Monster Island is the name of a campy 2004 made-for-TV movie in the 1950s monster movie style. It features a sexy rock star (Carmen Electra as herself) abducted by a giant flying ant during a concert on a remote island in the Bermuda Triangle, and the group of high-school kids who set out to save her.
Josh (Daniel Letterle), the protagonist, is a high-school kid who has won an MTV contest for a weekend tropical getaway, which includes a concert by Carmen Electra and backstage passes to meet her. His sister somehow convinces him to invite his senior class on the trip, including everyone he hates, but also including his ex-girlfriend, Maddy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), whom he wants back, plus her politically-ambitious new boyfriend, Chase (Chris Harrison). No one seems to notice the leaking radioactive waste barrels lying around in the background. Josh enjoys meeting Electra, and discovers that she is very nice and has similar taste in music.
The real action starts in the middle of Electra's first song, "Jungle Fever," when a giant red flying ant shows up, throwing kids hither and yon, and finally snatching up both Electra and her large bodyguard, Eightball (the hilarious C. Ernst Harth). Josh announces to the other students that he is going to try to save Electra, but after discouragement and threats of being abandoned by the MTV crew, only a handful of students remain: Josh, his two best friends, Stack (Joe Macleod) and Andy (Cascy Beddow), Josh's sister Jen (Chelan Simmons), Maddy (only there because it is a noble cause), and Chase (only there because of Maddy). The MTV crew also realizes that whether Josh saves her or dies in the attempt, they can have their careers made, so Lil' Mindi (Alana Husband), a DJ-turned-narrator/reporter and camera operator G.T. (Jeff Geddis) set out with the kids "to record this heroic trek."
During the first leg of the trip, they accidentally find Eightball, who joins their company, and escape from a 50-foot-tall praying mantis. During these trampings, Earth-friendly Maddy finds an old necklace lying in the grass, which she impulsively puts on. From then on, she gradually changes from an assertive teenager to a sort of Amazon, wise to the ways of the forest, eerily familiar with the island, and with a stilted, declarational, educated-Tarzan way of speaking.
They are later saved by a certain Dr. Harryhausen (Adam West) from a man-shaped fish creature that kills G.T. Harryhausen works for the U.S. Department of Atomic Energy and takes them to the skeleton-scattered installation where he is the sole remaining survivor of a larger force. While slightly crazy, he does explain much of the history of the island, adding that the island will sink soon. He also tells them the quickest way to the mountain ("an old army road") and declining to accompany them.
Along their way, they again encounter the praying mantis as it meets a giant female to mate. In accordance with mantis breeding habits, after coitus, the female literally bites his head off. They again run for their lives while she talks to her boss (the same guy who threatened to leave them all) about the footage she is getting and arranging where she should be picked up (leaving out the rest of the group). Eightball stays behind to attack the mantis with a bulldozer formerly used to clear the road, and finally sacrifices himself to kill the mantis. Chase starts babbling about the ways they might die, and Maddy breaks up with him for being a coward.
Finally, they reach the base of the mountain, where they make weapons out of their possessions and things they find in the jungle. While most of the group starts climbing, Chase and Lil' Mindi head for the beach unnoticed. Lil' Mindi is then caught in a giant spiderweb and Chase continues to the beach, leaving her to die. At the peak of the mountain, the remaining group members find a large crater with a small hole in the center, where they kill a giant ant which attacks them. The doctor shows up again and explains that the mountain is one giant ant hive, but that there are very few ants left because of a napalm and later sterilization mission which he was a part of.
Entering, they quickly reach the main chamber, where they find several ants and the queen. They discover that some of the original inhabitants, who the army thought relocated, were taken into slavery by the giant ants. They also find that Electra is held here to keep the slaves happy with her singing. Maddy then reveals that she is the host to the warrior goddess of these people, explaining her odd behavior. She shows herself to the people as their goddess, and they are inspired to revolution by her presence. During the fighting, Josh and his sister save Electra, and all of the original group reach a side exit. The mountain starts trembling, and the doctor advises that the island is sinking. Everyone slides down the mountain except the doctor, who sacrifices himself to kill the queen. One couple from the native tribe is also able to escape. In the meantime, the boat leaves Chase on the beach because Lil' Mindi is not with him. When Chase realizes this, he jumps in the water to try to catch them.
The group soon reaches the beach, where the boat is not in sight and they do not notice Chase in the water. Led by Maddy, the natives cry out for deliverance from the island. About this time, Josh begins to confess his love for Maddy. Frustrated by how she ignores him, he grabs the necklace and pulls it off her neck. Instantly, she is unpossessed, and Josh gives her a big hug in his joy. Andy (Cascy Beddow), Josh's nerdy best friend, confesses his love to Josh's sister Jen (Chelan Simmons), who calls him a dork but kisses him anyway. This leads Stack to try hitting on Electra, who mentions she is married. About this time, a helicopter appears and lands on the beach nearby. Nick Carter (as himself) jumps out and explains that they had gotten lost and delayed and only now made it to the island, so everyone gets in the helicopter and they take off. Jen asks for Carter's autograph, and Maddy and Josh make up. In the waters near the island, Chase is swimming away, followed unknowingly by the fish-man.
Adam West (I)'s character was named after Ray Harryhausen who is known for his stop-animation.
Adam West's character of Doctor Harryhausen is named after stop motion master Ray Harryhausen.
