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Back Shelf Beauties
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The Island This movie gave me the chills, but not just for the story and action. In this look at the future, it became very clear to me that there are no fat people in the future! I kept looking and looking, hoping to see one friend of Ben and Jerry, but all I saw were models, actors and one sad bald guy. I almost dropped my ice cream into my tub of popcorn. Is Michael Bay setting out a grand vision for a future without pleasantly plump and jolly people like me, or is he just hoping? Either way, I might have to start getting in shape. What Hollywood wants, Hollywood gets. Ewan McGregor stars as Lincoln Six-Echo - a hospital patient in 2019 told he is one of few survivors of a world-wide catastrophe. In a very controlled, high tech environment, Lincoln and other survivors wait to win a special lottery. Winners are sent to a magical utopia, The Island, where they live a perfect life, while losers continue to live in a sterile hospital where they lack personal freedom and their every move is watched. Unfortunately, Lincoln has started having nightmares, developed a forbidden romantic interest in another patient, Jordan Two-Delta (Scarlett Johansson), and is questioning authority and his reasons for existence. All of this has put the doctor in charge of the facility, Merrick (Sean Bean), on edge. Soon, Lincoln makes a shocking discovery and asks Jordan to join him in his escape (sure, Lincoln asks the hot babe to join him, not the lonely bald guy who eats breakfast with him every day). What has Lincoln discovered? Can he and Jordan escape their captors? The Island is exactly what you expect from a summer action film with plenty of explosions, an amazing car chase and a beautiful woman (I love you Scarlett! Ever since Ghost World!), but, it also has a good story that brings up an interesting moral and ethical question worth pondering, even if the script doesn't fully explore the quandary. Director Michael Bay does a fantastic job establishing the tone of the story by showing us the heavy security Lincoln and Jordan live under, the hope each patient feels during lottery time and the beginnings of a romantic relationship between the two leads. Bay pays particular attention to Lincoln's growing curiosity about life and his surroundings, which helps build the tension and makes the audience realize they also wouldn't want to be in this seemingly safe environment. Of course, once Lincoln and Jordan decide to make their escape, the movie starts to excel. Bay films action scenes the way they are meant to be seen. Too often, directors fail to shoot the scenes in an easy-to-follow manner, but Bay is more skilled than those hacks (none of that shaky camera junk passed off as trendy). You can follow the action and get caught up in the thrill of the chase as Lincoln and Jordan use every means necessary for escape (every means necessary except nudity). It's a great thrill ride, but even thrill rides need endings, and that's where The Island goes slightly awry. Writers Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Capian Tredwell-Owen, along with Bay, seem to be confused as to how The Island should end. The escape scenes give Bay and company focus, but they lose focus when trying to figure out where to go next with the story. Kurtzman, Orci and Tredwell-Owen don't provide great dialogue to help us understand Jordan and Lincoln's growing attraction for each other (although, there is a decent explanation of this), and they need to do a better job developing Albert Laurent (Djimon Hounsou) - the man hired to capture the wayward patients. His feelings and background become more important as the story develops, but it's sprung on us rather than shown slowly, so we can savior and understand it. Also, it would have given Hounsou something interesting to do, which would be very welcome from a talented actor such as him. Overall, The Island is a good movie that will leave you satisfied, even if the ending is a bit contrived. McGregor and Johansson do a great job with the action, and make something out of a basic script. The dialogue may leave something to be desired, but they make the characters interesting and likable. 3 Waffles (Out Of 4) Copyright 2005 - WaffleMovies.com
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