The Island

Critics hate this movie and who knows why, maybe the expectations for it were huge, but I am telling you The Island is an amazing time.

Normally I shy away from Michael Bay movies or anything of his material but The Island is like his rare dime of the pile.

There is great acting and chemistry between McGregor and Johansson and Steve Buschemi was near flawless in his short cameo appearances.

The plot is sci-fi, action and some great drama. I really REALLY enjoyed the story as it surprised me at times. I thought the plot was bold and risky but it definitely payed off and it's too bad Bay hasn't gone this direction with a lot of his movies. He always seems to ditch stories and focus way too much on action to fill in the time. The Island succeeds because it's a strong blend of those 3 genres.

It wouldn't be surprising if you have never heard of this movie. I never see it on tv and I don't know many people who have seen it. It is sadly very underrated. This is an excellent movie and I strongly recommend it to anyone.

I absolutely love the dialogue and wild action! Among one of few Micheal Bay films that is awesome, I forgot how enthralling The Island is. Ewen Mcgreggor did so good throughout along with everyone else like Sean Bean he's a great villain in most anything. I imagine the budget was wildly expensive especially with destruction, cars, and the special effects. Quite a unique Sci-Fi very original, mind blowing cat and mouse on a large scale.

This movie shows you exactly where we're headed to as a society, if not there already. Conformity and obeying (blindly), no emotions, nor humanity, no wondering nor questioning, no self-reflection. Humanity being lied to and enslaved by the forever ruling 1%.

Wake up !

I liked "The Island" quite a bit due for two reasons: a depiction of the future which wasn't too "over the top", which was refreshing, coming from Bay, and that the leads were very effective at portraying their characters. McGregor, from his acting, and Johansson, from her open, fresh expression. There could have been a little more exploration of the cloning question, and I felt the action was, while visually beautiful, mundane. The score was outstanding, the theme beautifully matching the opening to the film. Pity there wasn't more of it. Sean Bean, to those used to his villainous work in "Patriot Games", and "Goldeneye", was a little weak, but due to writing, not his thespian skills. And what's a Micheal Bay or Cohen Brothers movie without Steve Buscemi? His character was relatively weak, with no real motivation behind his actions in the film. Djimon Hounsou has a pretty good part. Nice to see him carry a substantial role. One good reason to see the film: great visuals, good looking people with consistent positive ideals. Pretty to watch.

I found The Island to be highly enjoyable - a great Summer blockbuster that isn't quite mindless. It raises a number of very interesting questions...

Plenty of eye candy in every form, the two leads, the scenery, explosions, action sequences, the cinematography, everything you would expect from Michael Bay and Co.

The pacing to begin with is somewhat slow as the premise is set up (though disappointingly the trailers give it all away), but once it launches into the first action sequence it doesn't let up for some time. Yes the story has a number of plot holes but you can easily overlook them and get swept away in the fun. I've never seen Johansson on film until now and WOW, now I know what all the fuss is about. Her and McGregor display enough chemistry to make their relationship believable but only just. I'm sure this will only propel them onto bigger and better things.

My one and only gripe was with the ending scene complete with cheesy choral accompaniment - blech! Maybe Bay just couldn't help himself. I suppose no film is perfect..

7 out of 10, solid, fun entertainment, what more can you ask for?