Anyone reviewed The Island? (1 Viewer)

Thinking of picking this up, anyone watched it yet?

Can anyone in the USA confirm that the English track is 5.1 and not 2.0 as we have here in Canada?! Thanks!!

According to DVD Planet there is a 5.1 track on the disc.

I have a $3 off coupon so I'll be picking this one up today. Haven't seen it yet but it sure looks good.

DVDEmpire shows "currently unavailable"

Do the Canadian versions have a French 5.1 track? I seem to remember other Canadian pressing in the past being given English 2.0 tracks when a French 5.1 was present.

Haven't spun my copy yet, but it does say 5.1. We'll see.

I'm on my way out to BB to pick it up now. With the $3 off coupon it's only $13.99 so that's worth a blind buy IMHO. I hope it doesn't suck!

I think the film is pretty good. I watched it last night, and the picture quality was quite nice. I can't speak for the US release having 5.1 since I watched it at a friends' place and he doesn't have a 5.1 system.

That being said, this is an extraordinarily bare-bones release. There's a 15 minute making-of featurette, and a commentary. Not even a trailer!

What happened here? I haven't seen anything about a coming SE, and it's usually not Dreamworks' MO to double dip (it's not like we're talking about CTHV here).

I thought The Island was terrifically entertaining and imo much better than you have probably heard.

Picked it up this morning and used that $3 off coupon too.

Just the fact that there's a commentary makes it better than a bare bones release. The movie was a financial disaster (which has no bearing on its quality but that certainly cuts down on its chances of a massive special edition) so I doubt you'll be seeing anything else for it until HD.

When the stories about Paramount buying DW surfaced last week, many reports cited the disastrous performance of THE ISLAND as being one of the downfalls of the studio.

Just curious, is this the first Dreamworks DVD to not include DTS? It's probably not, but I'm used ot most of their action and sci-fi flicks including it.

The Island was well received overseas. It was certainly no blockbuster, but it did do a respectable $124 million overseas. So it's worldwide total was approximately $160 million.

Box Office Mojo

its a dreamworks and WB movie so maybe thats why no dts.

plus there is another thread discussing the sound glitch going on.

it was mentioned in the other topic that the bass was overcooked.
i didnt notice that but the EE was as bad as i have seen on a non miramax issue.

check near the beginning when obi wan is walking around his room.
there are scrolling message areas.
it looks like there is a border/frame around the scroll.
there is no frame but the EE makes it look like there is.

same later on in the dr's office.
the table appears to be doubled or
tripled edges due to the EE.

The good:
Great film if you like lots of chase scenes, super cars, explosions and high tech weapons..... which I do.

The bad::frowning:
A complete waste of the acting talents of Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson, both of whom I really like. With all the CGI and visual effects, little acting was necessary.

So far I've heard that ALL discs sold in the Hamilton and surrounding area are botched - they have French 5.1 and English 2.0. There was a recommendation to the box stores to pull them off of the shelves because they were coming back. The jacket labels English in 5.1 - the way it should be.

We'll see what happens.

Mike

The argument that DreamWorks fell apart because of this is ridiculous, the Studio is just covering its a** for the BO failure of the film. Producer Doug Wick tried to blame its failure on the stars, but in the end it was all Michael Bay, who couldnt deliver a film within budget. Other films have failed far worse, and the studio still survived.

I mean, he actaully wanted more $$$ to finish the film, and the overbudget was the reason for so much product placement (the budget was already something like $130 million). A better director could have made this for half that cost, and with name actors. With problems liek that, its no wonder it (and Sony's Stealth) failed. DVD may help recoup its costs, but not much.

Plus, Dreamworks just didn't make that much money. Despite having some big box office films and Oscar Winners (Gladiator, American Beauty, SPR) it also had failures in addition to those. It also relied on joining wth other studios when it made alot of films instead of being on its own.

Maybe it was bad management, or bad timing, or maybe we will never fully know. Still, they did release some quality films during there time.

Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoyed this one. The first third of the film was great sci fi, the middle exciting action, but the last third just couldnt deliver. A great rental, and for Bay fans a good buy.

Any scoops on a special edition release? $26cdn around here. Even with a $4 off coupon, it's still pricey for a bare bones release.

off topic...
As a Bay fan, I'm curious and worried as to what his next steps will be. His formula has worked for me since Bad Boys but I wonder which studio will give him the big bucks to blow more shi* up. He was on a roll with Bruckheimer but his first film without Jerry flops financially. The Island is actually a pretty good movie so maybe is was DM's fault for not marketing it properly. Bay's track record as a producer has been dismal. Texas Chainsaw remake, Amityville remake....yawn...
Bruckheimer however continues to score with Pirates 1,2 and National Treasure.


let's see what Transformers will be like.