Sorry if this review is a little confused, but that was how I found the film – lots of things to like about it, but lots of things that let it down as well. Many things I’ve touched on in this review may seem a little ambiguous, but that’s because I’ve had to be intentionally vague about details so as not to include any spoilers.

Synopsis

They live, they work, they hope…

The world has been contaminated and no life can exist in is. Their establishment is safe but they mustn’t leave it for fear of becoming contaminated themselves. There is only one place in the world naturally free from contamination, and that is The Island - a lottery determines who will go to live on this island, that’s the desire of everyone living and working – though they don’t quite know what they’re actually doing in their work, what it is accomplishing – in the establishment. They dress all in white, those that watch over them dress in black. Why this uniformity? What are they doing? Where do the tubes they feed with nutrients actually go?

One man, Lincoln Six Echo, begins to wonder, though few of his compatriots share his curiosity. Then he finds something that makes him question the whole fabric of his reality…

What I Liked About It

The cast – McGregor was as reliable as ever, and I was quite impressed with Scarlett Johansen’s performance as "Jordan Two-Delta" in this (she must be growing on me!) She radiated an innocent vulnerability that fitted with her character but showed plenty of verve once her character had changed due to the circumstances around her. Sean Bean was pretty good as the bad guy, Merrick (despite looking, slightly disconcertingly, rather reminiscent of Roger Moore!) and Ethan Phillips (Neelix from Star Trek voyager) provided some laughs as the comic relief. Djimon Hounsou was ok as a mercenary hired by Merrick. Steve Buscemi, playing and engineer at the complex, was excellent (as always!). Michael Clark Duncan gives a brief but very memorable performance too.

The storyline was pretty well developed, and the original premise, while perhaps not astonishingly new, was interesting enough to draw you into the film.

The action scenes were, on the whole, very well shot and intense.

The musical score complimented the action very well.

The effects, as you’d except, were superb.

There are some genuinely amusing moments, particularly when the main characters first come into contact with the outside world.

The film raises some interesting scientific and social questions.

What I Didn’t Like About It

Some of the dialogue was just plain awful.

The “scientists shouldn’t play God” motif (not that I don’t agree with it) was rather forced down your throat in some scenes. A little more subtlety would have given the message more impact.

Bean’s portrayal of his character also lacked subtlety on occasions, and his motives seemed a little confused at times. The same goes for ????.

Without going into detail which would spoil things for those who haven’t seen it, some of the theories propounded about the clones and their behaviour were distinctly iffy.

The film was rather overlong – if could have usefully lost twenty or thirty minutes.

Many scenes in the film looked rather too much like similar scenes in the Matrix films… though fortunately we’re spared the philosophy.

The film just lost credibility when the heros, who are not meant to have any special powers etc, drop 30 feet straight down without so much as straining an ankle!

The musical score, though good for the most part, does get a tad wearisome near the end.

Similarities…

It’s not just Matrix that this film seems to have a lot in common with, but also the old Michael York / Jennifer Agutter sci-fi classic, Logan’s Run. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing! :-D

Summing Up

Overall, The Island is a pretty good film that suffers mainly from having ideas beyond its station. Still good entertainment at the cinema, but would suffer from the transition to the small screen I think. Also repeated viewings would show up more and more inconsistencies. Still, I’ve given it a recommended as I’m glad I did see it… I’m just not sure I’d watch it again.

Classification…

I’m not sure what film the Film Classification Board were watching when they awarded this a 12A rating (not to be viewed by anyone under the age of 12 unless they are accompanied by an adult), but this film should have been given a 15 (not to be viewed by anyone under the age of 15). (USA equivalents?) The violence (though there is no gore), intensity, and nature of some of the scenes were way beyond what a 12 year old or young teen should be watching, let alone children under 12. Some countries have it rated as suitable only for those over 14/15/16 (Switzerland & Peru & Brazil / Finland / Germany & Argentina), which is a much more reasonable rating considering the content of the film. The USA rating is PG-13.

Other Information

Directed by: Michael Bay (Bay Boys 1 & 2, Armageddon, Pearl Harbour, The Rock)
Runtime: 136 min

Quotes

Lincoln on the joys of sex: “How come we never did this before?”

McCord on cloning ethics: “Just cause you wanna eat the burger, doesn't mean you wanna meet the cow.”

Lincoln on seeing a poster featuring some scantily dressed females: “Are these your friends? Why don't they have any clothes on?”

Jordan Two-Delta’s response when asked for her (phone) number by a guy who’s very taken with her: “Two-Delta.”

McCord on the universal laws of life: “Never give your credit card to a woman.”

Related Links

Ewan McGregor also starred in: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Down With Love, and voiced a character in the animation ROBOTS

Scarlett Johansen also starred in: In Good Company, Lost In Translation

A more satisfying sci-fi thriller is I, Robot

A more thought-provoking skiffy film is the little-known Harrison Bergeron


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See Also

Top Ten Films of 2005

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Recommended:
Yes

Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age