The Island

THE SCOOP
Director: Michael Bay
Plot: A man goes on the run after he discovers that he is actually a 'harvested being', and is being kept along with others in an Utopian facility.

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Awards: -
Runtime: 136min
Rating: PG for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexuality and language.

IN RETROSPECT
The Island represents Michael Bay's most intellectual work. But that's still a gross overstatement. Well-known for his brand of brainless entertainment (Pearl Harbor, Armageddon), he's still the best director to go to for rigging explosions after explosions. Renowned critic James Berardinelli wonderfully captures it in one sentence, ''If there are lots of flashes and bangs, and smoke and fire, either your car has just rear-ended a Pinto or Michael Bay has made a new movie.''

The Island is an excellent opportunity for Bay to reinvent his film-making style. While he shows signs of creativity, he still lacks the storytelling power of great directors such as Steven Spielberg, and James Cameron. Often reliant on special effects, and lots of high-octane action to carry his films, The Island is no exception. The flat, and limited range of acting abilities of the lead actors Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson offer no outlet in terms of sympathizing with their characters. The Island still entertains, but you won't need a lot of brain juice to figure out that you have just seen a Michael Bay flick.

SCORE: 7/10
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Last updated: 2010-05-08 08:45:36 by eternality_tan

there's no island in the island. i was surprised too. i was expecting scarlett johansson in a bikini. i was then expecting bikini-eating piranhas to attack her, and my enjoyment would only increase from there. everyone loves piranhas; they're shiny and one time james cameron told them what to do. what i got instead was a sci-fi flick, and for some reason that excited me more. which is weird, and probably somehow wrong.

some people really love to bash this film. i can't argue that the angry comments leveled towards michael bay and this movie are actually pretty valid: it's a rip-off of all other sci-fi dystopian escape movies. it has too much product placement. it's just like blade runner. scarlett johansson is too hot. wa wa. how do people with this many tears  get through the day? are they even able to see through their watery prison?

i thoroughly enjoyed this film. to illustrate that point, i'll divulge this fact: i've seen it more than once. it's not that i had some weak moment, like when i watched the mummy films. by choice.  that was a weak moment. which i repeated. but this, this was destiny.

i give the island a 5/7. it's sci-fi, it has a hot girl, and the plot is fun.

http://suckfail.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/the-island/

Last updated: 2010-02-15 08:50:43 by suckfail