Movie Review: The Island
The Island Opens everywhere July 22
Starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson
Directed by Michael Bay
"Our favorite scene involves some none too subtle Bush bashing...."
Movie Review by Robert Lanham
Against our better judgment we went to see a sneak preview of Michael Bay's The Island. Our desire to see Scarlett Johansson in a tight, space-age jump suit outweighed our instinct to avoid another film by the fool who brought us Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, The Rock, and Bad Boys II. Michael Bay is arguably the lamest director in Hollywood. Not to mention the biggest frat boy in Hollywood.
Thankfully, since we shelled out 12 bucks per ticket after the Fandango surcharge, we were pleasantly surprised by Bay's latest creation. In fact, The Island, may not be the film of the year, but it's sure to be the blockbuster of the year. Sorry, Batman. The Island is better.
The Island takes place in the not-too-distant future and features set pieces reminiscent of 2001 and THX 1138. A contaminated atmosphere has caused people to seek shelter in a sterile and contained "utopian" facility. It’s a Brave New World where their actions are monitored Big Brother-style. Though completely detached from nature and the outside world in their sterile chambers, the white track-suited masses find meaning and hope in the form of a random lottery. Lottery winners are granted the freedom to be relocated to a tropical paradise known simply as The Island; the last remaining place on Earth where the atmosphere has not been contaminated. Strangely, lottery winners are announced by a breathy-voiced woman who looks like she just returned from a threesome on a seedy porn set.
As is to be expected from a Michael Bay movie, The Island is a loud, in-your-face ride that prefers spectacle to subtlety. Nonetheless, the pacing is always perfect and it never fails to be exciting. It’s a blockbuster in every sense of the word and is notably smarter than Bay’s other bonehead movies. And of course, Johansson is ridiculously cute.
The Island's sci-fi themes aren't exceptionally original—you'll notice similarities to Logan's Run, Blade Runner, The Matrix, and Gattaca—but the packaging is beautiful and unexpected. The movie never slows down enough to allow McGregor and Johansson to develop any chemistry, but they are serviceable and believable in their roles.
As the movie progresses, it deviates into a more conventional action film. But thankfully Bay is able to show some restraint and avoids his normal embarrassing testosterone-driven dialogue. With the exception of a joke about the word "dude" that would be a perfect concept for a Coors Light commercial and a stupid line about never trusting a woman with a credit card, Bay's frat boy antics are kept largely in check.
On the downside, The Island makes a shameless spectacle of its product placement. At points, the advertisements nearly kill any suspension of disbelief the film is able to generate. The opening scene includes a close-up on a pair of Pumas. From that point on, everything from Cadillac, to Michelob, to Aquafina are shamelessly plugged. In fact, the product placement is so over-the-top it ultimately becomes a running gag. An entire scene is framed around McGregor and Johansson making a video-enhanced call in a phone booth embroidered with a Microsoft Logo. They even search for an address using Microsoft search software. Bay’s attempt to ironically embrace his sponsors is campy, but his eagerness to cash in ultimately detracts and becomes obnoxious.
Our favorite scene involves some none too subtle Bush bashing. While watching a press conference on television with one of Earth’s future presidents, McGregor glances over and states "he's an absolute idiot." Wow, Mr. Bay. Maybe you're not the frat boy we had you pegged as being after all.
Comments
The comic visited the land for the first time in decades to promote his anRrpWTYnkmcou new animated movie about bees, and he was treated like royalty literally
Posted by: Iris | November 26, 2007 02:16 PM