What would it take to turn your world upside down? For me, it took seeing a good Michael Bay movie.
The Island (2005)
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Reviews Counted:180
Fresh:72
Rotten:108
Average Rating:5.4/10
Consensus: A clone of THX 1183, Coma, and Logan's Run, The Island is another loud and bombastic Michael Bay movie where explosions and chases matter more than characters, dialogue, or plot.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexuality and language
Runtime: 2 hrs 16 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Theatrical Release:Jul 22, 2005 Wide
Box Office: $35,799,026
Synopsis: Michael Bay ("Armageddon," "Pearl Harbor") directs the futuristic action thriller "The Island," starring Ewan McGregor ("Star Wars: Episodes I, II & III," "Moulin Rouge!") and Scarlett Johansson... Michael Bay ("Armageddon," "Pearl Harbor") directs the futuristic action thriller "The Island," starring Ewan McGregor ("Star Wars: Episodes I, II & III," "Moulin Rouge!") and Scarlett Johansson ("Lost in Translation," "Girl With a Pearl Earring"). Lincoln Six-Echo (McGregor) is a resident of a seemingly utopian but contained facility in the mid-21st century. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to the "The Island"—reportedly the last uncontaminated spot on the planet—until he makes a terrible discovery that everything about his existence is a lie…and that he is actually more valuable dead than alive. Together with a beautiful fellow resident named Jordan Two-Delta (Johansson), Lincoln makes a daring escape to the outside world he's never known. Now, with the forces of the institute that once housed them relentlessly hunting them down, Lincoln and Jordan engage in a desperate race for their lives. Rounding out the main cast of "The Island" are Oscar® nominee Djimon Hounsou ("In America," "Gladiator") as the leader of the security team pursuing Lincoln and Jordan; Sean Bean ("National Treasure," "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy) as the head of the Institute; Steve Buscemi ("Ghost World," "Armageddon") as a man who befriends Lincoln despite working for the institute; and Oscar® nominee Michael Clarke Duncan ("The Green Mile," "Armageddon") as another resident who is elated and envied when he is selected to go to "The Island." Michael Bay directed "The Island" from a screenplay by Caspian Tredwell-Owen and Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci, based on a story by Tredwell-Owen. Walter F. Parkes, Michael Bay and Ian Bryce produced the film, with Laurie MacDonald serving as executive producer. "The Island" is a co-production of DreamWorks Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures, with DreamWorks distributing the film domestically and Warner Bros. handling the international release. -- © Dreamworks [More]
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Ewan McGregor, Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Ewan McGregor, Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean, Steve Buscemi, Michael Clarke Duncan
Director: Michael Bay
Director: Michael Bay
Screenwriter: Robert Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Caspian Tredwell-Owen
Story: Caspian Tredwell-Owen
Producer: Walter F. Parkes, Michael Bay, Ian Bryce, Laurie MacDonald
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution LLC
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Reviews for The Island
The Island is a curious hybrid of intriguing sci-fi premise and over-the-top action sequences. Nevertheless, it manages to provide adrenaline-charged entertainment for two hours.
A pleasantly derivative medley of Logan's Run, THX-1138 and an Obsession for Men ad.
It is what it looks like -- loud, fast, and fulsome, with very pretty, very athletic bodies in white jumpsuits running and leaping.
The Island, which belabors itself for about 45 minutes before you have any idea what's afoot, is a clone itself - of Coma, a '70s medical thriller that once seemed so far-fetched it had to be sci-fi.
A loud, steroidal adrenaline-pumper in which Bay proves yet again that when it comes to smashing, crashing and blowing things up real good, he has few equals.
At its best, The Island is like a Michael Crichton movie without Michael Crichton's smarts.
It may not have Ginger or Mary Ann but this is one island you won’t mind being stranded on for a few hours.
Welcome to THX 11-Michael Bay! It’s not a science fiction movie, but an incredible simulation!
Most directors use scripts, but Michael Bay shuffles a deck of cards suited EXPLOSION, CAR CHASE, FIGHT and SEX SCENE.
The third act (is) so full of holes it's a wonder the film doesn't get tangled up in the projector.
The Island begins with a whimper of interest as a cool-hued, cautionary exploration of the ethics of cloning, and ends, in a hail of product placement, with a dumb bang.
If you go in expecting Batman Begins, you’ll be disappointed for sure -- but if you go in expecting a Michael Bay film, you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised.
Calling The Island a 'popcorn, old-fashioned summer movie' is fair, but it's also sad, since it could have been more. But movies that aim low rarely achieve any kind of altitude.
For Bay, restraint means not dropping a fireball on a large urban center within the first act.
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