(2005) 2.5 Jeremy Wheeler Michael Bay's first solo outing (and ironically, first failure) from under mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer's wings is his usual ode to fire and loud noises, but blanketed over a half-brained sci-fi yarn starring out-of-place screaming indie actors. Yes, this is The Island, a wicked jaw-dropper from the director who did a sore job of kicking things off professionally under the watchful eye of new teacher Steven Spielberg, whose DreamWorks studio was subsequently sold in part because of this bomb. It was the bearded one who first highlighted the script as one of the most creative he'd ever seen, which is ironic since one of the only other sci-fi clone flicks out there, Clonus, shares enough of the exact same story that it resulted in legal action. Though the setup might be the same, The Island is pure sci-fi-"lite" all the way, which really only acts as a bridge to his wham-bam action beats. While one does get the feeling that Bay really was looking for meaning with the first act, it seems that he can't help but give in to his sensory-overloaded style when the movie hits all its cylinders. The film's big-screen duo are quite amusing in their own ways as well, with Ewan McGregor flashing his Moulin Rouge smile when he wants to look innocent, while Scarlett Johansson's throaty baritone is tested by over-the-top screaming that makes her sound like Eddie Furlong in T2. For historical purposes, the city of Detroit is an interesting location choice, and the use of the abandoned old Train Station is worthy of note, though even then, Bay's vision of Los Angeles in the future is dictated by dueling aesthetics that bounce between shiny technology and burned-out buildings. With indulgent product placement and rather obvious handling of what could have been weighty material, The Island might end up being Bay's most blatant product since he semi-retired from the commercial industry -- except this time, no one is buying.

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The Island (2005)

The Island

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Violence
Adult Situations
Adult Language
Sexual Situations

genres

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category

Feature

directed by

Michael Bay

countries

USA

release date

July 22, 2005 (USA)

run time

136 min.

produced by

MacDonald, Parkes, DreamWorks, Warner Brothers

released by

DreamWorks, Warner Bros. Pictures

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	Title/Studio	Release Date
	The Island [Blu-ray] Paramount Home Entertainment (Canadian) More	June 21, 2011

	The Island [Blu-ray] Dreamworks Video More	June 21, 2011

	The Island Dreamworks Video More	June 30, 2009

	The Island [Blu-ray] As Is More	May 12, 2009

	The Island Warner Home Video More	May 7, 2007

	The Island [Blu-ray] Warner Home Video More	May 7, 2007

	The Island Paramount Home Entertainment (Canadian) More	May 30, 2006

	The Island [UMD] DreamWorks More	January 10, 2006

	The Island Warner Bros More	January 9, 2006

	The Island DreamWorks More	December 13, 2005