 |
|
||||
|
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Upcoming Release Calendar
53
Australia Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
64
Appaloosa Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
|
Island, The
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexuality and language
Starring Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean, Steve Buscemi, Michael Clarke Duncan, Ethan Phillips, and Brian Stepanek
Lincoln Six-Echo (McGregor) is a resident of a seemingly utopian but contained facility in the mid-21st century. Like all the inhabitants of this carefully constructed environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to "The Island" -- reportedly the last uncontaminated spot on the plant -- until he makes a terrible discovery that everything about his existence is a lie. (Warner Bros.)
| GENRE(S): | Action | Drama | Sci-fi | Suspense/Thriller |
| WRITTEN BY: |
Alex Kurtzman
Roberto Orci Caspian Tredwell-Owen (also story) |
| DIRECTED BY: | Michael Bay |
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: December 13, 2005 Video: December 13, 2005 Theatrical: July 22, 2005 |
| RUNNING TIME: | 127 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | USA |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 6.0 (out of 10) based on 137 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Jack gave it a10:
Spectacular. Music was nice also.
Rob D gave it an8:
Great futuristic action movie in typical Michael Bay blockbuster style. Good cast!
Will D gave it an8:
A good Sci-Fi yarn that entertains both with the early imagery and themes of totalitarian oppression & human curiosity in the face of corporate propaganda and the later action sequences in a futuristic environment. Scarlett Johansson is irresistible as doe eyed Jordan 2 Delta & Ewan McGregor equally likable as curious but naive Lincoln 6 Echo. The ending is perhaps a little two Hollywood for some (those who enjoyed the end of Orwells 1984) but this is after all mass entertainment & not everyone likes to leave the cinema with fuel for deep introspection.
Shawn S. gave it a2:
The very definition of a thundering bore. Briefly, there's a chase sequence that never engages us because it substitutes any real sense of hide-and-seek, or imminent discovery, for shots of people running, helicopters whirring, voices shouting... all editing, no intelligence. But here's how bad the movie is: it wastes a luminous Scarlett Johansson with a mannequin script. THAT's the real crime here.
Jay E. gave it a6:
The film is like a watered down of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Watered down int the sense that it borrows many of scenarios of the Huxley's book but avoids the deeper political, social, educational, philosophical, class division themes that Huxley uses so skillfully - replacing them with a pretty shallow narrative of the sanctity of human life and the corruption of those who would exploit it. The villains of Huxley's novel are far more complex. They are not motivated by petty greed but by a philosophical conviction in the appropriateness of their actions. This makes their actions and the world they create all the more macabre and compelling. As entertainment not so bad a movie. But I was just left feeling - wow wouldn't it be great if Huxley's novels were reproduced properly and not just squeezed in to the Hollywood formula. Entertainment does not have to be mindless. Deep social commentary does not have to be boring.
John S. gave it a9:
Obviously not a film that ignorant, average to low IQ people enjoy. The message of the film is that YOU, yes you, right now, in this life of yours, are a product. You are owned. It's an eye opener. See Zeitgeist the movie for details.
Mila M. gave it a1:
One movie shows the struggle between two people and their search for more knowledge. Reality is, the people really aren’t people, and they have no idea what the truth means. They are clones, made to replace organs and produce children for their rich counterparts. Only one believes there is more to life than the organized world he sees. He knows that the Island has to be more than it is rumored to be. With help from a friend, he finds the outside world to be more than just daily routine. He finds himself, or the original of himself, and tries to convince him that the world must know the truth. He believes that with a little honesty, everything will be ok. But it wasn’t. It was a cheap plot, a bad mix of sci-fi and action, and one shoe away from being the cheesiest movie of the year. The Island (2005) was created to entice the senses and make you think about what technological advances may come around one day. I was intrigued by the interesting interpretation of the future of health care, as well as the one-liners throughout the movie. And yet, I spent a lot of time focusing on how brainwashed Scarlett Johansson sounded and whether or not Ewan McGregor would be punched in the face from asking too many questions. It seemed many viewers of this film were brainwashed as well as seen by the rave reviews. The intent was good, but the camera angles made me nauseated, the casts’ voices made me think I was on laughing gas, and the entire set is either way too boring or has way too much going on to keep track. The quick change from a science fiction hypothesis to an action-packed chase is so drastic I had to wonder if it was the same movie. As an avid movie-watcher, I would not recommend this movie unless you have a morbid fascination with the color white.
 |
Return to top of page |  |
