It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive is a 1986 (released 1987) American horror film written and directed by Larry Cohen (shot back-to-back with A Return to Salem’s Lot). It is the second sequel to Cohen’s 1974 film, It’s Alive. The film stars Michael Moriarty, Karen Black (Invaders from Mars), Laurene Landon, James Dixon, Gerrit Graham (TerrorVision), Macdonald Carey, Neal Israel, Art Lund, Ann Dane and William Watson.
The mutant babies have been placed by court order on a deserted island. Appalled by the cynicism and exploitation of the children by the legal system and the media, the man responsible for them leads an expedition to the island to free them…
‘Though the first film had some black comedy and the second was virtually humor free, this third and final chapter has loads of comedy, much of which actually IS funny. The film maintains the social awareness of the previous entries (commenting on a multitude of then-topical issues) while adding more gore, more action, more babies, more special effects and more laughs to the proceedings. It’s a crazy mix and gets to be a bit much by the end, but the film has an anything-goes quirky energy to it that helps it along.’ The Bloody Pit of Horror
‘Overwrought and narratively awkward, the film’s clumsy attempts at humor only blunt the film’s satiric bite. Most of the blame has to be laid at the feet of Michael Moriarty’s mumbling, sleepily neurotic performance as a father whose life is ruined by his need to protect his child. Yet Cohen also seems at a loss to take his story in any substantially new direction. Island of the Alive feels like a mish-mash of themes already explored far more cogently in the previous two films. This is not to say that the final part of the trilogy is without any merit…’ Josh Vasquez, Slant Magazine
‘The third film even goes further with the themes, and the idea of secluding the creatures only to have them grow rapidly, is quite ingenious. This one is far more graphic than the previous entries, and with Baker not involved, some stop motion effects are employed. When seen full-sized, the unconvincing monsters somewhat resemble those in Humanoids from the Deep. This one also tends to delve into comedy, unlike its dark predecessors, with Moriarity improvising and hamming it up to the max, so fans of the actor will not be disappointed. The film is fast-paced, in a far-fetched, campy sort of way, constantly shifting the action from one place to another.’ George R. Reis, DVD Drive-In
‘Unfortunately, while Moriarty IS great, but the movie itself is kind of lacklustre. The island setting is a great concept (the babies are “quarantined” there), but it hardly factors into the movie. After a brief scene with some hunters early on (complete with a hilariously inadequate model of a helicopter which inexplicably explodes in midair after the pilot is slashed), more time is spent getting Moriarty and assorted others TO the island than is spent actually ON the island.’ Horror Movie a Day
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