Shudder’s Monster Island is a creature feature, set in 1944, during World War II, where we witness a Japanese hell ship carrying prisoners of war (POWs) to Japan for slave labor. While most of the prisoners were from the Allied Forces, there was one exception—Saito. He was a Japanese army man who’d betrayed his captain after realizing that obeying his orders would lead his men to their deaths. Saito was considered a traitor, and he was to be executed after landing in Japan. To make his life all the more miserable, the Japanese soldier was shackled to another prisoner of war, a British soldier named Bronson. But immediately after, the hell ship was struck by torpedoes from Allied submarines, and there was complete chaos. Saito and Bronson jumped into the sea, and they ended up on an isolated island.
Spoiler Alert
How did Saito and Bronson become friends?
After the hell ship was destroyed, Saito and Bronson swam to a nearby island. When Saito woke up the next morning, he grabbed hold of a gun from a Japanese soldier who was lying dead next to him. He was about to shoot the shackle. But the sound of him cocking the gun woke up Bronson, and he immediately assumed that Saito was trying to kill him in his sleep. They represented two different worlds that were at war, and naturally they assumed that they were each other’s biggest enemy. The two got into a scuffle, when all of a sudden Bronson felt a strange force dragging him into the sea. Something had gotten hold of him, but Saito shot at the creature, and it left. They didn’t catch a good glimpse of the creature, but it was evident that it was deadly. Saito didn’t have the strength to keep on going, and he attempted to shoot himself. Bronson snatched the gun from him, and they agreed to keep the gun and the bullets separate. While Bronson took the gun, Saito kept the bullets.
Language was initially a barrier, but through gestures and expressions, they managed to communicate adequently. While they were the only ones who’d made it to the island alive, they soon discovered bodies of other POWs and Japanese soldiers. They also came across cargo containers full of food and other necessities. That night, Bronson and Saito feasted on roasted crabs. Bronson cherished the cigarettes and the coffee he found in the cargo. They also managed to break the shackle, and that was the first time they showed trust in each other. Just when they were about to call it a night, they heard voices. They discovered that a couple of Japanese soldiers had made it to the island alive, along with a prisoner. Saito instructed Bronson to hide away while he tried to deal with the situation. He lied about being the only one on the island, and while initially the soldiers believed him, they soon noticed Bronson’s jacket and other food items, and they figured out the truth. They had heard of a Japanese traitor who was shackled to a British POW, and immediately after they checked Saito’s ankle and saw the iron cuff still attached, they knew he was the traitor. Just when one of the soldiers was about to strike Saito, they heard a loud shriek. Their plan was interrupted by the monster living on the island. Within seconds, the monster dismembered the bodies of the Japanese soldiers, but luckily Saito and Bronson managed to escape. They fell into the depth of the forest and lost consciousness as a result of the impact. The next morning, when they woke up, they realized they’d been separated, and they tried to find their way back to each other.
Why was the Orang Ikan vengeful?
The monstrous creature is referred to as ‘Orang Ikan,’ aka ‘fish man,’ in Malay and Indonesian. As the name suggests, they are said to be a blend of human and fish. The Orang Ikan clan lived on the island, and they not only considered humans a threat, but also their enemies. On their second day exploring the island, Saito stumbled upon an abandoned military aircraft that had possibly crashed. The pilot had killed one of the Orang Ikans, and from then on, its partner had detested humans. The Orang Ikan that had chased Saito and Bronson and killed the Japanese soldiers was desperate to seek vengeance. That evening, when Saito and Bronson reunited, Saito showed his new friend something that he’d discovered. Deep in a cave, he’d come across an embryo carefully tucked away. The Orang Ikan that was chasing them was the mother, and she was afraid that the humans that killed her partner would also murder her unborn child. While Saito thought they must stay away from the cave, Bronson didn’t agree with him. He suggested they blow up the cave with the embryo to assert their dominance. According to him, if they had to stay on the island, they had to ensure that they didn’t have a predator chasing them all the time. Bronson too had come across the broken military aircraft, and he had collected supplies from it. He had also noticed a missile on the aircraft, and he suggested using it to blow up the cave. Saito was hesitant, but he ultimately gave in to the idea. There was no denying that as long as the Orang Ikan lived, they would not be able to rest.
Why did Saito spare the monster?
Saito and Bronson carried the explosive to the cave; Saito volunteered to stay behind and detonate the explosive. He had given up on life, and had it not been for Bronson, he would have shot himself dead a long time ago. But their plan was interrupted by the Orang Ikan. She grabbed hold of Bronson, and by the time Saito shot the monster in the eye, Bronson was critically injured. Saito was furious, and he ended up shooting at the embryo and killing the monster’s unborn offspring. The Orang Ikan screamed in rage and agony. Bronson realized he would not manage to make it off the island alive, so he suggested Saito leave him behind. Saito watched the cave blow up from a distance. He assumed Orang Ikan had finally died, but to his surprise, the monster continued to chase him.
During Monster Island’s ending, Saito realized that he had no choice but to confront the Orang Ikan instead of running away from it. Saito buried himself in the sand to confuse the monster and left a dead Japanese soldier in a seated position to trap the Orang Ikan. His plan worked; the monster stepped into his trap and was left bewildered when it realized that the man on the beach was not Saito. In that moment of confusion, Saito struck. With a few swift moves of his katana, Saito succeeded in gaining control over the Orang Ikan. The monster was badly injured, and it collapsed to the ground. Saito walked up to it and was about to strike it with his katana, but he chose to spare the monster. He was well aware of how violence is never really the only answer, and he hoped to be better than that. Saito knew the reason behind the Orang Ikan’s rage, and he believed that if he showed restraint, the monster too would reciprocate it. And he was right. The monster didn’t attack Saito; instead, it walked away. Monster Island comments on the futility of war. Saito essentially showed trust in the monster by not killing it. He also established that they could coexist if they had to, and he would not hurt her. Instead of going to war to become the supreme power, Saito chose the path of coexistence because after witnessing the death of thousands of innocent men, he’d come to realize that living in harmony was the only way forward. Saito tried to shoot a flare, but it didn’t work.
What does the final scene suggest?
In Monster Island’s ending, we find out that Saito was rescued by the United States Navy. After boarding the USS Fletcher, he was asked about Bronson by an American officer. Saito explained that he was a British soldier who’d ended up on the island with him and whom he considered a very good friend. This response came as a surprise to the officers interrogating him. When the officers asked him the reason why he was held captive in the hell ship, he stated that he’d killed his commanding officer because he refused to let his men die in vain. Since Japan had surrendered to the Allied Forces and Britain had occupied Japan, Saito was spared from punishment. In the final scene, when the officers asked Saito if there was anyone else on the island, he responded in the negative. He knew that if he’d mentioned the Orang Ikan, it would be hunted down and possibly experimented on. The only way to ensure that the monster lived peacefully was by never discussing his experience with others. Saito showed respect and empathy for the creature and chose to protect it from the vicious human race.
