The Island

Review by Richard Lee

Dreamworks Home Entertainment / 2005 / 136 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: December 13, 2005

Specifications:
-DVD-Video
-DVD-9
-Region 1

Aspect Ratio:
-2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen

Audio:
-English Dolby Digital 5.1
-Director Commentary with Michael Bay

Subtitles:
-English
-Espanol
-Francais
-None

Main Menu:
-Play Movie
-Special Features
-Set Up
-Scenes

Special Features:
-The Future In Action
-Director Commentary with Michael Bay

Well...no need for Bryan Singer to helm a “Logan’s Run” remake as has been rumored to be the case until he got sidetracked to do the new “Superman Returns” movie; director Michael Bay, in his first cinematic venture without mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer, has fashioned a movie that borrows from several science-fiction films that have come before it - especially “Logan’s Run”. Throw in that and a dash of “Coma”, “THX-1138", Shirley Jackson’s short-story “The Lottery”, “The Clonus Horror”, etc. and you have “The Island”. The fact that story credit is given solely to Caspian Tredwell-Owen amounts to blatant plagiarism plain and simple. Sure enough, there is at least one lawsuit from Robert (The Clonus Horror) Fiveson to receive story credit and compensation from the makers of this film. 

We are presented with a seemingly utopian society where everyone is dressed up in similar outfits; are educated up to a fifteen year-old level; are fed strict diets; and are monitored against violence and close proximity to others - that is, no sex. They are led to believe that they are the survivors of what’s known as “The Contamination” - a euphemism for some apocalyptic event wherein the majority of the Earth’s population was wiped out and that currently their main motivation is to win “the lottery” and earn their place in a germ-free paradise known simply as “The Island”. Ewan McGregor plays Lincoln Six Echo, one of many thousands of inhabitants living in this society known as Merrick Biotech, but is himself experiencing recurring dreams where he is sailing on a sleek yacht with a beautiful girl only to be pulled into the water and drowned before he can reach her. Scarlett Johansson plays the girl of his dreams, Jordan Two Delta, and his friend in real life (or their“reality” as they know it) but Lincoln is starting to question the confines of his mundane existence; so much so that he has gained the attention of the over-seer of this society, Merrick himself, played by Sean Bean. Only when Lincoln gains access to areas of the facility which are strictly off-limits to all “agnates” (as they are called by the working staff) does he discover a terrible secret kept from them and he proceeds to find an escape with his friend Jordan in tow.

Director Michael Bay, known for his rapid fire editing and circling camera pans, has created an up-to-date re-telling of numerous sci-fi classics from the seventies - this is all fine for the cinema illiterate who have not seen the afore-mentioned films, and that’s probably the demographic the producers of this movie are banking on; but for us baby boomers who grew up in the sixties and seventies, one can’t help but knit-pick and find scenes and storylines that echo something that came before - a testament to the lack of originality coming out of Hollywood these days. That said, this is still a competent and entertaining time-filler for the non-discerning summer popcorn crowd. Ewan McGregor puts in another dedicated performance as the likable everyman hero, Lincoln, whose character’s name is by all means meant to convey a symbolism with all the subtlety of a sledge hammer - Lincoln, freer of the slaves, that is. Is it me, or is no one else bothered by that bump in the middle of his forehead? I know it’s supposed to set him apart from all other actors but my attention is almost always directed to that bump when there’s a closeup of his face. Scarlett Johansson, on the other hand, as heroine Jordan I’m still on the fence about - not an obvious beauty, she is supposed to have the assets of a super-model but instead looks more average. I suppose finding a real super-model with acting chops and a convincing action persona was too much for the casting agents to bear. Sean Bean, who can play smarmy villain in his sleep, is good as Merrick and even Steve Buscemi turns in a memorable comedic performance as McCord, a biotech staff worker who puts everything on the line to help Lincoln and Jordan. Djimon Hounsou smolders as Laurent, an ex-navy seal hired to hunt down the escaped agnates.

Picture Quality:

Indicative of all of Bay’s previous works so far, the picture looks as if every scene is shot through colored filters heightening the contrast and giving everyone a day-glow look to their faces, especially when the action is outdoors. Color intensity is rich and detail is very sharp; an excellent video transfer.

Audio Quality:

No DTS but this Dolby Digital 5.1 track pulls no punches either providing a thoroughly enveloping sonic experience. Surrounds and the LFE channel really come alive, particularly during dream sequences and chase scenes, the latter of which take up the bulk of the second half of the picture.

Scenes For Demonstration Purposes:

1. (1:20:00) - Long Chase Sequence (Tire Wheel Truck and Building Logo). 2. (2:03:20) - Destruction of Merrick Biotech.

Special Features:

First up is a feature-length audio commentary with director Michael Bay. We learn of the opening sequence that Bay had to fight for because of budgetary concerns by the studios. He also speaks of his praise for actors Ewan and Scarlett and how the tire wheel truck during the chase sequence was a device Bay came up with while he himself was out driving and encountered one of these vehicles and decided to keep his distance because of how dangerous the truck looked. Bay also staunchly defends his position regarding product placement in the movie - “We see it every day in real life. There’s no reason why movies can’t reflect that as well.”

“The Future In Action” (15:30) is the only featurette on this bare-bones DVD that deals strictly with the stunts and special effects during the elaborate chase scene. Computer-generated effects were seamlessly interspersed with real live explosions, particularly during the fall of the building logo onto the street below. Several Hummers and Magnums were destroyed and flipped over for the car chase sequence reminiscent of the ones in “Matrix Reloaded” and Bay’s own “Bad Boys 2". The actors themselves were put through a vigorous workout for all the running they were required to do; some experienced personal injury - all in the name of Michael Bay’s vision. Finally, there’s a quick promotional ad for the movie’s soundtrack CD.