The Island (Review)

Posted by ad on Jul 20, 2005 in Film | 0 comments

This post originally appeared on Screen*Play.

With summer blockbuster releases this year mostly being sequels, remakes or about comic books, The Island (Warner Brothers/Dreamworks) is a welcome addition to a season that’s been a bit uninspired.

Michael Bay (Pearl Harbor, Armageddon) spared no expense in creating this well-paced, futuristic, sci-fi thriller and dare I say, it’s one of the best movie he’s ever made.

Set in the mid-21st century, Bay advances technology enough that it’s believable and creates a Utopian world which I would gladly live in today. While the theme is simple, the brilliance lies in how Bay reveals it, teasingly, one tiny well thought out detail at a time.  Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johanssen are a perfect fit, neither overshadowing the other, as a team I couldn’t see played by anyone else. The special effects and camera work make for an awesome thrill-ride meant for the big screen.

*WARNING – MILD SPOILERS AHEAD
Lincoln Six-Echo (McGregor) and Jordan Two-Delta (Johanssen) are the lucky survivors of contamination, now living in a contained facility designed to preserve what’s seemingly left of the human race.

A 360 degree view of The Island, the last uncontaminated place on earth, engulfs the facility and is the ultimate destination for those lucky enough to win a lottery allowing them to leave, inhabit the heavenly land and re-populate the lost civilization.

But, as the saying goes, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. LSE soon discovers that everything he’s ever known is a lie including what he is and why he’s there. The revelation marks not only a shift in LSE, but a shift in the film from the calm and the beautiful to the fast and explosive. It drives him to grab closest friend, JTD, and the two run for their lives in the most incredible action sequences I’ve seen on film in a long time.

The memorable footage of a bomb dropping through the sky in Pearl Harbor is only a glimpse of what Bay can do with a camera and special effects. Here, they had me jumping out of my seat as if what was happening on screen were happening to me. Music, lighting and different film grains heighten the experience.

It’s a familiar story with samplings of Logan’s Run and Blade Runner however, the execution is magnificent. Those looking for action and special effects won’t be disappointed. Bay’s futuristic world is definitely worth every penny and moment of time spent seeing it.

Also starring Dijimon Hounsou (In America, Beauty Shop), Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings, Return of the King) and Steve Buscemi (Big Fish, Coffee and Cigarettes, The Sopranos).

Opens July 22nd