After Star Trek, Patrick Stewart Played Captain Nemo In A Forgotten Hallmark Sci-Fi Movie
by Joe Roberts · /FilmAdd SlashFilm on Google:
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Patrick Stewart played some great roles outside of "Star Trek," many of which were in overlooked and under-appreciated projects. 2005's "Mysterious Island" might not quite fit into the "under-appreciated" category considering some critics' reaction, but it was certainly overlooked. On the other hand, when it comes down to it Stewart was good in pretty much everything, regardless of a given project's overall quality. Viewed that way, his performance in "Mysterious Island" makes the movie an under-appreciated entry in his filmography at the very least.
Stewart passed away at the age of 86 on October 29, 2026, prompting heartfelt tributes to the British star. Everyone from Seth MacFarlane to William Shatner responded to Stewart's passing with effusive praise, marking what is surely one of the most widespread outpourings of love and appreciation in Hollywood history. That's not surprising given Stewart's standing as one of the greats and the fact he worked with such a varied array of collaborators in his time.
One such collaborator was Australian filmmaker Russell Mulcahy, who oversaw the Hallmark Channel's 2005 adaptation of Jules Verne's "Mysterious Island." For Stewart, this project came in the wake of the less than successful "Star Trek: Nemesis" (2002), which capped off the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" film series in anticlimactic fashion. Thankfully, by that point the veteran star had already begun playing Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films of the early 2000s. But between leading the 20th Century Fox-era mutants and popping up in guest spots on shows such as "Frasier" and "Family Guy," Stewart found time to play Captain Nemo in the Hallmark Channel's take on "Mysterious Island." As always, he did the very best he could.
Patrick Stewart played a very different Captain Nemo in Mysterious Island
When he came to direct "Mysterious Island," Russell Mulcahy was no stranger to working with British national treasures, having directed music videos for Elton John and Duran Duran. Of course, he remains best known for directing 1986's "Highlander," which means he had solid experience in the fantasy action realm. He also endured behind-the-scenes chaos on "Rambo III" before being ousted from the project — all of which no doubt steeled him for any project that might come his way. All of that experience no doubt came in handy on "Mysterious Island," which once again saw him venture into fantasy action territory while collaborating with yet another British legend in Patrick Stewart.
Jules Verne's novel, "L'Île mystérieuse," was first published in 1875 and tells the story of Cyrus Smith and his four compatriots who, during the American Civil War, hijack an observation balloon and end up stranded on an island. That island turns out to be where Captain Nemo, a character from Verne's 1870 novel "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas," is hiding, and he helps his newly arrived guests from afar before revealing himself later in the story and going out a hero.
Mulcahy's film, which was based on a script from Adam Armus and Nora Kay Foster, took several cues from Cy Endfield's 1961 adaptation of "Mysterious Island," which used stop motion animation by visual effects master Ray Harryhausen to populate its version of the titular isle with giant bug creatures. In the Hallmark film, Kyle MacLachlan plays Cyrus Smith who must face these horrors alongside his fellow Civil War refugees. Stewart, meanwhile, played Captain Nemo, who in this version of the story isn't the well-intentioned benefactor of Verne's original tale — at least not at first.
Patrick Stewart gave his best in a film that was quickly forgotten
"Mysterious Island" sees Kyle MacLachlan's Cyrus Smith and his Civil War escapees arrive on the island only to be cast out into the unforgiving wilderness by Patrick Stewart's Captain Nemo. He is the only one who can offer them shelter from the colossal beasts that stalk the land, but after Smith rejects an offer to join Nemo in his plan to develop a powerful weapon, he exiles the group. He later redeems himself, but Stewart's version of the character is a decidedly more belligerent and unforgiving figure than his literary counterpart.
Playing such a character must have been a nice change of pace for Stewart, who aside from being best known as the deeply ethical and heroic Jean-Luc Picard, spent 2005 appearing in comedy shows such as "Family Guy" and "American Dad!" This was also the year Stewart appeared on "Extras" in a brilliant guest spot that quickly fell apart due to Ricky Gervais' inability to stop laughing. That was a brief but memorable turn from Stewart, showcasing the actor's considerable comedic talents. His "Mysterious Island" performance, however, wasn't just a vastly different role, it was nowhere near as widely seen and was therefore quickly forgotten.
According to a contemporaneous review from Variety, that was probably for the best. Critic Brian Lowry described the film as "loud and tedious, with wildly uneven special effects and equally hit-miss performances." That said, as always, Stewart did his best with the material and if you'd like to see whether he managed to rescue the project as a whole you can watch "Mysterious Island" right now on Prime Video.