Journey to Spirit Island

László Pal's "Journey to Spirit Island" is one of those movies that thinks that it's offering social commentary but tries to hard to be a family-friendly adventure movie. This story of some kids trying to stop the development of an island in the Pacific Northwest could have been a lot more profound. The only notable things about it are the people involved in the production. Bettina Bush later became a singer. Frank Salsedo also played Ben in "Creepshow 2". And the cinematographer is the recently deceased Vilmos Zsigmond. He fled his native Hungary in the wake of the 1956 Soviet invasion that crushed the uprising and later won an Academy Award for "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". Basically, this was far below his standards.

Conclusion, just avoid it.

Four plucky youngsters rescue a sacred Nahkut Indian island off the Washington coast from desecration by another of the many ruthless gangs of real estate developers intent on plundering our country's scenic and cultural heritage. The film is presented as a wholesome family adventure, but adults will have to excuse the simplistic mysticism (dreams, legends, an old Indian curse) and juvenile dialogue, much of it warmed over from a sub-standard Disney scenario. The intention, of course, was to illustrate for children the value of spiritual folklore in an age of eroding traditions, but it's ironic how the Nahkut have apparently been assimilated far enough into the mainstream of American life to inspire a film as routine as this. The photography by Academy Award winner Vilmos Zsigmond ('Close Encounters') is handsome, but along the rugged land and seascapes of the Olympic Peninsula and Puget Sound he could hardly have missed.

This was more like a serious kinda Goonies style film. The begining was very good the end was very good the rest just ok. Overall a good film. Lots of nice shots of eagles and stunning nature as well as Native american burial grounds and totem poles. A group of kids have an adventure on an island while the island is a burial ground and in danger of being turned into a holiday resort by a sinister man. Not as good as the goonies but still enjoyable and some very good bits with nice cinematography and music. I think kids would love it and adults would enjoy it too.