My tongue-in-cheek comment is meant to describe the fact that this, one of Republic's last big screen film, is a product way past its time, already done so many times before (and better), especially with some Universal adventure films starring Jon Hall (ironically the star here) almost 20 years before. This seems appropriate for pre-teenage boys of the late 50's, matinée style filmmaking, in which they could get a serial episode and a "B" western (most likely a re-release), and stay out of their mother's hair for an afternoon.
The plot surrounds a Polynesian island where villainous pirates (lead by John Carradine and Mike Mazurki) force the natives to dive for pearls. They are soon arrested by the college graduate half Polynesian Hall, prepared to be sent to Tahiti for trial, and manage to gain control of the ship. But some clever manipulations have the villains becoming at odds which results in their re-capture and trial where the judge is none other than Peter Lorre. Roberta Haynes is the very American Polynesian girl who stows away on Hall's ship, and a cute little chimp also aids Hall as well. In addition to the obviously Caucasian Haynes, there is very Caucasian version of Sabu to appeal to the youthful audience this was obviously aimed for. Considering the year this was made, it seems rather dated, but in retrospective for what it offers, it is escapist entertainment that provides nothing but 67 minutes of satisfactory thrills and a taste for popcorn.
The plot surrounds a Polynesian island where villainous pirates (lead by John Carradine and Mike Mazurki) force the natives to dive for pearls. They are soon arrested by the college graduate half Polynesian Hall, prepared to be sent to Tahiti for trial, and manage to gain control of the ship. But some clever manipulations have the villains becoming at odds which results in their re-capture and trial where the judge is none other than Peter Lorre. Roberta Haynes is the very American Polynesian girl who stows away on Hall's ship, and a cute little chimp also aids Hall as well. In addition to the obviously Caucasian Haynes, there is very Caucasian version of Sabu to appeal to the youthful audience this was obviously aimed for. Considering the year this was made, it seems rather dated, but in retrospective for what it offers, it is escapist entertainment that provides nothing but 67 minutes of satisfactory thrills and a taste for popcorn.