‘Island in the Sky’: Nail-Biting Action Without CGI

A highly entertaining disaster film that inspired many others.

Capt. Dooley (John Wayne) must hold his grounded flight crew until help hopefully arrives, in “Island in the Sky.” Warner Bros

NR | 1h 49m | Adventure, Drama | 1953

When it comes to disaster films, the more realistic build-up of tension has mostly been replaced by the modern-day variety with splashy but fake-looking computer-generated effects, so extreme that they practically melt your eyes out of their sockets. I may be exaggerating, but you get the point.