a chance once again for good clean t.v. such of that of Gilligans Island(may it always be remembered).

As a youngster and lifelong fan of Gilligan's Island, I still recall my excitement when I first learned that Rescue From Gilligan's Island was going to be shown on television. I also remember my profound disappointment when I finally saw the show: it wasn't particularly funny.Now, some 25 years later, I found myself purchasing this movie on DVD anyway, for two reasons: To enjoy sweet memories of youth when TV humor was simply good fun and didn't even pretend to be anything more, and because it only cost $5.99. Well, what can I say? I was disappointed again because, again, it wasn't particularly funny. Yet I am still very glad I now own this movie on DVD. How can that be?For all the abuse Gilligan's Island has taken over the years from "serious" humorists, the fact remains that the show appeals to everyone's desire for real friendship and camaraderie, without all the drama of real life. The original show was just plain fun to watch. And frankly, so is Rescue From Gilligan's Island, despite its many, many flaws.I know it is anathema to say so, but this movie would have scored much higher if only it had included a laugh track, as did the original TV series. The laugh track itself creates the illusion of camaraderie with an audience, and that was always part of the appeal of Gilligan's Island. So I found myself pretending to hear the original laugh track every time the cast told a joke (i.e., constantly), and lo--the film was much more palatable!On the bright side, losing the laugh track made me realize just how good these actors really were, and how great an ensemble they comprised. After all, the original cast never heard the roaring laughter the audience heard as the actors playing the castaways fired one asinine line after another between ludicrous slapstick action sequences. Without a laugh track, for example, the actors portraying Russian spies in this movie behaved beyond reproach; they were simply painful to watch. But then again, so was Wrongway Felman, Harold Hecuba, and other visitors to the island, without a laugh track. It is precisely because this ensemble was so good that they managed to score with such silly humor every time in the finished product. That takes talent (and guts, I suspect). For this reason more than anything else, I truly missed Tina Louise as Ginger: no one could adequately replace a member of such a tight ensemble. Kudos to Judith Baldwin for trying, however. Thurston and Lovely Howell are hilarious characters even without the laugh track.Overall, as another reviewer observed, the value of this film is that it provides a trip down the most pleasant stretch of memory lane. It would be wrong, however, not to mention the unforgivable production of this DVD. The sound is bad, a few jump cuts are embarrassing to watch, and the video has frequent static bars like you would see on an old, worn videotape. Shame on the production company. Shame on you!Bottom line: If you don't appreciate the Gilligan's Island TV series you will hate this movie with a capital "H", with good reason. But for those of you who get misty just thinking about Gilligan, the Skipper and company, Rescue From Gilligan's Island will help you feel like a kid again for 90 minutes, with good reason. A cast featuring Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Bill Murray and other notable comics simply couldn't even come close to pulling off the feat this underrated ensemble pulled off time and time and time again for years, for no better reason than to make all of us feel good for a half hour each week.