The Island (2005)
The Island, from director Michael Bay, is an action sci-fi that could have been so much more, but instead is just an ordinary summer blockbuster–which is just Bay’s typical style.
The plot is quite well set: Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson are two products of a clone factory, whose purpose is to provide an “insurance policy” to well-off individuals. To manage the clones effectively in a closed setting (remember The Matrix?), the scientists spin a story about the Earth being contaminated. Furthermore, every week in the underground complex where the clones are held, a lottery is drawn, where the lucky winner gets to go to “the Island”, a last haven for humans. The truth however, is nothing as enchanting, as the lottery winners are actually the clones who are needed by their owners. Going to the island is in fact simply going to an operation table, where the necessary organs are taken and the clone is disposed.
The shop is tightly run: opposite sexes are not allowed to develop intimate relationships (in fact, they do not even know the existence of sex), and everything from diets to work is carefully supervised and micro-managed. This pisses off Lincoln (McGregor), who is part of the Echo batch of clones, and is naturally curious about things. He discovers by chance the awful truth (with the help of some plot holes, such as nobody monitoring his whereabouts at night), and decides to save his friend Jordan (Johansson) as she has just become the new lottery winner.
They escape the complex (with the help of some more glaring plot holes), and hence set forth a big chase. The two clones’ plan is simple: find their owners (the rich guys who signed up for the insurance service) and expose the company’s unethical practice. It doesn’t make much sense, but it’s better than nothing as an excuse to see a lot of fireworks and car chases. And the action sequences are done in style, as usual, by Michael Bay, as that’s his primary concern with his films.
At the end of the day, of course, the factory is duly destroyed and the chief antagonist (Sean Bean) gets what he deserved. The clones are free (plus they find out what sex is about). Quite the happy ending, except that the film is satisfied with itself being a run of the mill action flick, when it had quite a few promising assets. Not bad for two hours of your time, but don’t expect to be mentally stimulated.
6/10