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5.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Mr. Robinson Crusoe remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like movies that feel like a breezy, weird vacation from a century ago, yes. Go for it. If you need a plot that makes sense or characters who act like real human beings, you’ll probably find yourself checking your watch before the first act wraps up.
Douglas Fairbanks is clearly having the time of his life here. He plays Steve, a guy who thinks living on an island is just a fun bet. Honestly, I wish I had that kind of confidence. Watching him try to teach a monkey to be a butler is exactly the kind of unhinged energy I look for in these older films.
The whole setup is ridiculous. He doesn't just survive; he builds a house that looks like a luxury resort. It makes The Man Who Stayed at Home feel like a grim documentary in comparison. There’s this one sequence where he’s rigging up a water system, and it’s shot with such unearned importance. You can almost see the director thinking, "This is engineering genius," while the audience is just staring at a bamboo pipe.
I caught myself wondering if the island was even real. Most of the time, the background looks like it was painted by someone who had only ever heard a description of a palm tree. It’s charming in a 'we didn't have the budget to go anywhere else' kind of way. 🌴
It’s not as grounded or intense as something like Scrap Iron. It’s just fluff. But sometimes you want fluff that involves a man, a pet leopard, and a complete lack of common sense.
The movie gets noticeably better once he stops trying to be a serious survivalist and just leans into the absurdity of his tropical DIY project. It’s light, it’s silly, and it definitely belongs in the same category of 'odd bets' as Wooden Money. Just don't expect a deep dive into human nature. It’s more of a deep dive into how to build a hammock while looking heroic. 🥥
Honestly? I’d watch it again. Probably just for the monkey bits.
IMDb —
1922
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