Matt Stone
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The Island
Directed By: Michael Bay
Studio: Dreamworks
Year: 2005
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 (Anamorphic)
Running Time: 2 Hrs.16 Mins.
Rating: PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Violence and Action, Some Sexuality and Language)
Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital (English), 2.0 Dolby Digital (English)
Subtitles: English, Spanish, and French
MSRP: $29.95
Street Date: 13 December, 2005
Review Date: 17 December, 2005
(Ratings are out of five stars)
Summary
The basic plot structure of The Island is pure sci-fi retread. Ewan McGregor plays Lincoln Six Echo, a member of an underground colony of clones used for spare parts. The members of the colony believe they’ve survived a global contamination disaster and live out their life in a nice, shiny utopia. Their ultimate goal is to win “the lottery” which buys their admission into the Island: the last uncontaminated place on the planet. I won’t spoil the plot, but I’m sure you can already see the similarities to other better sci-fi films like THX 1138, A.I., Logan’s Run, Blade Runner, Minority Report, and The Matrix.
All in all, the film isn’t too bad. If you’ve read any of my Pearl Harbor/Armageddon/Bad Boys posts, you can probably surmise that I’m not president of the Michael Bay fan club. I went into The Island expecting another big budget fizzle, and hoping that the American public finally got one right by not showing up in droves for this one. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Regardless of how over-the-top Bay’s action sequences were, or how predictable the writing was, I had a hell of a time watching this film. A good part of my enjoyment was a result of the good acting. As with the Star Wars prequels, Ewan McGregor is able to breath some actual life into an otherwise stiff environment. Steve Buscemi and Sean Bean also provide solid supporting work. I’m not sure Scarlett Johansson was used as effectively as McGregor, but perhaps that’s just me being biased toward the almighty Kenobi.
One fault that I can’t look past is product placement. Wow. I know a lot of these futuristic sci-fi films have major chains presented throughout (I still can’t watch Demolition Man without a mid-night Taco Bell run), but this one takes the cake. During the first act, you can’t watch 5 minutes without seeing Microsoft, Puma, Xbox, etc. It’s a little inundating. Another detriment is the long running time of 2 hours 16 minutes. The film drags a bit in the final act, but overall the pacing was adequate. It probably could have been shortened, but I didn’t notice myself checking the clock.
Bottom line: If The Island is an example of a brainless summer action movie, I’m a very happy critic. Retread or not, there’s enough actual sci-fi here to be thought provoking and the execution of the action sequences is superb. Combined with the great acting from the leads, Michael Bay has made a good film. Not that it’s saying much, but this is easily the best film that Bay has made since The Rock. It really surprises me that this one flopped at the box office. I guess it’s a case of bad timing and bad marketing, but I hope it finds an audience on DVD.
Film Rating: :star::star::star::star:
Video
Overall the video is pretty average. Considering the increased quality of recent DVD releases, I was expecting something a little better. I noticed some edge enhancement throughout, and some sequences came across looking very video-like. The opening sequence is an example of the latter. I also noticed some strange pixelation during the opening credits, but it was only obvious when viewing it on my PC. On one hand, I feel that this doesn’t exactly live up to the normal Dreamworks standards, but considering how sub-par The Ring 2 looked, The Island could have looked much worse. The color palette changed to suit the environment, with hard whites/grays/blacks during the underground colony sequences, and a more naturalistic look after the escape. The ringing is more significant during the colony sequences, primarily because everyone is in white jumpsuits and the EE is just much more noticeable.
Video Rating: :star::star::star:1/2
Audio
Like the video quality, the Dolby Digital track is passable for an action film but nothing revolutionary. It was mastered a little too bassy in my opinion. Compared to Dreamworks recent release of War of the Worlds (which did a better job of subtlety), The Island just sounds too bombastic. Like Bay’s other films, the movie is over-scored with music playing during all of the crucial action sequences. In most cases (the Star Wars movies being the most notable example), over-scoring doesn’t particularly bother me, but it was a little obtrusive during the early chase sequences in The Island. The dialog and effects were presented nicely in the film. Voices sounded crisp and clear, while the rear channels were utilized well for the multitude of action sequences.
Audio Rating: :star::star::star::star:
Extras
The Future in Action (15:31) – This is a typical short behind-the-scenes summary of the film. With a running time this short, information remains pretty vague. It’s worth a watch, but you won’t get the in-depth analysis that may be looking for.
Also featured on this DVD is a commentary with Michael Bay…and that’s it. It’s a pretty bare-bones affair. Pearl Harbor gets multiple releases and umpteen discs, but a far better film flops and gets a 15-minute doc. Oh well.
Extras Rating: :star:
In Closing…
I wasn’t looking forward to reviewing this film, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s far from a perfect movie, and the obvious fatal flaw is that there is nothing new added to the sci-fi lexicon . Regardless of this cardinal sin, it’s always entertaining and consistently keeps the audience engaged. Pacing in the final act is a little iffy. They probably could have trimmed a little bit off of the large running time, but that’s just a nit-pick. Keeping my cynicism in check, I had a hell of a time watching this film. Solid acting from the cast and well-executed action sequences (if not over-the-top) elevated the film above other brainless entertainment. If you saw it in the theater and liked it, you will probably be happy purchasing this near-barebones release, but for everyone else I can only recommend it as a rental.
Overall Rating: :star::star::star:
Matt Stone
17 December, 2005