The Island
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Movie Reviews of The Island
Movie Review: Closer to reality than you might think
Summary: 4 Stars
One of the great untold tragedies of the 20th century was the prevalence of medical testing on unwitting subjects. Some Americans have probably heard of the Tuskegee airmen, black American servicemen who became unwitting test subjects for medical experiments. But how many people are aware of the medical testing performed on ignorant prisoners, on poor people on various Caribbean islands, or the large-scale testing of vaccines on African villagers throughout the latter half of the 20th century. The latter tragedy was the background for the movie "The Constant Gardener" but it was kept in the background. This movie takes medical experimentation and puts it front and center in the middle of America.
The plot is simple; two clones discover that they were created to have their organs harvested. They then fight to escape, and then to help others like them escape. The story takes on the issues of cloning, genetic engineering, mind control, and even the power of corporations operating in the medical sphere. Yes the story has the requisite action scenes and love scene needed for any Hollywood flick, but it also has enough scenes to explore the medical and moral issues involved. We have Lincoln's real counterpart, a rich, spoiled yuppie who needs replacement organs because his are suffering from STD's he has picked up from various women. Then there is the scene when Scarlett Johansson's character sees the son of her real counterpart. And then there is the scene where Djimon Hounsou's character parallels the medical cloning with the atrocities he witnessed in his homeland in Africa. All in all, this was a great action movie with heart and a meaning. A great watch.
Movie Review: An unoriginal adaptation of "Logan's Run" meets "The Fast & the Furious Furious".
Summary: 2 Stars
How disappointing & predictable. The entire premise is a poor "clone", pun intended, from a story about clones. "Logan's Run" is one of my ATF's. Michael York played Logan 5. In "The Island" Ewan McGregor character's name is Lincoln 6 Echo. In "Logan's Run", Jenny Agutter played Jessica 6. Scarlett Johannson's character is Jordan 2 Delta. Oh yeah, Richard "Jordan" was the antagonist in Logan's Run. Coincidence?
The premise of both stories is that an past cataclysmic atomic event requires everyone to live underground. Logan & Jessica are destined for "renewal". After "decontamination", Lincoln 6 Echo & Jordan 2 Delta were promised life on "The Island". In the finale, the destruction of the underground complex & subsequent exodus scenes are almost identical to "Logan's Run". Frankly, I do not recall so many car crashes in a Sci-fi thriller. They were obviously miniaturized. "The Island" is an embarrassing blotch on McGregor's & Johansson's otherwise stellar careers.
Movie Review: Nice Effects and Music
Summary: 3 Stars
I don't think there was anything really innovative about this movie. It has the same feel as Minority Report as far as the special effects and mixing technology into our modern urban landscape. Ewan and Scarlett give believable performances as naive individuals with the minds of 15 year olds. They movie is overall enjoyable and I think the score is beautiful. Movie Review: So so
Summary: 3 Stars
Good special effects and interesting storyline. Unfortunately nothing that I'd recommend for anyone that is not a sci-fi aficionado. Movie Review: Could have been a great movie
Summary: 2 Stars
This movie has a really interesting concept of human clones being made so people can extent their life by replacing their aging body parts with cloned ones. The clones have memory imprinted in them so they are pretty stupid and just believe what they are told. But some of the clones got smart and began to question everything about their existence. Ultimately, two escaped from the facility that housed the clones. The company that makes the clones must stop them at all cost. This is where the movie falls apart with one car chase after another. At this point the whole movie turns from an intellectual and intriguing one to a mindless action junk filled with explosions and car chases. Unless you are a testosterone-filled teenager, there is not much to see here.