The Island
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Movie Reviews of The Island
Movie Review: The fast and furious attack of the clones
Summary: 3 Stars
"The Island", the combination of Action / Sci-Fi/ Thriller and more is quite enjoyable (it is always fun to see not just one but two Ewan Mcgregors on the screen; Scarlett has become a real beauty, and Steve Buscemi makes any film watchable) but easily forgettable summer blockbuster. "The Island" takes place in the near future and tells the story of a world where the cloning have became a reality and the wealthy citizens can and do order the clones in order to successfully treat their present or future health problems. The clones are living human beings with the feelings and dreams that have no idea about their destination which is to become the source for matching body parts, blood, and organ of the ones who paid for them. The movie raises very interesting, serious, and important ethical questions but does not have time to stop and to contemplate on them - it is too busy with the non-stoppable fast and furious action sequences. It had the potentials of 'The Matrix" (first one) or "Minority Report" - it just did not happen.
Movie Review: Thrilling modern era science fiction.
Summary: 5 Stars
Like exciting, fast-paced science-fiction yarn with good acting and a believable plot? This one's for you. Some of the special effects are OK as well. Cute part is when the two major characters find love and strong feelings for the first time in their lives. Several sinister sub-plots keep the viewer's interest throughout. I'm not much of a science-fiction buff, but this one was worth seeing more than once. Movie Review: 5 star premise, 2 star execution
Summary: 4 Stars
Great premise - the Minority Report meets Soylent Green meets the Matrix with a heap of current ethical issues tossed in to boot. Perhaps the execution failed because there were conflicting goals - was this a morality play or an action flick? Either way, the premise was an interesting one. You just keep wondering, "We get the joke, now when's it going to end?" It's like hearing the punchline halfway through the set-up. Could've easily been a 90 minute movie.Movie Review: [3.5]-- "It's always the same dream - I'm on a boat, headed to The Island."
Summary: 4 Stars
I had the opportunity to watch this film the other day and though it was okay. I've took it as another movie that has something desperately to say along with a long line of other frustrating Hollywood thrillers. There are a number of things that is good here but the bad brings down the entire experience. The underlying problem with this movie is Michael Bay. He has missed the mark yet again. The Island starts out as an engaging, entertaining Sci-Fi film. Then, about halfway through, it gets Bayified. Guns, explosions, chases, and actors yelling "run" over and over again.
The movie starts out in a futuristic world where everybody dresses alike, lives in a contained environment, and believe that their only salvation is the prospect of getting to 'The Island', the only place in the world where life still flourishes. Well, as we all should know by now, "life finds a way". Lincoln, played by Ewan McGregor, starts to get curious about who he is and why he lives the way he does. Why can't he have bacon? Why is Tuesday always tofu night? Why does he always have to wear white, even after Labor Day. He has a "friendship" with Jordan, played by Scarlett Johannson. This could have been a movie in itself as these characters begin to understand who they are, or what they are, and why they live the way they do. Instead, about 30 minutes into the film, Lincoln discovers the big secret, grabs Jordan, yells "run!!", and the Michael Bay film begins. Don't get me wrong I love action, but it's like Orange Juice, it's much better smooth and pure, than processed and stagnant.
So, what's good in this movie? First, McGregor is good as both Tom Lincolns and you can tell them apart base on blond highlights. Secondly, I liked the fact that they realized that 2019 isn't that far away, so L.A. looks different, but not that different. There are familiar buildings, cars, brand names, etc. Steve Buscemi, Michael Clarke Duncan and Djimon Honsou are all solid, not surprisingly. The movie has some funny moments, such as Lincoln getting worried when he's told his friend is "in the can". I know film-making technology has really come along way, but the scenes involving both Lincoln characters are so well done that you forget there's only one actor on the screen.
What was bad to me in this film was Scarlett Johannson. I though she was completely wasted in this movie. It is by no means her fault. There is no character for her to play. The movie literally could have existed without the character of Jordan. She's basically there to look good in each scene. I liked Honsou as the tough; no nonsense operative out to retrieve the missing clones, but of course there ends up being more to his character. Otherwise, Honsou never would have been in this movie. And of course, there's the Bay factor. There are only so many times that characters can survive car wrecks, and falls from great heights, and bullets just missing them. It just gets old, and the box office reflects that.
Movie Review: A Most Interesting and Fast Moving Mixture
Summary: 5 Stars
If you've read Jeff Shannon's Editorial Review above, you'll have noted several points open to question. Mr. Shannon suggests that director Michael Bay's previous work was somewhat lacking in intelligence. I disagree. However, let's address this one.
In the beginning, we find ourselves in a sort of post-apocalypse situation. Something called THE CONTAMINATION has devastated the earth, leaving the machine-like civilization under ground, and, oh, yes, there's an ISLAND somewhere that escaped devastation. The undergrounders run a lottery that gives random citizens a ticket to the fresh-air paradise of The Island.
The undergrounders are conditioned not to question, but one of them, Lincoln Six Echo (Mr. McGregor) begins to do just that, and quite accidentally discovers that things are going on that the population isn't told about.
Mr. Shannon denotes as antecedents "Clonus" as well as several other items. I find myself thinking that "The Island" is a most clever and fast moving mixture of "Brave New World", "THX 1138", "The 6th Day," and "The Matrix", with dashes of "Transporter" and even "Judge Dredd".
The only aspect I would have asked for more of, would be the sly humor that James Cameron tends to tuck in his work. And "The Island" is a bit predictable in spots, but that isn't always bad. You can sit there and think about how smart you are, while you enjoy the film. I did.
Besides Mr. McGregor and an atypically slightly-less-than-sexy Ms. Johansson, one welcomes the neat performances of Djimon Hounsou and Sean Bean.
If you're crazy about action, what have you got to lose? If you haven't seen this one yet, go for it!