Three aka Survival Island (2005) - A Review - HaphazardStuff (2024)

If you’re a Kelly Brook fan and always wanted to see a movie that centers on her wearing a bikini on a beach – then Three, also known as Survival Island, just might be the cinematic treasure you’ve always dreamed of. It’s all about survival and sex on this island!

Kelly Brook and Billy Zane are a wealthy couple on a yachting trip in the Caribbean. Disaster hits when the boat catches fire and everyone must abandon ship.

It turns out there are only three survivors from this maritime accident – Brook, Zane and handsome crewman Juan Pablo Di Pace, who all end up on an isolated island together. Along with having to deal with all that pesky survival stuff of finding food, water, shelter and making fire, other problems arise. A tense love triangle develops between the three. Di Pace is smitten with Brook, Zane becomes outrageously jealous and Brook is confusingly torn between these two men.

While all this macho posturing is going on and Brook continuously looks gorgeous, is anyone at all worried about getting rescued?

Threeor Survival Island – I think Survival Island sounds a bit better, it makes it sound more dramatic, like some cheesy reality show –is a lousy flick. It’s very silly, has a goofy premise, the acting is subpar and at times it gets so ludicrous you wonder if it’s some kind of intentional joke that somehow is not being told well.

It’s like a mixed up concoction of The Blue Lagoon, Castaway, Swept Away and a cheap 1990s Cinemax skin flick.

However, that’s all also a reason why it can start to become so much fun to watch. If you’re a fan of bad movies, love to sit back and enjoy a surreal cinematic experience and welcome spending most of the runtime asking yourself, “What on earth were they thinking?” this might be the flick for you.

There’s very little reality going on. There is no evidence of the grueling conditions of being stranded on a deserted island visible on anyone. Throughout Brook appears more like she’s doing a calendar photoshoot than having escaped a burning boat and is stranded on a remote, desolate beach scavenging for food.

But hey, that’s fine. Watching her frolic on a beach showing her assets is the biggest hook as to why most will watch this. It’s funny, all these millions of dollars studios spend on special effects to dazzle audiences and Survival Island manages to get just as much attention grabbing visuals showcasing Brook prancing around in a bikini and sarong.

Brook and Di Pace get washed ashore, set up camp and instantly engage in flirty scenes. Di Pace is quite adapt at finding fish, setting up shelter and becoming Brook’s savior. He also happens to have the hots for her – and an attraction is building on Brook’s end too!

Arriving a bit late to the island party Zane immediately is on the defensive with Di Pace. Having a guy oogle his wife is something he just won’t put up with. Even if the guy who is doing the oogling is also providing them food.

Zane refuses his help, is determined to survive on his own and it becomes a stare down contest between the rich guy and the cabin boy with poor Brook in the middle. Who will crack first? Will Zane accept he needs Di Pace’s help? Will Brook stick by her man or break from him in order to survive?

I started to think that Zane, who really starts to go off his nut in this flick, was channeling his early role as a deranged psycho in 1989 thrillerDead Calm. That’s the first time I saw him and at points I thought maybe he was doing a bit of a callback to it. I might just be giving Survival Island too much credit and the only connection is that each have a boat and water in it.

The story for the most part becomes a tug of war between the two men and eventually things take a dramatic rise to the point of each of them wanting to kill the other. I will admit I became curious to see how the story would play out. I was also quite puzzled as to how this movie came to be.

It reminded me of a cheap made for cable movie I would’ve seen on late night where the main attraction was boobs and poorly done sex scenes. Things gets pretty ridiculous at points, but seeing Brook looking fantastic consistently worked in getting to keep my interest. I will admit I became curious to see how the story would play out – and if it would involve more nudity. I also really wanted to see how this tale would end

The film had to have a relatively low budget. But it came and went so quickly in theaters I don’t think it made any impact anywhere. Watching it, it seems like a much more appropriate movie to stumble on cable one boring night flipping around than being any kind of theater experience.

I had read Brook and Zane met on the film and began a relationship. Soon after completely the movie, they unsuccessfully had tried to get the filmmakers to remove all her nude scenes. What a crime that would’ve been! What would’ve been the point in watching this then???

Really, the nudity isn’t very much. Brook doesn’t shy away and her dropping her clothes are highlights, but it’s not as extreme to call this a ‘skin flick’.

There is an utterly pointless semi-subplot of some voodoo curse being performed. I think it’s meant to explain how such outlandish things are happening and explain away the stupidity of the actions of the characters…or something. I don’t know, it was a completely pointless inclusion to the movie.

There’s not much more to say. Brook looks spectacular – as if I haven’t said that enough. It’s a bit of surreal survival tale that if you stumble onto it might catch your attention, mainly because it will have you thinking, ‘what is going on with this movie?’ and your curiosity won’t allow you to tear yourself away from it.

That and Kelly Brook in her bikini.

Here’s a scene from the film. It should give you an idea of what awaits you. Come on, don’t tell me you’re not intrigued and thinking, “What the heck is going on???”