The Island

Michael Bay has had his directoral ups and downs, but here in the big budget action realm, the director of the excellent The Rock seems right at home. This time, Bay welds the action to a solid, if somewhat unoriginal sci fi plot - which blends elements of Logan's Run, THX-1138 and Gattaca.

Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johanson are an attractive couple living in a completely medically regulated community designed to repopulate a world decimated by a mass extinction. Ethan Phillips, Djimon Hounsou and Sean Beam all provide excellent support. Beam is miraculously transformed into his clever, arrogant and suspect character. Phillips is also particularly memorable as their slightly unhinged pal.

Life in an enclosed, sterile environment, with all of their needs taken careof - including neatly arranged and identical uniforms, jobs, and three square can be a great bore, so - once a week or so - the sponsoring corporation gives away a one way ticket to the only place in the outside world which isn't lethal - The Island.

McGregor's Licoln Six Echo and a number of his cohorts are becoming increasingly agitated and curious about their home. All the while, his platonic relationship with Jordan Two Delta (Johanson) grows. But then, she wins her ticket to the island.

I have described the basic set up, and sci-fi fans will probably understand that this film actually sits among Logan's Run, gattaca, THX-1138 and other intelligent dystopian sci films. What may be a little harder to visualize is how stylistically indebted to Gattaca and THX-1138 this film is. Ewan McGregor doesn't really look like Ethan Hawke, and Scarlett Johanson is certainly not easily mistaken for Uma Thurmond, but between the cinematography, the themes, and the overall prettiness of the cast, the homage is obvious. The camera work is excellent, and the pace is spot-on, though it does become a little breathless toward the end.

Nevertheless, The Island stands on its own as a nice example of big budget sci fi which does not insult its audience's intelligence and uses its budget to tell an interesting story - not just to show off a lot of special effects and highly improbable action (though there is quite a lot of both here anyway). Recommended for serious and semi-serious sci fi fans.

This movie shows you exactly where we're headed to as a society, if not there already. Conformity and obeying (blindly), no emotions, nor humanity, no wondering nor questioning, no self-reflection. Humanity being lied to and enslaved by the forever ruling 1%.

Wake up !

After the movie, I asked myself, how can we know if are not cloned versions of some people maybe outside our planet? What if the Earth is just a big lab?

The other thought is: what if there is already labs like that, that we have no idea about? What about old people that we see that are passed 80 and are close to 90 years old, but still have a good body and mental health?

During the movie I also wondered, what ethics can rule such idea, even if it applied to animals?

I have a thought and a fear that this movie is not science fiction any more. I think the things that we do not know about science experiments are more than what we know!

I had heard for years about THE ISLAND because of its stellar cast and also because it's directed by Michael Bay, who always makes enjoyable blockbusters. Last March I finally saw it and it stood to my expectations.

The movie is set in 2019 where a huge contamination has made the Earth an unhospitable place and the few survivors live in a giant technological structure where life is organized and monitored even in the tiniest details and a lottery selects who has to go in an island where there can be a new future. Tom Lincoln (Ewan McGregor) waits since three years to win the lottery but not only he doesn't have the requirements but also has too many questions and a frequent nightmare that has discussed with technician James McCord (Steve Buscemi). After discovering that the lottery winners have to die of horrible deaths Tom decides to escape with Sarah Jordan (Scarlett Johannson) and discover that there is no contamination, only to be chasen by mercenary Albert Laurent (Djimon Hounsou) sent by Doctor Merrick (Sean Bean) and after lots of chases and explosions, free all the humans in the structure and let them live a normal life.

The acting by all was good and the action sequences great, not surprising since it's directed by Bay. And the plot and settings were great as well, with various hidden meanings and feel good ending.

Not to be missed if you are Bay fans and overall, an entertaining misunderstood movie from the 2000s.

I found The Island to be highly enjoyable - a great Summer blockbuster that isn't quite mindless. It raises a number of very interesting questions...

Plenty of eye candy in every form, the two leads, the scenery, explosions, action sequences, the cinematography, everything you would expect from Michael Bay and Co.

The pacing to begin with is somewhat slow as the premise is set up (though disappointingly the trailers give it all away), but once it launches into the first action sequence it doesn't let up for some time. Yes the story has a number of plot holes but you can easily overlook them and get swept away in the fun. I've never seen Johansson on film until now and WOW, now I know what all the fuss is about. Her and McGregor display enough chemistry to make their relationship believable but only just. I'm sure this will only propel them onto bigger and better things.

My one and only gripe was with the ending scene complete with cheesy choral accompaniment - blech! Maybe Bay just couldn't help himself. I suppose no film is perfect..

7 out of 10, solid, fun entertainment, what more can you ask for?